The Washington times., 1912-07-29

document 136 pages IN ienBtn, oe-
fending the means by which Republic
can political bosses obtained control OF
the Chicago convention and bestowed
stolen nomination upon President Tart
was issued at the white House yester-
day.
This statement, prepared by hired law
yers. headed by former Senator Charles
Dick OF Ohio. himself repudiated by
the voters of the Buckeye state. bears
the stamp OF approval Of both the
President and his campaign manager,
Charles d. Hilles.
Victor Rosewater, one of the chief
factors In penetrating the frauds. and
Thomas II. Devine, political juggler for
the Guggenheims in Colorado, VINO
headed the credentials committee ana
ratified the thefts Of delegates. also
o. KID the report.
Little Proof Adduced.
The main argument advanced by the
declaration is that nothing wrong was
DONE" and the .bosses'' have taken
great care to repeat this assertion back
ed with but little proof. time and again.
AS in the Lorimer case. the report
charges every one opposing the Presi-
dent with corruption. Colonel theodore
Roosevelt is the main target for this
charge,and the report attempts to
Justify the charge with the statement
that a great many contests at Chicago
were filed from the Southern states,
which had SO little merit they were
abandoned. ,..,.r. th,.
NAV be true, but the truth does not
merit the conclusion suggested. Ihey
saw there was not representative OF
the Roosevelt or progressive cause T., a.
the convention who attempted to get
hearing for single contest without
merit. Such Of those as were heard the
Roosevelt supporters voted against
The report in making pressn'ai ahsniute
misstatement, according to RooseVeu
men. when It holds that State has no
right to pass an election law Wmcn
may at some time be In connict WIN d
rule laid down by the national commit
tee. a.,
The, contention is seriously made IN
the Taft declaration that the hauonsi
committee can frame It's call for con-
vention so as to exclude the representa-
| tiyes OF any State, the election laws OF
which are displeasing to the national
committee. 1t Is a most startling az,
| tempt to place the rule OF the nauonal
committee above the law, JUSTIFIED by the
! ssertion that the Republican party Is
but a volunteer association or men 10
promote their own political theories and
purposes
Few Real Contests.
There were only four States. says
the statement-Arizona, Michigan.
Texas and Washington. having in all
twenty eight delegates at large
where the contests were worthy OF
the name. and in none Of the states
did the contestants against the dele
gates-at-large feel that they had
sufficient grounds for the contest to
Justify bringing the matter to q rec
ord vote in the convention. and no
roll call was dersanded In any case.
The statement points out that the
238 contests were reduced by aban-
donment, formal or in substance, TO
seventy-four.
The very fact that there were 164
frivolous contests itself reflects upon
the genuineness and validity of the
remainder" says the statement.
Under the subhead. Fraudulent
Roosevelt Contests" the statement
refers to the election Of delegates in
virginia, Georgia, Alabama, and Flor
"The alleged conventions which
named the Roosevelt contesting dele
gates met from two to three months
after the Republican organizations In
|
tions and duly elected Taft delegates
to the national convention. That
these contests were based on no
worthy motives. and were devised Tor
public and making trouble for Taft
Is apparent. from the fact that the
regularly elected Taft delegates In
every case were seated by prac-
Welt members OF the committee join.
ing with the Taft members In the
votes"
"One Of the contests which Roose-
cry Of theft was the Ninth Alabama
In this case the charge Is made thai
the title to the seats claimed by
Roosevelt delegates was tainted with
forgery
space to the Fourth California contest
which has been held up by the Roose
: Welt people as one Of the most nagran
outrages committed by the operation o.
= the Chicago steam roller.
} The statement points out that i
Statewide primary laws had beer
recognized by Republican national con
I, the ninety votes from New York Stat
= would have been cast as unit ant
: Roosevelt would have lost fourteei
4 votee from that State and eighteen II
Massachusetts.
This contest being presented to tn.
either to seat the Taft delegates, vh,
had received a majority of the vote
from their district, or to abandon tn
call for the convention which II had Is
sued and also the sound and salutar!
practice Of the party for upward
5 thirty years.
Reply In Texas Cases.
:. The trainers of the statement devot
more than 5000 words to the Texas con
. tests, which also form the basis o
Roosevelt's charges of fraud. TIL
statement says:
1T was not alone a question whethe
|, ,, the votes should go to Taft or Roose
:. Velt. 1t was also question whether tn
J. Republican party in the State should b
relieved from the death grip of the ar
G bitrary and INSCRIPTIONS political ma
: chine which had dominated 1t for year
I and was destroying the party in tn
E State rather than building It up. In 1856
= the Republican party cast $4,000 vote
:" IN the State; In 1900 the Republica
vote was l2l,OO0; in 1904 Roosevelt re
cetved 5lOOO votes; in 1908 Taft go
650OO. and In 1910 the Republican can
didate Tor governor, nominated at
r small machine convention, receive
only 5000 Republican votes"
The manner IN which Colonel Lyo
| EnWNa Inn 10 al Il RI ,,A L., u,