The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-11
.TOLET COMMITTEE DECLARE FOR TAI I ROosevelt's Friends Will Not
 Interfere Today PRIMARY SUGGESTED Hundley Says Former President s Friends Will Seek Expression of
 Popular Will Before the
 People Themselves
PRIMARY SUGGESTED


 Judge oscar R Hundley. who, in the estimation of the people generally. stands very close to Colonel Thedore Roosevelt. made it plain yesterday aft ernoon that before the republican state executive committee meeting today, no attempt will be made to prevent tha organization from putting into effect it's evidence intention of indorsing the candidacy of President Taft.
 Judge Hundley significantly remark ed in course of his statement that the friends of Colonel Roosevelt expect to secure an expression as to the choice of the republican party in Alabama through "the proper and legal chan nels," which very probably means that an effort will be made to call a repuh- liean primary in this state.
 When asked for a statement, Judge Hundley issued the following:
 "Colonel Roosevelts friends will make no effort whatever to have MT. Longs committee indorse his candidacy. It is well known that practically all, or at any rate q very large majority of this committee are holding office under President Taft, and at the pre- mature convention held in this city in August last, President Tafts candidacy for renomnation and election was unanimously indorsed. It is also well known that the convention was called pursuant to an agreement reached with rt,,f C. ap nd ly sanctioned in his letter of July r 1911.
 Tt hardly would be expected, under these circumstances, that this commit tee would now reverse its former pledge to President Taft to espouse the cause of Colonel Roosevelt. More espe- eially is this the situation since at this void convention the committee was re- organized by displacing men that were doubtful Taft men. and placing in lieu thereof men known to be progressively for Taft
 "This should be significant to the republicans of Alabama in view of the fact that number of these men bitter ly opposed Mr. Taft's nomination. IL is we'll known that these men bear enmity to Colonel Roosevelt in view of his activities in behalf of Presl- dent Taft four years ago, and some of them went to the Chicago conven- tion as contesting delegates and were unseated by Colonel Roosevelts friends who controlled the national committees
 "This action by the Taft-Iong con ventlon is not in keeping with Colonel Roosevelts well known fairness In po- litical matters, and there is no doubt but what the republicans of Alabama will, at the first opportunity promptly repudiate this effort to, forestall public date of the official call for the conven- ton.
 Colonel Roosevelt's friends expect, at the proper time, 10 secure an expression from the republican party of Alabama through the proper and legal channel, and a fight for a fair expression of the popular will. will be made before the people and not before this committee.
 "The republican national committee, which Is the supreme authority of the republican party in the United States. in providing for the election of dele gates, adopted the following significant proviso: Provided, that delegates or their alternates shall be deemed in eligible to participate in state or dis trict or territorial conventions who were elected prior 10 the date of the adoption of this call It thus will be seen that not only were the six dele- rpa tae a1o af ho A convention and instructed to vote for Taft, declared to be without authority, but every. other delegate and alternate who took part in that convention has been declared ineligible to participate' in that convention. The purpose of the national committee determined from it's positive action, is shown to be to de- clare the action of the August con- vention to have been an absolute null- ty because the national committee which issued this call. considered it un- fair to permit the state of Alabama or any other state to foreclose the rights of other candidates that were not then in the field and before they were ex- pected to be in the field, and, if 1t Is unjust to do this, il is equally unjust to pack a committee that must pass upon the credentials of delegates to the convention which chooses the del- egates at large to the national conyen- ton.
 All republicans who desire a fair and legal convention of the party in Alabama, looking to an expression of the choice not only of the republicans of Alabama, but of those states which cast electoral votes and thus partici- pate in the election of republican President, will insist that, when the delegation to the national convention goes from this state 1t shall go with every safeguard of regularity as set forth by the edict of the supreme au- thority of the national party. This statement fully explains why the friends of Colonel Roosevelt will com pletely ignore the Long committee or any action taken by them today. It Is hard to conceive that convention. which tine national committee has de- clared to be absolutely null and void. could constitute a chairman, secretary and committee with legal authority to displace the old legal committee and fix the date for a convention to choose delegates to the national convention. ?