Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-10
CONTEST NOT
HALF DECIDED
BY COMMITTEE
ALLIES GAIN A FEW VOTES FOR
HARMONY
"BLACK AND TANS" MAY VOTE
FOR TAFT
Fifty Disputes Still Remain to Be De-
cided and Fast Work Must
Be Done In Three
Days
81 Associated Press.

81 Associated Press.
CHICAGO, June 9.-After working
for four days with three additional
days yet to come before the convention
the Republican national committee ad-
journed late today with less than half
of it's contests decided This is based
upon the actual number of contests
filed, fifty having yet to be heard, while
forty-one have been settled.
| 1t is possible, however, that the COM
mittee has finished about one-half of
the total amount of work imposed ON
| 1t by the numerous contesting dele
| cations from the southern states.
| There are in Texas contests on dele
gates at large in each of the sixteen
districts. These will be consolidated,
reducing the aggregate number of
| cases yet to be heard to forty-one.
There Is possibility also that other
| arrangements may be made in Vir-
ginia and other states.
| The committees today decided six
| teen contests affecting thirty-six dele
gates. OF these twenty-seven are Taft
men and the remaining nine, all of
whom are "black and tan" from Louis
lana, have tentatively decided that they
will cast their votes for Taft, but there
is no binding agreement to that effect
The contests decided today comprise
the delegates at large in Louisiana and
Mississippi, seven districts in Louis
lana, six districts in Mississippi and
one in Missouri.
The Louisiana contest. which was
the most important of the day, resulted
| in a split delegation, the committee
deciding to seat both the '1ily white"
| or Taft delegation and the "black and
| tan" with half vote EACH
This agreement was not reached
until after repeated conferences and
much telegraphing and telephoning be-
tween Chicago and Washington. The
decision finally reached by the COM
mittee was carried out with the full
consent and approval of both Secretary
Taft and President Roosevelt. 1t pro-
vided that the Republican party in
Louisiana shall be reorganized under
the direction Of committee of three.
composed of the chairman. the secre-
tary and one member of the incoming
national committee.
The committee today passed a reso-
luton requesting the next national
committee, to name as this member
Pearl Wright the present committee
man from Louisiana.
Agreement Reached
The agreement reached between
the Taft and anti-Taft elements on the
committee and later carried into effect
by that body was highly displeasing to
the lilly whites" headed by former
Governor Yarmouth. The governor
declared with great emphasis that he
|
would carry the fight before the creden-
tials committee and If defeated there
he would go home. Other members OF
the lilly whites faction were not so
emphatic in their statements, and the
Taft managers are hopeful that they
can bring them to see the wisdom of
todays action before the national con-
vention is called to order.
The 'black and tans' accepted the
compromise with entire satisfaction. 1t
was originally supposed that their
votes, If they had been seated as dele
gates, would be cast for Senator Fora
ker, but after the committee had
settled the contest they announced they
were uninstructed and entered into
tentative arrangement by virtue OF
which their votes will be cast for the
secretary of war. They claimed they
were fighting especially for the recog-
milton of their organization. and that
with them all other questions were
comparatively dwarfed The agreement
to vote for Taft, however, is not bind
ing, and to all intents and purposes the
"black and tan" votes from Louisiana
are uninstructed.
Something of sensation was created
during the hearing of the Louisiana
contest by Ormsby McHarg of Wash
ington, general counsel for all of the
contesting Taft delegations. Mr.. Nc
Harg had not been informed by the
political managers of the impending
settlement, and during his argument
before the committee declared there
would be no compromise, stating that
he had visited the south "at the request
of the next president of the United
States" His words plainly referred to
the secretary Of war.
Senator Hepburn Angry
Senator Hepburn of Idaho was on his
feet the instant Mr.. McHarg had con-
cluded. His face was livid with wrath
and protested vehemently against the
language used by the attorney, declar-
ing it was nothing less than threat
intended to compel the committee as he
desired.
The Taft men on the committee at
tempted to smooth it over, but Sem
ator Scott of West Virginia refused
to be reconciled and declared he be-
lieyed McHarg had spoken exactly as
he thought, and that he was attempt
ing to browbeat the committee.
l. Later Mr.. McHarg in addressing the
committee on the Mississippi contests
offered a graceful apology, saying he
had spoken merely as counsel, and not
for the secretary of war.
This closed the incident entirely, ex-
cept when Mr.. McHarg called upon
the Taft managers and expressed his
| opinion of their conduct in letting him
| go before the committee to make an
| argument without being possessed of
| full and accurate lnIOrIldtlOn Oh WHAT
the Taft people proposed to do.
The division on the Louisiana COM
promise was the first test of strength
| that has been made since the COM
mittee met. This was not decisive be-
cause a number of the anti-Taft men
voted for the settlement. Later, how
ever, a vote was taken at the con-
clusion of the hearing of the contest
| from the fourth Mississippi district.
| Committeeman Scott of Alabama
called for a division and thirty mem
bers of the committee rose to their
feet in favor of seating the Taft dele
CATION. On the call for a negative
vote nobody arose, and the Taft man
ayers were thereby assured that they
had at least thirty votes on the COM
| mittee.
| During the latter part of the after
noon when Chairman New was COM
PEELED by business affairs to leave the
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