The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1912-08-01
THE truth ABOUT
THOSE DELEGATES
Roosevelt Contests InStIgdted
to Deceive the Public.
ALL BUT "a WERE ABANDONED

An Examination Of the Facts Shows
That the Tribunals Which Decided
These Contests In Favor of Mr.. Taft
Were Right In Every lnstanee-Ths
Remaining 1854 Contests Were FrivoI-
Gus, and Their Prompt Abandonment
Reflects Upon the Genuineness and
Validity of the Remainder.
Washington. July 29.-Here are the
facts in relation to the contested seats
In the Republican national convention.
1t Is a summary of a detailed state
ment going carefully into all of the
cases, statement 50 thorough that it
takes up $50 pages of printed matter.
This statement is signed by Mr.. Victor
ROsewater. chairman of the former Re
publican national committee: by Mr.. }
H. Devine of Colorado. chairman of the
committee on credentials of the Repub-
lican national convention. and by Mr..
Charles D. Hilles. chairman Of the
present Republican national committee
The total number of delegates sum-
moned to the convention under its call
was l,07S. with $40 necessary to a
choice. Mr. Taft had 561 votes on the
first and only ballot and was declared
the nominee. There were instituted
against 22S of the delegates regularly
elected for Taft contests on behalf of
Roosevelt. These contests were avow-
edly instigated not for the purpose of
really securing seats in the convention,
not for the purpose of adducing evil
dence which would lead any respect
able court to entertain the contests. but
for the purpose of deceiving the public
into the belief that Mr.. Roosevelt had
more votes than he really had, as the
conventions and primaries were in
progress for the selection of delegates
This is not only a necessary inference
from the character of the contests, but
it was boldly avowed by the chief edi
tor Of the newspapers owned by Mr..
Munsey. who has been Mr.. Roosevelt's
chief financial and newspaper sup
porter. The 23S contests were reduced
by abandonment to seventy-fOur.
The very fact of these 1874 frivolous
contests itself reflects upon the genu-
ineness and validity Of the remainder
The seventy-four delegates include six
at large from Arizona. four at large
from Kentucky, four at large from In
diana. six at large from Michigan,
eight at large from Texas and eight at
large from Washington. and also two
district delegates each from the Ninth
Alabama. the Fifth Arkansas, the
Thirteenth Indiana. the Seventh.
Eighth and Eleventh Kentucky. the
Third Oklahoma. the Second Tennes
see and from each of nine districts. the
First, Second. Fourth. Fifth. Seventh
Eighth. Ninth. Tenth and Fourteenth
of Texas.
CONTESTED DELEGATES AT
LARGE.
Arizona.
In the Arizona convention there were
ninety-three votes. All the delegates
six in number-Were to be selected at
large. The counties were entitled to Sc
lect their delegates through their coun
ty committee or by primary In one
county, Maricopa. a majority of the
committee decided to select its dele
gates and a minority to have a pri
mary In other counties there were
some contests. and the sttae commit
tee. following the usage of the national
committee, gave a hearing to all con
teStants in order to make up the TEN
porary roll There was a clear major
ity Of the Taft delegates among tht
uncontested delegates. The committee
made up the temporary roll and then
there was bolt, siXty-fOur remaining
in the hall and twenty-five withdraw
ing therefrom. The case of the Taft
majority was so clear that it is difficult
to understand why contest was made
Indiana.
In Indiana the four Taft delegates at
large were elected in state conven.
ton to which Marion county, in which
Indianapolis is situate, was entitled to
12S votes. A primary was held in In
dianapoIis, at which Taft polled 5000
and Roosevelt 1,400 votes. This gave
Taft 106 delegates in the state conven-
ton from Marion county, and if they
were properly seated the control of the
convention by large majority was
conceded to Taft. Attempt was made
to impeach the returns from Marion
county by charges Of fraud and repeat
ing. These charges were of general
character, without specification except
as to one ward out of fifteen wards,
and then the impeaching witness ad-
mitted he could not claim fraud enough
to change the result in that ward. The
national committee. upon which there
were fifteen anti-Taft men, rejected
the Roosevelt contestants and gave the
Taft delegates their seats by unani
nous vote. Senator Borah and Mr
Frank B. Kellogg. both Roosevelt men
made speeches in explaining the votes
in which they said that the case turned
wholly on the Marion county primary
and as there was no evidence to i'm
peach the result certified, the title oi
the Taft delegates was clear. This il
Ihe convention whose proceeding
called forth such loud charges of thief
and fraud from Mr.. Roosevelt
Kentucky.
In Kentucky contest was fle(
against only three of the four delegates