New-York tribune., 1908-06-04
CONTESTS AT CHICAGO.

The publica ton of the list or contests 10 pe
passed on by the Republican National commit
tee in making up a temporary roll for the ha-
tional convention confirms what The Tribune
has heretofore said about the Fictitious ana
irrelevant character of most of the disputes 10
be submitted for judgment. A Chicago dis
match enumerates 229 cases of contest. But
the most casual glance at the roll will show that
it is the sheerest extravaganza to class1! as
legitimate contests large percentage OF these
manufactured and irresponsible claims
1t appears for instance, that contests have
been filed for twenty-five seats in Virginia anu
twenty seats in North Carolina. The fact IS
that except in regard TO two seats from Nortn
Carolina these contests of a wholly inadmls-
sible and fictitious character. A contest 10
have some legitimate basis, must be founded
on differences arising between forces operating
under party rules and in conformity with the
terms of the national convention call Disputes
over questions of regularity must touch some
issue between factions acknowledging the pro-
cedure marked out both by the nauohai UT
ganization and by the party authorizes III
given state, territory dependency. No such
disputes occurred in Virginia or North caro-
lima except in one district. The Virginia ana Nor'n
Carolina delegations, with that exception were
elected as regularly and with as due regard lor
party rules as were the delegations from New
tain outside self-organized mass meetings IN
Virginia and North Carolina pretended TO choose
Republican delegates. But they did not act
under the authority of the national call or III
conformity with any of its provisions OF re-
strictions 1t would be more eAtravagant
to contend that the Peoples Institute at one OF
its Cooper Union meetings was quailned 10 eject
delegation TO represent the Repubncan party
of this state at Chicago than TO maintain that
~ NnrT1,
Virginia were qualified to elect Republican
delegations from those states. 1t Is ridiculous
to consider such self nominated delegates as
serous contestants We also find in the Chi
cago list Il contest entered against a delegate
from Pennsylvania, elected by feloW-Repuo-
licans in a Republican Congress district prl-
mary. on the astonishing ground that his Re-
publicansm is open to question:
The remaining 1888 contests can be divided
into two classes Clearly legitimate disputes
as TO title, arising under the terms OF the
convention call, involve two seats from Alaska'
two from Arizona six from Missouri, eight from
Ohio eight from Kentucky, two from Arkansas
two from North Carolina, four from Oklahoma
and fourteen from Tennessee. If the Repub-
lican party were not unhappily without efncieht
organization in the Gulf States and without
means of enforcing majority rule IN party ad-
ministratio in those states, these forty y-e1ght
seats would probably he the only ones properly
subject 10 contest. They are the only ones
which raise an entirely legitimate issue between
forces acting in good faith under party rules
In the rest of the contests-thOse in South
Carolina Florida, Georgia, Alabama, MISSES
snpi Louisiana and Texas abnormal and
extraneous issues are involved. The Repub
lican party in those states is In a conditlon OF
fux and no machinery exists by which IT can
declare and enforce its will protect itself
from the irresponsible action Of lawless fac
tons In Louisiana and Texas there are two
rival Republican organizations. voting under
different legal designations. 1t ought TO he
comparatively easy work TO decide between
these two claimants on the basis of the vote
cast in 1904 and 1906 and in Texas it will he
all the easier because the minority organization
disregarded the terms of the call in selecting
delegates In the other states, III some OF
which there are three sets of claimants FOR
seats. a clear application Of the majority rule
principle is much more difficult. 1t is griev-
GUS scandal that the party organization In those
states is not equal to responsible self govern
ment The Chicago convention would do
helpful thing if it should take some action to
stamp out factionalism in the lower South and
10 compel a determination at home of the wishes
of the qualified electors constituting the party