The Coconino sun., 1912-08-09

course, applied only to those places which became vacant after they had been filled and clearly did not apply to l3l new precincts. It could not iu the nature of things apply to a change from the old system to complete new system of precincts created by the city council. because if they were to be | filled the entire number of 331 new precincts different from the old must | be filled. One system could not be made Into the other by a mere addi- tional appointment of l31 committee men No lawyer will say that such lction by the committee thus consti luted was legal. Therefore the action which the lawful committee of 250 took In electing Taft delegates who made majority In the state convention was the only one which could be recognized as valid
 CONTESTED DISTRICT DELE
 GATES.
 ALABAMA.
 Ninth District.
 De NIutu NOutCbt NuihCu sn the question whether the chairman of district committee had power to nll vacancies, whether a committee man who had sent his resignation to take effect onfy In case he was not present. being present. should be pre- vented from acting as committeeman. and third. on the identity of another committeeman. The written resolu ton under which the right of the chairman to appoint to vacancies was claimed showed on Its face that the specific authority was written in in different writing and different colored pencil between the lines A number of atfidavits were filed by committeeman who were present when the resolution was passed to show that the resoiu' ton contained no such authority. This gave rise to a question of fact upon which very large majority of both the national committee and the com mittee on credentials held that the lead pencil insertion was a forgery, that the chairman did not have the au. thority therefore to appoint to the vncancies. and therefore the action of his committee was not valid This made It necessary to reject the contest ants The committee decided the two other Issues of fact before them in favor Of the Taft contention, although the first decision was conclusive.
 ARKANSAS
 Fifth District.
 Tn the Fifth Arkansas the question was one of the identity of one faction or the other as the Republican party. This convention followed the example of the convention of 1908 In holding that what was known as the Bedding faction was not the Republican party that 1t was defunct organization and had only acquired life at the end of each four years for the purpose Of using 1t in the national convention The contestants were therefore reject. ed It was shown that the other or Taft had been in active existence as the Republican party. had nominated s local ticket and had run . congress man.
 CALIFORNIA.
 Fourth District.
 The Fourth California presented this question: Under the state law the dele gaf,on. two from each district. was elected on general ticket. In group of twenty-six Each delegate might either express his presidential prefer ence or agree to vote for the presiden tial candidate receiving the highest number in the state. In the Fourth district the two candidates from that district on the Taft ticket expressed preference for Taft. but did not agree to vote for the candidates hay ing the highest state vote These Taft delegates in the Fourth district re ceived majority Of 200 more than the Roosevelt delegates in that dis trIct The national call forbade any law or the acceptance of any law which prevented the election Of dele gates by districts In other words. the call of the national convention was Al variance with the state law The state law sought to enforce the state unit rule and required the whole twenty six delegates to be voted for all over , the state, assigning two to each dis frict on the ticket to abide the state , wide election. while the Republican , national convention has insisted upon the unit of the district since 1880 That has been the party law This conven ton recognized the party law and held 1t to be more binding than that of the state law and allowed the two dele ) gates who had received In the Fourth . district a vote larger than their two opponents assigned to that district. to 2 become delegates In the convention 3 This was clearly lawful for state has 1 no power to limit or control the basis , of representation of a voluntary ma f tional party In a national convention p The fact that President Taft by tele gram approved all the twenty six dele . gates as representing him Is said to bt an estoppei against his claiming the election of two of those delegates ir sko1, troureh dicfstct What fe thprf