Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-06-13

selected Taft delegates to the state
convention. At the primaries the
Roosevelt delegates were elected by a
vote of $50 as against less than 25 for
Taft. The National committee. acting
on Mir. Taft,s theory that this ought
not TO be a government by the people,
treated the fact that the voters had
Themselves been given the right to
say who their delegates should be as
a reason for refusing to seat the dele
gates elected by the voters.
Il call special attention to the fact
that the six Roosevelt delegates from
Arizona are excluded by the National
committee because they represent the
people Of Arizona and the six Taft
delegates are admitted because they
do not.
forces were guilty of grosser frauds
than anywhere else in the country.
There was no form of rascality which
it was not clearly proved before the
National committee that the Taft men
had restored to in order to get Taft
delegates. Where in spite of these
methods the Roosevelt men still had
a majority in the conventions the Taft
men belted and the National commit
tee promptly recognized the rump con-
ventions.
In the 18th District the theft of
the delegates was perhaps more fla
grant than elsewhere. The Taft men
of the National committee first voted
down seating the Roosevelt delegates
by 33 TO IS. Immediately afterwards
they on the motion of Mr.. Vorys seat
ed one Taft and one Roosevelt man.
This decision was on its face pre-
posterous. It was frank admission
that the members of the National
committee. not being quite willing to
steal two men were willing to and did
actually steal one.
I'm California the action of the Ma
tional committee WAS perhaps morally
hut it was just a little more fragrant.
The Progres$ives of California had
control of the Legislature and party
machinery. Under the primary law
then existing in California, the Pro-
gressive could have obtained all the
delegates without resorting TO a pri-
mary.
Gov Johnson wrote to me for my
views, saving that he felt that even
al the cost of seurrendering the adj
vantage the old primary law gave us
in the state we should be true to our
principles and give the people a
chance 10 vote at a primary for whom
they wanted | wrote back that | en-
tirely agreed with him and urged the
passage of the primary law. The Leg
islature of California decided that in
California as i'm oregon, South Dakota
and North Dakota. the delegates
should be all elected at large. AL
parties ana factions acquiesced in the
law. Mr.. Taft sent a special letter to
California Which showed his entire ac-
quescence in the law There We're no
candidates In the districts at all and
until after the primary was held there
was not a suggestion made about the
district delegates. The Taft members
of the National committee now seat
two Taft men. saying that they come
from the 4th District. After the pri
mary, every decent man in California
acquieseed, but Il lieutenant of Mr..
Patrick Calhoun, the man whom MIR.
Heney indicted, has the contest and
The National committee has actually
seated two Taft-Calhoun delegates
from California. There were 26 Roose-
Welt delegates elected at large, by a
majority of II 600 Mr.. Taft's repre-
sentatives on the National committee
now steal from the people of Cali
fornia the delegates they have elect
ed by 77.oo0 majority and present them
as gift to Mr.. Taft.
~ have before me the list of the 81
Taft national committeeman who have
thus presented Mr.. Taft with two dele
gates stolen from the people of Califor.
MIA by the committeeman at the reques
of a henchman of Mr.. Patrick Calhoun
1t offers interesting reading and it i
curious to see. MIR. BROKER of Connec
ticut and Mr.. Crane of Massachusetts
and Mr. Nagel Mr.. Tafts personal rep
resentative from Missouri, following be
hind Mr. Penrose, Mr.. Franklin Murphy
and MIR. Powell Clayton, Mr.. Mulvane o
Kansas and Mr.. A. II. Stevenson o
Colorado,
"Of these 81 national commtteemel
who thus robbed the immense maiort.
of the Republicans of California of thei
rights four represent Alaska, Hawaii
the Philippine islands and Porto Rico
who don't vote for the President at all
Twelve represent Democratic states, non
Of which voted for Mr.. Taft at the las
election Then there come IA who repre-
/ sent the Republican states, every one o
] which has repudiated Mr.. Taft at tn
! primaries, this spring. with the exception
of Massachusetts. which, however, repu
dated Mr.. Crane, the man through whom
the vote of Massachusetts has just bee
registered in favor of the theft Of til