Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-07-29
TAFT DECLARES
HIS NOMINATION
WAS NOT STOLEN
RepudiateS Charges
of Roosevelt as
Being False.
SEES LACK OF FAITH IN
FIGHT OVER CONTEST
Answer Contemplates Spiking
of Campaign Guns of
Democracy.

WASHINGTON, July 29.-The long
expected and carefully prepared an
swer of the Taft faction to the re-
iterated charges that the President
stole the nomination at Chicago
has been issued from the White
House. 1t is the longest and probably
the most complete statement ever put
out from the executive mansion and
Is intended by its very thoroughness
and are to damage the argument of
the third party men and spike the
guns of the Democrats who may seek
10 make campaign material out of the
former Presidents charges.
Every one of the 23s contests which
Colonel Roosevelt's leaders instituted
in Chicago is carefully discussed,
dissected and disposed of. All the
arguments which were presented to
the national committee prior to the
opening of the convention or the
committee on credentials after June
Is are included in the Taft statement
of some 49, 900 words and. in addition,
there is a summary which ~epitomizes
the contests and shows wherein each
lacked the necessary ~flavoring of the
truth which caused the convention to
reject it.
Charges Lack of Faith.
Al examination of the facts" con-
cludes the statement. show that the
tribunals were right in every in
stance. There is not the slightest
evidence that they were moved by
other than a mere desire to reach a
right conclusion. On the other hand,
the action of the Roosevelt men in
bringing 100 contests hat they
promptly abandoned strongly tended
% show the lack of good faith in the
prosecution of all of them.
A resume of the statement. pre-
pared by Charles D. Hilles, formerly
President Taft's secretary, and now
of the Republican National
takes up each contest
briefly.
Calls Contests Frivolous.
The total number of delegates sum-
to the convention" says the
resume, twas 1913. with $40 neces-
sary to a choice. Mr.. Taft had SCI
votes on the first and only ballot, and
was declared the nominee. There
instituted against 23s of the
delegates regularly elected for Taft.
contests on behalf of Roosevelt.
These contests were avowedly insti-
gated, not for the purpose of really
securing seats in the convention. not
for the purpose of adducing evidence
would lead any respectable
court to entertain the contests, but
for the purpose of d%eceiving the
public into the belief that Mr.. Roose-
yelt had more votes than he really
lad, as the conventions and primaries
we're in progress for the selection of
delegates. The 23S contests were re-
lueed by abandonment. formal or in
substance, to se~venty-four. The very
act of these 1854 frivolous contests
tself reflects upon the genuineness
md validity of the remainder"
Cites Credentials Report.
An appendix is the full report of
he credentials committee to the o n
in which the statement is
iued by the Roosevelt committeeman
tttacking the majority of the COM
was answered. In discussing
he charge the report said:
1.-THE statement IS a whole in its
nsinuations of combination of I'M
motive, in it's recital of al
eyed facts, is grossly and maliciously
Untrue. It was intended to convey
he impression that the time for hear
cases was so limited as to prevent
being properly presented to the
The untruthfulness OF
his statement is clearly shown by
he records of the committee and the
newspaper reports of its deliberations.
Not only did the rules make liberal
PROVISION for time in presenting the
.ases. but in every instance where
he parties presenting the cases or
my member of the committee asked
or an extension of time, it was
members of the committee asserted
hat the speed with which the Gre
ientials committee brought in reports
made 1t evident that the reports had
prepared beforehand" In reply
O this statement the appendix to the
House statemenF said:
Always Two-thirds Vote.
THE committee on credentials Of
he Republican national convention
.onsists of ifty-three members. The
ommittee in every case sustained the
l~ecision of the national committee,
md in no case by majorities of less
han two-thirds, The statement OF
acts, Endorsed by forty members of
he committee, who listened patiently
through all-day and all-nisht sessions
o evidence and argument in order to
,e able to Judge cases intel'igenrly
pass upon them honestly, should
)e a sufficient answer to the reckless,
Inwarranted and un%truthfuI asser-
ions contained in the statement
by eleven members OF the
committee, two of whom did not at
end sessions of the committee, did
not hear any of the evidence pre-
and nearly all Of whom i..di-
their bias by voting IN every
for the delegates known to be
favorable to Mr.. Roosevelt.