The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1912-07-29
CLAIM CONTESTS
WERE SETTLED
UPON MERITS
Statement Issued at White House
Defending President Taft's
Nomination
DENY CHARGE OF FRAUD
Resume Of Statement By Hilles
Takes Up Each Contest
Briefly
DENY CHARGE OF FRAUD

Wa3Niagt5 J'ly 2S. 4 state
ment, approved by President TAFT,
defending his nomination by the
Chicago cons antion, was made pub
Tic at the White House today. II re-
views every contest before the Re-
publican National Committee and the
credentials committee Of the con-
vention and asserts that each contest
was settled logically, upon it's mer-
it's The statement was submitted
to the cabinet at Il recent meeting
and received the approval of the
Presidents official family.
The statement which is a lengthy
document of 144 printed pages, is a
detailed denial OF the charge thai
the nomination of President Taft
was accomplished by the seating of
fraudulently elcted delegates to the
convention 1t takes up individually
the 238 contests instituted by the
Roosevelt forces against Taft dele
gates who were seated. and presen rs
evidence in each Of these cases to
show that the Taft delegates were
regularly elected.
a resume of the statement, pre-
pared by Charles d. Ililles, formerly
President Taft's secretary and now
chairman of the Republican Nation
al committee takes up each contest
briefly.
Ibis resume opens with the dec
laraton that the Roosevelt contests.
as originally filed before the Nation
al committee were not instituted in
good faith
"The total number of delegates
summoned to the convention" says
the resume, was LOIS with $40
necessary to a choice. Mr. Taft had
SCI votes on the first and only bal
lot and was declared the nominees
There were instituted against 23S OF
the delegates regularly elected for.
Taft, contests on behalf of Roose-
welt These contests We're ayowedly
instigated not for the purpose Of
really securing seats in the con-
vention, not for the purpose of ad-
ducing evidence which would lead
any respectable court to entertain
the contests, but for the purpose Of
deceiyng the public into the belief
that Mr.. Roosevelt had more votes
than he really had, as the conven-
tions and primaries were in progress
for the selection of delegates. The
two hundred and thirty eight con-
tests were reduced by abandonment,
formal or in substance, to seventy
four. The very fact of these 164
frivolous contests itself reflects upon
the genuineness and validity of the
remainder"
The resume then enumerated the
contests, and reviews the arguments
in each case. The review of the evl,
dence in the contests embraced in
the White House statement is certi,
fed to by Victor Rosewater chair
man of the National committee, and
Thomas H. Devine, chairman of the
Credentials committee. AS an ap-
pendiX, the statement carries in de-
tail the vote ip the National com
mittee on each Of the contests, and a
statement of the dates of the Taft
and Roosevelt conventions in con
tested states. The object of the lar-
ter is to show that the Roosevelt
delegates were chosen after the
regular conventions had named Taft
representatives.
Another appendix is the report oil
the Credentials committee to tho
convention, in which statement is
sued by the Roosevelt committeeman
attacking the majority OF the com.
Inittee was answered In discussing
the charge the report said
"The statement as a whole in its
insnuations Of combination Of uu.
worthy motive, in its recital Of al
legged facts, is grossly and malicious
iy Nntrue. II was intended to con
vcy the impression that the time fol
hearing cases was 50 limited as K
prevent their being properly pre-.