The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-08-06
THE TRUTH ABOUT
THOSE DELEGATES
Roosevelt Contests lnstIgated
to Deceive the Public.
ALL BUT IA WERE ABANDONED

ALL BUT IA WERE ABANDONED
An Examination of the Facts Shows
That the Tribunals Which Decided
These Contests In Favor Of Mr.. Taft
Were Right In Every Instsnce-Ths
Remaining 1874 Contests Mere Frivoi-
Gus, and Their Prompt Abandonment
Reflects Upon the Commences and
Validity of the Remainder.
Washington, July 29-Here are the
facts in relation to the contested seats
IN the Republican national convention.
II Ii q summary Of a detailed state
nent going carefully into all of the
cases, statement so thorough that 1t
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.. J.
II. Devine of Colorado, chairman of the
committee on credentials Of the Repub-
fcan national convention, and by Mr.
Charles d. Hilles, chairman of the
present Republican national committee
The total number Of delegates sum
Aoned to the convention under its call
was 1,078, with $40 necessary to a
choice. Mr.. Taft had SCI votes on the
Arst and only ballot and was declared
the nominee. There were instituted
against 23s 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
dsnce 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 10 not only a necessary inference
1fem the character Of the contests, but
Il was boldly avowed by the chief edi-
ter Of the newspapers owned by Mr..
Aunsey, who has been Mr.. Roosevelt's
chief financial and newspaper sup
porter. The 23s contests were reduced
BY abandonment to seyenty-four.
The very fact of these 1874 frivolous
contests itself reflects upon the genu-
tnsness and validity Of the remainder.
The seventy -four delegates include six
ut 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.
I'm 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-
y committee or by primary. In one
county, Maricopa, a majority of the
committee decided to select its dele
nj min ~ 80 1T
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-
tsstants In order to make up the tenn
porary roll. There was a clear major
ity Of the Taft delegates among the
uncontested delegates. The committee
made up the temporary roll and then
there was a bolt, sixty-four remaining
In the hall and twenty-five withdraw
ing therefrom. The case of the Taft
majority was so clear that 1t is difficult
to understand why a contest was made.
Indiana.
In Indiana the four Taft delegates at
large were elected in q state conven-
ton to which Marion county, in which
Indianapolis is situate, was entitled to
126 votes. A primary was held in In
dianapolis, at which Taft polled 5000
and Roosevelt 1,4O0 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 a 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 a 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 a 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 40 there was no evidence to i'm
peach the result certified, the title of
the Taft delegates was clear. This is
the convention whose proceedings
called forth such loud charges of theft
and fraud from Mr.. Roosevelt.
kantuckv
In Kentucky a contest was fled
against only three Of the four delegates
at large. The fourth Taft delegates
seat was Sncontested The three con
testants admitted they were not elect
Cd BY the convention which sent the
Tan delegates or by any other. They
emily contende4 that II the Roosevelt
ferces had had a majority they would
have been elected. There were 2,35e
delegates summoned to the convention
by its call. There were 40 Of these
whose seats were contested. II all OF
these had been conceded to Roosevelt
Il would have made the Roosevelt vote
29T votes less than 4 majority. The
appeal to the committee on credentials
from the decision Of the national com.
nittes was abandoned, as it ought to
have been.
Michigan.
In Michigan the state convention
Aad in it about 1900 delegates. There
were only two counties in dispute OF
contest. One was Wayne county, in
which Detroit is situated, ana the other
was Calhoun county. The evidence
left NO doubt that the Taft men car
rfed by a very large majority Wayne
county, but 1t was immaterial whether
this was true or not, because, leaving
out both Wayne county and Calhoun