The Washington herald., 1912-08-04

to the foor. allowed to participate in the
debates. but that they shall not have
the right to vote.
During the afternoon six contests
were held by the committee, all Of
them with the exception of that from
Georgia, being along the color line.
II is q foregone conclusion that these
will all be decided against the con-
testants, as an official declared that
all the contesting delegates had been
selected without proper authority.
These contests were all handled with
the extreme delicacy usually conferred
upon very hot potatoes. In the case OF
the Alabama contests. the negroes con-
testing the seats of the lilly whites
readily conceded that the latter had
been elected by large majority OF the
convention, and that after that con-
vention in which they had taken part
until the final curtain. they had gone
of into a corner and elected what they
called a "black and tan" delegation.
Yet the committee gave one hour and
three quarters to the consideration OF
the case and then Louis A. prexier. OF
Delaware, went through an elaborate
explanation of the fact that colored
man had been selected from that State
and that the Bull Moose party drew
no color lines.
Florida Has n Kick.
There was a rampant delegation from
Florida who stood outside the committee
room loudly protesting that Roosevelt
has gone back on his square deal policy"
They claimed that a call had been issued
end published in all the papers for all
rlen In sympathy with the movement to
offend q convention to select delegates
20 the Chicago convention. and that
when they put in their appearance they
were handed tickets for the gallery and
told to go up stairs. were denied the
privilege Of the floor and were not al
lowed to vote.
They held a convention of their own
snd elected six delegates and when these
Elk were about to embark on a Pullman
car for the trip to Chicago a crowd of
Taft men assembled at the station. head
ed by w. X. Lee. the Taft committee
man at Jacksonville. who shouted to
them, You will take your Pullman there.
but you will surely walk back. for there
Is q steam roller waiting for you."
The contests OF the negroes against the
whites in the Southern States Is Great
ing a great deal Of bad feeling among
the delegates. THE call was issued to
all: 1t included the negro, and they are
entitled to representation" said Thomas
Lee Moore. OF Roanoke, and the negroes
were busy most Of the days holding
scratch meetings in the venetian room
close to the headquartersof the national
committee.
There Is a noticeable lack of enthu-
siasrh and many delegates are not slow
to admit that there is a very pale sort
of hope brooding over the advance pro-
ceedings. wait and see how the coun-
try at large will respond to the pro-
ceedings Of the next few days" is the
burden of their seeing.
When you are trying to evolve some
thing out of chaos" said Senator Joseph
NJ Dixon, chairman of the national pro-
gressive committee, in his opening speech
to-day, lit falls to the individual to take
the initiative in some parts of the pro-
gramne."
"Evolution of Democracy"
Lots of men got 1t into their heads
thst this is q bolt from the Republican,
party" he said. in defining the status
OF the new party. 1T was hard to make
some men understand that 1t was the
evolution of Democracy. that the new
national party, knowing no North and
no South. no East and no West, invited
TO its ranks the real thinking-men of
the nation. who foresaw real meat and
food and drink in this movement of the
people"
In his opening speech before the COM
mittee, Senator Dixon said:
Il doubt II In the history OF the Anglo
Saxon race there has ever been such
a development. such an evolution among
sc. 900 900 people as you have witnessed
during the past twenty-nine days And
no mans heart was so brave when that
call was given to Inc press who would
have guessed what has transpired.
Some doubted whether we would have
delegations to fill up. AS It now stands
more than two-thirds OF the States have
sent delegations here. double and treble
and Quadruple, and in the case of Con-
necticut seven times the number of dele
gates demanded in the call Missouri.
entitled to eighteen delegates. has sent
thirteen.
Il have sometimes to stopsand trans
late myself when I think I used to be
a Republican. When LOO men meet on
Monday and the story goes to the coun-
try that II is no longer a mere academic
you are going to see the lines
stiffened in every State"
According to attaches OF Senator Dix
on's headquarters there will be no State
caucuses or conferences. the committee
on credentials holding the center Of the
stage until the convention is called to
order Monday at noon.