Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-05-09
Struggle in Maryland Decided by
Margin Of 30 Votes in One
County.
TAFT MEN PLANNING A COUP
Think Individual Preferences Of
Delegates to State Convention
May Enable Administra-
ton to Get Control.

Baltimore, Md, May THE closeness
of the struggle between President Taft
and Theodore Roosevelt for control OF
Maryland's 1G votes in the national con-
venton was emphasized to-day when
complete returns from yesterdays pri-
maries showed that the result depended
upon one county. which on the face OF
the returns gave Roos welt a majority of
but 50 votes. Putting this county. How
ard. in the Roosevelt column gave him
81 delegates TO the State convention, Just
one more than the majority necessary
for control. The three Howard county
delegates counted for Taft would have
given him the primary victory by the
same margin.
| Complete unofficial returns received
to-day by the State Roosevelt commit
tee and all the Baltimore newspapers
agreed In giving Colonel Roosevelt ma
jority in Howard county of eighty-odd
votes; but this slight margin left the
Taft leaders tonight unwilling to con-
cede that their opponents had won the
electio
The other feature of the day following
the primaries was the DEVELOPMENT or
the possibility that the individual dele
gates elected to the State convention
would include a majority Of Taft men,
even though their instruction by the
| county preference vote might bind them
TO vote for Roosevelt delegation to the
national convention Tho Taft leaders
made this claim and much speculation
has resulted as to the effect on the State
| convention.
MAY QUIT AFTER ONE BALLOT.
1t was pointed out that President Taft 8
friends might control the organization of
the convention. force the adoption Of a
conservative platform and send dele
cation to Chicago which would be ready
to abandon Roosevelt as soon as they
| considered they had fulfilled their legal
duties by voting for him on the first bal
lot. None of the leaders, however. made
any such prophesies.
A statement by Representative Nc
| kinley. manager OF the Taft campaign,
to the effect that the rules Of the republi-
can national committee entitled the people
of the first and fifth congressional dis
tricts to Taft delegates in the national
convention. since they had declared for
the President in their preference vote.
brought this reply from Col. E. c. Car
riHStoi' cHaITIlaH Oh tle maryland ROOSe-
welt committee:
THE call of the national convention
must be subject to the law Of Maryland
which provides that a majority OF votes
in the State convention entities the candi-
date having such majority to the entire
l6 delegates from Maryland"
CLARK HAS SAFE MAJORITY.
The days developments brought no
change In the democratic situation except
&c insure for Speaker Clark several dele
gates already counted for him on the
strength of the indicated county MAORI
ties. The Clark men have enough votes
to control the State convention agains,
the delegates friendly to both Governor
Wilson and Governor Harmon. The
county preferential vote bound 81 dele.
gates to Clark ~ to Wilson and four to
Harmon.
#. r. SURE OF FOUR IN KANSAS.
Independence, Kans.. May 7.--Roosevel'
supporters will control tho republican
State convention which meets here to-
morrow to name four delegates at Large
to the national convention. The Roose
Welt delegates will number $50 out of 6
total OF S96. The convention can instruc
only the delegates-at-large. The dele
gates elected from the congressional dis
trlcts will vote at Chicago as they wer,
Instructed by their districts.