The sun., 1908-04-11
WILL INSTRUCT FOR HUGHES
TO.DlY'S STATE CONVENTION
NOT TO FIGHT on THAT POINT,
Hut II the Report That senator Page Win
Introduce an Antl.Bettlng ResOlutiOn
Proves True nere1l he a Lively Tlme
No One Ready 10 Confirm Rumor.

The Republican State convention, the
first session Of which will be held in Carnegie
Hall at II o'clock this morning will before
the day Is over. according TO the programmes
mapped out very late last night at State
headquarters, adopt platform which
strongly oommsnds the national admin
istration Of Theodore Roosevelt the State
administration Of Gov, Hughes and In
struots the four delegates at large and their
alternates to use every honorable means
to bring about Gov. Hughess nomination
for the Presidency at Chicago in June.
The models OF the paragraph in the plat
form which will instruct the delegates for
Gov. Hughes are from the platforms Of the
Republican State conventions Of March "a,
1895. and April ~. 1904. In the former
platform, when the delegates at large and
their alternates we're instructed for Gov.
Morton, the paragraph read:
Therefore we instruct our delegates 10
the st. Louis convention to present him
as our candidate for President and urge
upon them TO use all honorable means TO
secure his nomination
The paragraph in the platform adopted
by the State convention Of 1904 reads;
Accordingly, we indorse the admin
istration Of Theodore Roosevelt. Believ-
ing in his loyalty to the principles Of the
Republican party. relying on his devotion
TO the interests Of American citizens and
conhding in his wisdom, his courage and
his craftsmanship. we hereby direct that
the delegates this day chosen use all honor
able means TO bring about his nomination
for President at the national convention
TO be held in June"
II was pointed out yesterday that Re-
publican State convention cannot instrlCt
any but the four delegates at large and
their alternates for Presidential oandl-
date. The Congress district conventions
throughout the STATE instruct or do not,
according TO their own ideas but a State
convention cannot instruct the Congress
district delegates to vote for any Presl-
dental candidate,
The last time that a Republican State
convention attempted TO instruct the dele
gates at large and the Congress district
delegates was in 1880 at Utica. where Roscoe
Conklng insisted upon the entire delega-
tion being instructed for Grant. Many
Of the Congress district delegates refused
TO obey these instructions, and since then
no Republican State convention has tried
II. The delegates at large and their alter
mates only were instructed for Morton In
1895, just as the delegates at large and their
alternates we're instructed for Roosevelt
in 1904.
The returns from all the Congress dis
tricts in tho State which make up total
Of seventy-four delegates TO the Chicago
Convention are not all in but 1t was esti-
mated last night that certainly about twenty
four Of the seventy -four have been in
structed for Gov. Hughes, and those twenty
four with the four delegates at large will
make total Of twenty ight out Of the
seventy-eight delegates who have been
instructed to use every honorable means
to bring about the Governors nomination
for President.
The Republican State committee held
the usual meeting on the eve Of State
convention at the headquarters. 10 East
Thirtieth street, Chairman Woodruff pre-
siding, and Secretary Gleason taking notes.
The committee met in executive session
to hoar preliminary arguments on the
contests which are to be finally settled
Dy the COMMITTEES Om credentials tSsday
The only contest Of which notice had BEEN
served was that in the first Assembly dis
trict Of Niagara. whore there was a fraoas
between the adherents Of John A. Merritt
and James w. Wadsworth Sr., on ono side
and Frederick c, Stevens and Representa-
tive Peter Porter on the other. Mr.. Wads-
worth and his successor in the House OF
Representatives, Mr.. Porter. were on hand
most Of the day and hight. urging their
respective claims to recognition on tho
Neither, however. was
sent for to state his arguments before the
State committee.
The committee decided 10 place the
erritt-Wadsworth people on the temporary
roll Of the convention, and the real fight
will be left for the committee on oreden-
tials to-day, 1t promises to be about a.
bitter a contest as both sides can put up.
The indications last night were that Mr..
Merritt will retain his place as State
for the Thirty-fourth Con-
gress district and that Representative
Porter will be renominated for Congress In
the fall. Mr.. Wadsworth announced last
night that he had sent letter to Mr.. Mer-
ritz wherein he positively announces that
he is not and will not be a candidate for
Congress against Mr.. Porter next fall.
Contrary to. expectations. no notice Of
contest was filed in the Seneca district.
The Seneca district rows between Mongin
and Moran have become 80 trivial and so
continuous that few outside Of the county
pay any attention 10 them at ALL
The State committee then took up the
hght Of William Halpin, eI-Gov. Odell's
chief lieutenant in New York city, TO be
retained as State committeeman for the
Eleventh Congress district. There was a
argument over this disturbance.
Mr.. Halpin spoke up for himself and he was
by Mr., 0dell and by Henry 2.
O'Brien, State committeeman for the Thir-
eenth Congress district. All insisted that
Mr.. Hslpin in the Seventh Assembly district
should have received six delegates to tho
Congress district convention, whereas he
only got FIVE by the apportionment. The
Halpin side OF the argument was that at
he last general election there we're l,52o
Republican votes cast In the Seventh As
,embly district and that he was therefore
entitled TO six delegates.
PrnnidnnA pn nrnnnn ~ Ahn NJ VII