Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-09-28


dore Roosevelt rode today on the top
wave of victory, defeating Vice Pres
dent Sherman for temporary chairman
of the Republican state convention ana
bowling over the Old Guard in the first
engagement of a series of conflicts tnat
are to come. Col. Roosevelt was in MS
element After he had named the mem
bers of the three important committees
and The convention had adjourned to
meet tomorrow, the colonel turned to
the newspaper men and remarked:
Il said 'Frazzle,' you may recall. fou
may quote me on that.
At Troy yesterday the former Presi-
dent said he would beat his opponents
to q fr.Zzle.
One thousand and eleven votes were
cast in the convention today of Whlc'
Col Roosevelt received 568 and Vice
President Sherman received 143, this
electing the leader Of the ProgrcsSlves
by majority of 1875.
Colonel Roosevelt did not vote, Mr.
sherman voted for John Doe and tive
Of tie New York county delegates dc
not respond when their names were
called The vote was officially annOunc-
ed at the convention gave Roosevelt
o67 and Sherman 445. but an error II
the count was discovered tonight
Col Roosevelt spoke feelinsly q
what President Taft had accomplished
in his administration in his speech as
temporary chairman. saying that the
laws passed reflected high credit upon
all who succeeded in putting them IN
their present shape uDon the statute
books They represent an earnest work
of the achievement which is vet tt
come: and the beneticence and TAR
reaching importance of this work done
for the whole people measures the cred
it which is rightly due to the Ccngres:
and to our able. upright and distin
guishcd President. William Howard
Taft
The spectators and many of the del
egates warmly applauded the deCla
ration of Col. Roosevelt for direct
primary plank.
Col Roosevelt also bitterly assailed
tho "bosses.'
Thunderous applause greeted Col
Roosevelt as he was escorted to the
platform bv Vice President Sherman
and Cornelius Collins, superintendent
of prisons. and it was some time before
he could proceed with his speech
Thanking the delegates for the honor
they had conferred upon him. the col
onel caused the greatest enthusiasm
when he said:
YOU shall not have cause now o.
hereafter to regret what you have
done.
It was a day of oratory; it was
day of bitter and acrimonious speech
WITH the opening of the convention
State Chairman Woodruff defined th'
position Of the Old Guard and annOunc
ed tl.at Vice President Sherman haC
been selected for temporary chairman
by the state committee. And then th'
real fight was on.
Abraham Gruber of New York Cit.
had been selected to fire the verbal ho
shot for the Old Guard, and his speecl
alta cking the former President was of
ten broken and drowned by Kisses an
jners once the noise became 50 grea
that Col Roosevelt leaped to his fee
and asked for a full hearing for tn
speaker
w
of Now York City was the champion o
the Progressives and made a warn
and spirited reply to the Old Guard on
Slaught.
The convention had been well pre-
pared for the outcome of the contes
| for temporary chairman. Wiliar
Barnes, Jr, leader of the Old Guar
| forces, having early in the day con
| ceded the election of Theodore Roose
welt.
The victory of Col. Roosevelt in tn
first counting of noses did not Appaa
to dishearten the Old Guard, for the,
continued their fight on the conven
ton floor when the Progressivcs sub
mitteG resolutions whereby the com
mittees should be made up of repre-
sentatives from each congressional dis
trict, the members to be named by tn
temporary chairman.
Seeing that this gave absolute powe
to Col. Roosevelt. Speaker Wadswortl
of the Assembly strongly opposed TIL
amendments. He took the position tina
each congressional district should max
its own member, as had been done II
the case of previous Republican con
ventions for many years. The ProGreS
sives. however, were in the ascendanc,
ard the resolutions as drafted by tn
| friends of Mr.. Roosevelt were carried.
There being no contests before tn
convention, the makeup of the com
mittee on credentials was withou
significance and it was quickly name
and announced by Col. Roosevelt, a
| was the committee on permanent or
ganization. The makeup of the com
mittee on resolutions, which was t
thresn over the important direct prim
ary plank. caused Col. Roosevelt t
, hold up the convention until he coul