The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-06-13
ROOSEVELT TELLS
HOW DELEGATES
ARE STOLEN
Describes Crooked Work Being
Done at Chicago
HAS FAITH IN CONvEN ZION
Thinks Larger Body Of Representa-
i've Men viii Not Permit Rape
Of Popular Endorsement

Oyster Bay, N. Y, June 12.-Col.
Roosevelt gave out another long
statement at Sycamore Hill this even
ing, in which he read out of the Re
publican Party PRESIDENT Taft, the
thirty-sevea Nat onal Committeeman
who have cast aside all but one of
his contesting delegates and the
bosses whom he has been so bitterly
assailing For the first time in the
long campaign which he has waged
to obtain the nomination as President
the Colonel uses the word bolt, but
he does not link that word with his
own name. Referring to the action
of the National Committee in seating
two Taft delegates from California
and asserting that the convention
will not ratify the action which the
committee has taken.
Here is the Roosevelt statement:
in Arizona Mr.. Taft's National
Committee has acted with great
frankness in their view that the in
trusion OF the people into politics is
an unwarranted impertinence calling
for rebuke by the National Commit
tee.
"The case turned on the single
county OF Maricopa. The County
Committee of that county had the OPP
ton of selecting delegates to the
State Convention or OF calling pri-
mary to give the people the right to
vote. At a meeting of the County
Committee all the Roosevelt men,
joined by two of the Taft men, order
ed a primary to be held throughout
the county. A minority of the Coun-
and selected Taft delegates to the
State Convention. At the primaries
the Roosevelt delegates were elected
by vote of $50 as against less than
% for Taft.
THE National Committee. acting
on Mr.. Tafts theory that this ought
not to be Cove nment by the people
treated the fact th-t the voters
themselves had been given the right
to say who their delegates should be
as a reason for refusing to seat the
delegates elected by the voters. |
call special attention to the fact that
the six Roosevelt delegates from
Arizona are excluded by the National
Committee because they represent
the people of Arizona and the six
Taft delegates are admitted because
they do not.
I'm Kentucky the Taft Bradley
forces were guilty of grosser frauds
than anywhere else in the country
There was no form of rascality which
1t was not clearly proved before the
National Committee that the Taft
men had resorted to in order to get
Taft delegates Hundreds OF aft
davits were filed with the National
Committee showing where men had
been brought over the State line
with Taft badges and paid 81 a piece
to vote for Taft, and showing that In
certain counties Roosevelt majorities
were counted out by County Chair.
men who were postmasters or other
Federal Office holders. Where, in
spite OF these methods. the Roosevelt
men should have had majority In
the convention, the Taft men bolted
and the National Committee prompt
ly recognized the rump conventions
I'm the Eleventh District the theft
OF the delegates was perhaps more
fragrant than elsewhere. The Taft
men OF the National Committee first
voted down seating the Roosevelt
delegates by SO to 10. Immediately
afterward they, on the motion OF Mr.
Vorys, seaetd one Taft and one
Roosevelt man. This decision wai
on its face preposterous. IL was
frank admission that the Taft mem
bers OF the National Committee, no
being quite willing to steal two men
were willing to and did actually stea
one.
I'm California the action OF the Ma
tional Committee was prehaps no
morally worse than Il has hithert,
been, but Il was just a little NOR,
fragrant There | contribute out o
my personal knowledge to the his
tory OF what was done. The Progress
sives OF California had control OF tn
Legislature and party machinery
Under the primary law then existinI
In California, which had been passe
by the old Republican machine be
fore Gov Johnson came into power
the Progressives could have obtaine
all the delegates without resorting (
primary, This was, OF cours,
what they would have done II the
had been willing to act like the Tai
Barnes machine In New York. IN
raftAmalgamated Copper machine (
Montana. the Taft.kealing machin
In Indiana, and the TaftGuggenhelr
machine In Colorado. The tempt,
ton was very strong to take the del
gates without risklng a primary.
Gov. Johnson wrote to me for m
views. saying he felt that even d
the cost OF surrendering the adyai
lage the old primary law gave us
the State, We should be true to on
principles and give the people
chance to vote at primary Il
whom they wanted. wrote bac
that ! entirely agreed with him. an
urged the passage OF the primar
law. Gov. Johnson and agreeing thu
what We wished was to get the pc
pie the chance to decide for ther
selves. and that whatever our perso
al views We should acqulesce in sue
decision.
II Accordingly, the Progressives
III California. the supportprs nj nvaa