The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-01-04
FORAKER CLAIMS
CALL IS ILLEGAL
SENATOR REFUSES TO OBEY
STATE COMMITTEES ORDER
IN REGARD TO PRIMARIES.
He Says the Requirements Of the Call
are In Direct Conflict with
the Law and are
Burdensome.

Cincinnati, Jan. A fiat refusal to
be bound by the conditions OF the call
made Thursday night at Columbus for
the republican state convention which
is to name a state ticket and select
delegates at large to the national con-
vention is the conclusion reached by
United States Senator Foraker, and
announced in statement given to the
press Friday night.
Primaries for selection OF delegates
to the convention were provided for
in the official call issued by the ex-
ecutive committee by vote of IA to
T.. The method provided is sharply
criticized by Senator Foraker. The
statement in part follows:
II am not sure that ! understand
the call, although l have read 1t sew
eral times. II do, 1t is another case
of asking for bread and getting a
stone. My idea in requiring primaries
was to have the election of delegates
brought home to the people, so that
in each ward, for instance, we could
select our immediate representatives.
This call makes all that impossible.
'In addition 1t prescribes require
ments not authorized by the statute
and not within the power of the state
central committee. Some of the re-
quirements are in direct conflict with
the statute. Some of them are very
burdensome One, in particular, is
the requirement that before there can
be Taft ticket and a Foraker ticket
there must be petition signed by 20
times the number of candidates for
delegates and alternates. That would
mean in this county about 1000 sign
ers or petitioners.
"The unreasonableness of the re-
,quirement that there shall be 1000 pc
titioners to authorize ticket is
shown not only by the fact that the
law makes no such requirement, but
that in cases where the law authoriz-
ed county and city officers to be nomi-
mated by petition, only 800 names are
necessary to nominate any county Of
ficer and only so names are necessary
to nominate any municipal officer
"If, in the contemplation of the law,
so signers are enough to authorize
placing a mans name on the ticket
for mayor of Cincinnati or Cleveland,
certainly 1t is beyond anything con-
templated by the law that 1000 sigma
lures sHOulu Dt HtCtosuTy W nOHllHute
lot of delegates and alternates
merely to attend the state convention.
Such a condition Is unnecessary as
well as burdensome 1t should be
enough for each party to select his
own ticket and then let the people
vote their preference.
"The counties are not bound to fol-
low the order of the state central
committee, but whether they will do
as ! am personally concerned, shall
make no effort to comply with such
uncalled for, illegal and arbitrary con-
ditions."
Columbus, O., Jan. 4.-When shown
Senator Foraker's statement, Arthur
Vorys. Taft's campaign manager,
made the following statement:
II believe the call is fair, reason
able, sensible and legal. We shall
comply with II and abide by the re.
suit"
Attorney General Ellis said: 1.-THE
call Is easily understood II provides
a direct primary for the selection of
delegates to the state convention by
counties and an opportunity for every
republican elector to express at the
polls his choice for president, and for
every candidate for president to have
his own ticket I'm each county with
his own name at the head of 1t. II
seems to have been carefully prepared
under the primary election law of
Ohio and appears to be fair to all"