The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-07-21
PUBLIC OPINION.
) : 49, = go - :
The Recent state Convention


their delegation at the state conven-
ton held July 10, 1912.
At the primary held June 3, 1912
the republican voters of each town
ship and precinct in the county select
ed certain number of delegate to
represent them at the county conven-
ton to be held at Fort Madison Oh
June 80. 1912.
The duty of the county convention
was to nominate candidates for such
county offices where no nomination
had, been made at the primary and TO
select seventeen delegates to represent
Lee county at the state republican
convention to be held at Des Moines.
July 10, 1912.
A large majority OF the delegates
selected by the different townships to
the county convention were men
| known to be regular republicans.
| At the county convention, however,
| 1t was represented that the only pur-
/ pose of the state convention was to
nominate two candidates for the SUI
preme court and nothing else would
be up before the convention. Upon
that representation the following dele
gates we're selected by the conven-
| ton: J. r. Frailey. w. ]. <. Beck, ].
| L. Benbow, T. B. Snyder. A. L. Par
sons, William Logan. j. P. Kennedy.
George B. Stewart, R. N. Johnson, A.
] Hollingsworth, w. G. Blood, Fl. r. Col
4 Inns, Felix T. Hughes, A. P. Brown, z.
p. Barber n. Bengtson and Hazen I.
Sawyer. OF these delegates nine call
ed themselves progressive republicans.
Eight claimed to be regulars The
county convention in addition to Sc
Letting the above delegates also pass
/ ed resolution which among other
things unanimously endorsed the adj
ministration of President, W. H. Taft,
and also the platform adopted by the
/ republican party at the Chicago con-
vention of this year. And the chair
man of the convention R. N. Johnson
in a speech stated that he had al
ways been a republican and that he
expected to support the entire ticket.
At the state convention on July 10,
iIa72. there We're present only twelve
of the Lee county delegates, Ave being
1 absent. The following We're present: j.
4 r. Frailey, ]. P. Kennedy, r. N. John
lson, A. Hollingsworth, W. j. R. Beck,
John L, Benbow, w. G. Blood, I. B.
Snyder, A. L. Parsons, F. p. Barber,
H. Bengston and H. / Sawyer. The
following being absent William Lo-
gan, George B. Stewart, H. R. Collins
and F. T. Hughes.
:, It very soon became evident tina,
4 there was going to he determined eff
the Chicago platform. But that g
resolution would be inserted in the
platform containing an implied if no,
"a direct invitation to the republicans
to bolt the regular republican ticket.
1t seemed wise to the present politi
cal bosses of the republicans of the
state of Iowa not to approve OF the
. nominee Of the party or the party /
platform. And therefore the platform
offered by majority OF the commit.
tee on resolutions not only failed to
endorse the administration of Presi
dent Taft and the platform adopted by
the party at the Chicago convention
but left it to the conscience of each in
dividual voter as to whether he should
support President Taft or not and in
the same breath asked him, without
any regard to his conscience, to sup
port the entire state and county tick
ct. The minority of the resolutions
; committee offered as an amendment
a resolution endorsing the Chicago
platform and endorsing the admins
tration OF President Taft A roll cal
: was had upon the resolution to en-
dorse the Chicago platform and, not
withstanding the unanimous approval
of the Chicago platform and President
: Taft by the Lee county republicans
the delegates selected by this same
convention by vote of fourteen to
three declared in favor of refusing to
endorse the Chicago platform or Presi
dent Taft. Only twelve delegates
were present from Leo county Tho
votes of the absent delegates were
proportioned among those present. A,
the time of the vote on this resolu
ton only eleven of the delegates were
present. j. r. Frailey, r. n. Johnson
A. Hollingsworth, w. j. r. Beck, Jno
L. Benbow, w. G. Blood. H. r. Collins
T. B. Snyder, A. L. Parsons and H
Bengtson voted in favor of the motion
to table the resolution endorsing the
Chicago platform. j. P. Kennedy and
Hazep |. Sawyer were allowed three
votes, which were cast against the mo
ton to table the resolution to endorse
the platform. This is how the republic
cans of Lee county were represented
by it's delegates who were selected on
the pretense that the state convention
would have no other business before
it than the election of two candidates
for the supreme court Such republi-
cans as William Logan, George B.
! 81 ID CaJl Z