Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1912-08-06

Colonel Lyon, his superior, NAG thus
directed him. The district committee
was called Seven members attended
the meeting The district convention
was called on May Is. Eleven counties
out of the fifteen responded to the call
and took part in the convention Three
counties were not represented, and in
one of these there was no election.
After this convention had been called
the chairman of the district committee
changed his mind and called q meet
ing of the committee for April II.
This committee called congressional
convention to be held on May Is. But
there was no publication of the call,
which had to be thirty days before the
convention, until April 81. The Taft
convention seems therefore to have
been duly and regularly convened,
while the Roosevelt convention was
not. The Taft delegates were seated.
Tenth District.
In the Tenth district the decision
turned largely upon the bad faith with
which two members of the district
committee voted in the seating Of dele
gates and upon the bad faith with
which one of them used the proxy in
trusted to him. The Taft delegates in
this case bolted and left the hall and
Immediately in the same building or
ganized another convention which con-
sisted Of delegates from six counties.
Proceedings were regularly held; per-
manent organization effected, the re-
port of the committee on resolutions
adopted and delegates pledged TO Taft
were elected. The undisputed evidence
indicated that a fragrant attempt had
been made to deprive Taft of this dis
trict, to which he was justly entitled
The national committee sustained the
title Of the Taft delegates and alter
mates by a practically unanimous vote.
Fourteenth District.
In the Fourteenth district there were
fifteen counties in the district. When
the executive committee met at San
Antonio to make up the temporary roll
there were ten members of the com
mittee present whose right to act was
undisputed, of whom six were for Taft
and four for Roosevelt. There were
four other Roosevelt men present
whose right to vote was disputed and
who were clearly not entitled to repre-
sent their county at that meeting. One
of them held the proxy Of the commit !
teeman from Kendall county, who was
dead, and the proxies from three other |
counties were held, two by postmas-
ters and one by an assistant postmas- /.
ter, while under the election law Of .
Texas no one who holds an office OF |
profit or trust under the United States .
shall act as a member Of an executive .
committee either for the state or for 4
any district or county. The temporary .
roll was made up by Taft members, |
having a clear majority without per- !
mitting these men to act under their .
proxies. There was a contest over the |
delegation from Bexar county, which /
contains the city of San Antonio. Full .
consideration was given to this contest,
but the testimony was overwhelming
that Taft carried the county by a vote
OF four or five 10 one On the proper
basis the total vote in the district con
ventiOn was siXty-seven, Of which the
number instructed or voting for Taft
was thirty-seven and One-half, the
voting or Instructed for ROOse-
welt twenty eight and one-half. not vot-
ing one. The Taft delegation was
therefore seated 81 Chicago.
CONCLUSION.
The purpose Of this resume Of the
contests in which there was any shad
ow Of substance has been to inform
those who have not time or inclination
10 read the longer and more detailed
account Of them contained IN the larger
pamphlet Il Is not essential 20 make
Mr. Taft's title indisputabie that all
men agree on every one Of the issues
raised. They we're decided by the trL
buuals which uniform party usage had
made the proper tribunals 10 decide
such contests. IL those tribunals acted
IN good faith mistaken judgment would
not invalidate their decisions. As a
matter Of fact. an examination OF the
facts show that the tribunals were
right ln every instance. There Is not
the slightest evidence that they were
moved By other than a mere desire 20
reach right conclusion On the other