The Chanute times., 1912-08-16


i. 10 organize another convention, snd
upon this is based the contest which
was rejected by both committed. the
Aational committees and the credentials
pommittee.
Eighth District.
In the Eighth congressional eenven.
tion q. split occurred over tie majority
and minority reports Of the executive
committee as to the temporary roll.
The Roosevelt followers controlled the
executive committee. but dH not have
o majority In tho convention, which
, adopted the minority report and gave
TAFT nve and one half votes and Roose-
welt two and one-hak Votes. This re-
sultsd In the election Of the Taft dele.
Uates. who were seated by both the
national committee and the credentials
committee.
Ninth pistrist.
In the Ninth district the district
committee was called by Mr.. Speaker.
q member Of the committee, and not by
the chairman. The chairman refused
to convene the committee because he
claimed that all the delegates from
Texas to the national convention must
be elected In the state convention, that
Colonel Lyon. his superior. had thus
directed him. Tho district committee
was called. Seven members attended
the meeting The district convention
was called on May 15 Eleven counties
cut Of the fifteen responded to the call
and took part IN the convention. Three
counties were not represented. and in
one Of these there was no election
After this convention had been called
the chairman Of the district committee
changed his mind ana called a meet
ing Of the committee for April It.
This committee called congressional
convention to be held on May 18. But
there was no publication Of the call,
which had to be thirty days before the
convention, until April Fl. The Taft
convention seems therefore to have
been duly and regularly convened,
while the Roosevelt convention was
not The Taft delegates were seated.
Tenth District.
In the Tenth district the decision
turned largely upon the bad faith with
which two members Of the district
committee voted in the seating Of dele
gates and upon the bad faith with
which one of them used the proxy In
trusted to him. The Taft delegates in
this case bolted and left the hall and
Immediately in tho same building or.
ganlzed another convention which con-
sisted of delegates from six counties
Proceedings were regularly held; per-
manent organization effected, the re-
port Of the committee on resolutions
adopted and delegates pledged to Taft
were elected. The undisputed evidence
indicated that a fragrant attempt had
been made to deprive Taft Of this dis.
trict, to which he was justly entitled
The national committee sustained ths
title Of the Taft delegates and alter.
mates by practically unanimous vote.
FouTtooVtU 9t3tTiOts
In the Fourteenth district there were
fifteen counties in tho district. When
the executive committee met at San
Antonio to make up the temporary roll
there were ten members Of the com
mittee present whose right to act was
undisputed. of whom six were for Taft
and four for Roosevelt There were
four other Roosevelt men present
whose right to vote was disputed and
who were clearly not entitled to repre-
sent their county at that meeting. One
Of them held the proxy Of the commit
teeman from Kendall county, who was
dead, and the proxies from three other
counties were held, two by postmas-
ters and one by an assistant postmas'
ter, while under the election law Of
f.Xas no one who holds an ONCE of
oofit or trust under the United States
shall act as a member Of an executive
committee either for the state or for
any district or county. The temporary
roll was made up by Taft members,
having a clear majority without per-
mitting these men to act under their
proxies. There was contest over the
delegation from Bexar county, which
contains the city of San Antonio. Full
consideration was given to this contest,
but the testimony was overwhelming
that Taft carried the county by vote
of four or ave to one. On the proper
basis the total vote in the district con-
vention was siIty-seven, Of which the
number instructed or voting for Taft
was thirty-seven and one-half, the
number voting or instructed for Roose-
velt twenty eight and one-half, not vot-
Ing one. The Taft delegation was
therefore seated at Chicago.