The Washington times., 1912-06-22
|OPEN TH|EVERY
ROBS ROOSEVELT
OF CALIFORNIA
Votes on Coast Stolen From
Colonel and Taft
Wins.
SCANT MAJORITY
OF THREE DECIDES
Taking Of Western State Limit in
Matter Of Steam Roller
Methods.

CHICAGO, June 22.-The high-tide
OF honesty and popular government,
as it is reflected in the Chicago con-
vention, was reached late Friday up-
on the roll call to indorse the action
OF the credentials committee on the
contested seats OF the Fourth Cali
fornia district.
But it lacked three votes of being
high enough to wash out the stains
Of corruption and theft that have
made this convention a stencil in the
nostrils of the people and caused its
actions to be repudiated in advance
by Republican States whose cleo
toral votes are necessary to the
election of the nominee of this con-
vention.
j Early Fights.
Other reports of the credentials COM
mittee had been fought out prior to
this fight, with the road roller of the
Taft-Special Privilege easily crushing
out all opposition But in this contest
was crowded the fight of the day, the
climax of the whole convention. 1t was
attended by all the stirring scenes that
have marked the progress of each days
sessions But far greater, 1t served to
bring to a focus the crisis which the
Republican party is facing.
| So desperately were the forces of spe-
cial privilege pushed that the big bosses
: left their accustomed places on the
l platform and patroled the aisles along
= side their delegations of henchmen dur
ing the roll call, to threaten and cajole
| their forces to remain firm.
4 BY vote of 542, three more than
needed. to 529, with seven cravens not
. voting, the forces of special privilege
a won and decided that the Republicans
i of. California. speaking through State
= convention controlled by those repre-
. senting President Taft.
e Stiefel Saves Taft.
$ TO Otto SteteI, the St! Louis brewer,
whom the road roller seated President
Taft and big business owes an everlast-
ing debt of gratitude for this result
The The roll call was going against the road
roller on this contest. A sense of de-
cency and a revuson against such a
bald theft had seized delegations count
WaneS as Soq Wien fSe the road roller
its delegation was in a wrangie II
asked to be passed. Hitherto sixteen
Of its thlrty-six had stood for, anything
wavering.
Governor Hadley, of their own State,
had Just finished a mastery presenta-
ton of the California contest Many of
his constituents were persuaded to fol-
! low him for the first time. Stiefel see
Ing the imirent danger, rushed from his
seat on the platform and threw himself
| into the midst his I,OfiS H.
men, driving, pleading, promising
threatening. Hadley. by virtue of his
pos ition in the debate was bound to re-
main on the platform.
Throughout the roll call the Missouri
delegation was in a turmoil. Finally,
when 1t was called. 1t was seen that. It
would cast the decisive vote. Stiefe
won. The sixteen henchmen of big
business entrusted to his keeping came
through. Missouri cast sixteen votes
. against admitting the regularly elected
= California delegates and saved the day
to the Taft forces.
, Taft Repudiates Promises.
This action of the convention was
taken in the face of the proof submit
ted, and not contfadicted by anyone.
4 that President Taft had, in accordance
with the provisions of the California
primary law, filed with the secretary OF
s State OF California an affidavit which
bound him to recognize and submit to
Il the decision of the people of the whole
-, | State.
1t was an Illuminating rolIcan 1t
y diclosed the fact that upon the South
= ern States and the stolen roll the sole
reliance of TafAis placed.
l At the beginning of the session Fri
J.. day afternoon, which devoted itself to
passing upon the reports of the Gre
n dentials committee, Chairman Root had
I ruled that all of the fraudulent dele
gates might vote upon each other {
|, contests. but not upon their own. By
10 Of haN he
. dentials committee make its reports
u by districts this lost the Taft forces
= only two votes on each rollcall, while
maintaining the specious pretense OF
fairness.
In the case of Arizona, where the six
z delegates-at-larg were in contest, there
n still remained siXty-siX of the stolen
- roll to aid the Taft cause. Under the
Q leadership of Governor Hadley the pro-
e pressives made valiant fight to purge
g the roll, but the steam-roller worked
:, without a hitch. They showed that the
| Taft leaders have taken every unfair
advantage of them.
n The majority report of the credcn-
\ tials committee in the Alabama case
t only. few minutes before the CON
d vention met. The minority members
D asked for time to make a minority
> report, but were refused. They had
= lprotest.
Taft-packed galleries broke into
wild cheering when Idaho. which had
been voting with the progressive g.
d cast her eight votes in favor of seat
+ ing the Taft Alabama delegates. This
= was at once taken to mean that Sena-
q tor Borah had deserted Roosevelt II
= developed later that, as a matter OF
q fact the Idaho member of the ere
dentials committee had voted to sus-
tain the Taft side of the Alabamd
|, case on the ground that there was not
q sufficient evidence TO justify the seat
ing of the Roosevelt delegates, and
q the delegation followed it's commit
}, teeman.
, Wisconsin also cast twenty-five OF
her twenty-six votes for the Taft
delegates on the same ground. hut
a both these delegations voted solidiy
q against the California Taft delegates
and enough delegates who have here
[. tOfore voted for the stolen roll joined
J. them to run down the Taft vote to
n q dangerously narrow margin.
= Jim" Watson, OF Indiana, continued
II to be the floor leader of the Taft side
8 today. while Chairman Root, in thorough
a accord with the Taft program, gave hi,
parliamentary aid to smooth the WAY
for the steam roller.