Omaha daily bee., 1908-01-13
TREND IN NEBRASKAPOLITlCS
Vote of Republican State Committee
Almost Unanimous for Taft.
DEMOCRATS AND POPS THIS WEEK
Interesting Batch OF Political News
nnd Gossip Indicating what
f. Going ON and where
it ~ Leading.

Political developments Of the week have
made definite the time and place OF the
republican state convention, which will
meet at Omaha on Thursday, March Il, to
choose the delegates-st-large to go to
Chicago. The ponulst and democratic
state committees win meet simultaneously
at Lincoln next Wednesday to fix the time
and place of the popuhst and democratic
conventions. The chances are that both
Of these conventions will likewise be held
early, comparatively speaking because the
popullsts will have to meet early il they
want to be represented at the st. Louis
convention in April. and the democrats
want to lead off with an endorsement OF
Bryan by his home state as a signal for
the democrats of other states to fall in.
The republican committee meeting at
Lincoln was unusually well attended, all
but four districts being represented, and
on the expression of personal preferences
for president turned out to be practically
unanimous for Mr. Taft. The vote was
announced as twenty-sx for TAFT and one
for Roosevelt, but later one OF the two
members not voting who had been absent
from the room, came I'm and had himself
recorded for Taft. so that the minutes of
the meeting will show twenty-seven votes
for the war secretary, while the one who
voted for Roosevelt is likewise for Taft for
his next best
The misunderstanding about the Lam
caster county vote on presidential prefer.
ence is explained by the following letter
from one of the Lancaster county COM
mitteemen
LINCOLN, Jan. Ito the Editor of The
IvI- NWnTfgt NN "a tod
without intent to misrepresent, but from
mistaken information that ! attempted 10
dodge a vote upon presidential preferences
at the recent meeting OF the state COM
mittee. 1t has once stated that | hurriedly
left the room while the roll was being
called upon this matter. This is untrue.
was absent from the room during the even
ing on two occasions. Once / withdrew in
order to permit Mr.. Whedon, as my tenn
porary proxy, to present the merits OF MS
primary resolution. Later | returned and
resumed my place as member OF the
committee. The second time l LEFT Tor
the purpose of sending a telegram regard
ing the action of the convention to an
eastern press association. When / with
drew from the room the question under
congressional districts" in the rule defining
the Limits of power of the committee IN
calling conventions should be eliminated.
Just previous to this the committee had
voted on the question of tabling all resolu-
tions endorsing Taft, and my vote IN op-
position to such action is recorded in the
minutes. NO lIluatlOn Hhu Dtti gwen
that a poll of the committee was to be
taken at that time. and when | returned
and was informed that one had been taken
In my absence j asked the secretary to
record my vote in favor OF Taft, without
knowing how the poll had resulted.
The senatorial district which i I'm part
represent is overwhelmingly for Taft and
the newspaper which i edit has been one
of his staunchest supporters. happen
also to be a member of the executive COM
mittee of the Nebraska Taft league. These
facts which are well known, ought Ger
tainly to be a sufficient guarantee of the
truth of my statement that | had no
knowledge that poll was to be taken until
after the committee had finished its formal
labors and that l did not run away from
an expression of the matter of presidential
preference. II. II. DOBBINS,
1T is only fair to say that It was Lawyer
whedon who hiked for the door ands hav-
ing been using Mr.. Dobbins proxy to gain
the privilege Of the floor, the impression
was inevitable that he was making himself
scarce In order to avoid responding to the
roll call that was in progress.