New-York tribune., 1908-06-14
THE CONVENTION ROLL


| tional Convention made up by the Republican
| National Committee yindicates completely. the
careful canvass made by The Tribune of the
| preferences of the delegateselect In The Trib-
| une's table of May "a. giving the returns from
every state, territory. dependency and Congress
district. the number of delegates accredited 10
Mr. Taft was put at 5.3. In this list were in
cIuded only delegates who had been instructed for
Mr. Taft or who had Deen elected by conven-
tions passing Taft resolutions of preference or
| Endorsement. or who. though uninstructed had
publicly announced their purpose TO support MI
Taft in connection with their elections. After
settlement of all disputed titles it appears that
the Taft delegates on the preliminary roll who
come under these three classifcatonS VIII number
$50. The national committee admitted 10 in
structed Taft delegates from Alabama, Z
from Arizona and from Missouri-replaclng
delegates whom The Tribune credited to Gov
ernor Hughes and 6 whom it listed as uncom-
mitted. The committee admitted 13 anti-Taft
or uncommitted delegates-9 in Louisiana. / in
Ohio. 1 in Tennessee and in Firginia-replac-
Ing delegates whom The Tribune had credited to
Taft. In the Louisiana and Virginia contests
The committee decided against II delegates with
technically good titles, on the ground that I'M
proper attempts had been made by the party
authorities to discriminate between white and
colored voters.
The Tribune said on May "a that at least 20
Of the 1917 delegates classed as uncommtted
would probably support Mr.. Taft. giving him
623 votes IN the convention. Since his nonina-
ton has become a certainty many more of the
uncommitted have fallen into line. Even if the
"farorite son. states put their candidates in
nomination at Chicago Secretary Taft will have
about 700 votes on the first ballot
The Trbune's purpose in preparing an ad-
nf tho pIe Presidential
preferences was simply TO keep its readers ac-
curatey informed. Many of our contemporaries
have preferred TO distort and confuse the Still
alton and TO fill their columns with grossly mis-
leading accounts of the progress OF the cam
pafgn. The Tribune collected data with refer
ence TO the contests brought, and in making its
table scrupuously favored the delegates-elect
seeming to have legitimate prinG facie titles.
Its Judgment coincided almost exactly with that
of the national committee, because on the facts
presented it would have been hard for an In
telligent jurysto reach any other conclusion To
cover up their Misrepresentation many news
papers have been publishing ridiculous accounts
of the arbitrary methods used in settling the
contests. Ii was said that the Taft machine
using steam roller to crush the opposi-
tion But even ant-Taft members of the ma
tional committee like Senator Scott. of West
Virginia and Senator Hepburn, Of Idaho. have
frankly admitted that the record no other
decisions than those reached would have been
justified. Mr. Scott said on Friday after the
hearings were over:
1t is mistake to suppose that the committee
diSregarded justice and rode rough -Shod over
the delegates who were not favorable to the
nomination of the Secretary OF War.
The cases were decided absolutely on their
merits.
Said Mr.. Hepburn:
I must say that in general the Taft cases
have been admirably presented, while some pitt
fu spectacles have been made by some of the
gentlemen the other side.
There have been few Republican national con-
ventons in fact, at which the causes for friction
have been few and so trivial as they are this
year at Chicago The campaign for the Presi-
Dental nomination has left no scars 1t has
cause there real antagonisms between
different sections or elements in the party. The
candidates have not differed materially on ques-
tions of policy, and there have been no party
feuds TO embitter one group of leaders against
another. Secretary Taft lifted the contest to a
dignifed and friendly plane when he decided TO
make no effort to invade the "favorite son.
states. Each sspirant has had a fair chance
| and the Taft majority in the convention can be
| truly said to represent the wishes of the great
mass of Republican voters all over the country
| A national primary would have given him the
| nomination by liberal margin us he will
| have in the convention this week