The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-12


 were a number of democrats in the Taft convention who were alleged to have been induced for a consideration to vote ih the convention. He also alleged that resi- dents in .Vestal county, in an adjoining district came down on morning trains to vote in the Eighth district convention.
 C. c. Wallace, one of the Taft delegates from the Eighth district. declared there had been no irregularity whatever In the holding Of the convention. "Phere was no steam roller In that convention, said Wallace That district was overwhelm- ingly for President Taft"
 In Madison county, where frauds were alleged to have occurred, MT. Wallace de- clared only two out of p precincts showed big majorities for Roosevelt. He further declared no contest had been presented at the district convention. William s. Law, who said he was present at the conven- ton, interrupted from the Roosevelt table to say he had tried to present the Mercer county contest at the district convention, 1 but was prevented from doing so.
 MT. Wallace said in the Madison county convention he proposed to crowd every | body into the courthouse and 1hen count tho Taft men out through the front door l and the Roosevelt men out through the back door,
 "But they would not agree to it," he said.
 oIf the democrats were taken out we would have had the convention, five to one. With the democrats in, we had 1t | two to one"
 The Eighth district contestants had withdrawn when Committeeman A. R. Burnam of Kentucky asked permission to make a statement on the Kentucky case. The committee decided to recall the con- | testants to hear the testimony
 Burnam Makes Statement
 Judge Burnam said he lived in Rich mond, county seat of Madison county. He declared the two factions had assem- bled in the courthouse yard, that the Taft men had refused a count on the selection of a temporary chairman, and that the Roosevelt men then organized their own convention and selected a Roosevelt delegate to the Eighth district convention
 They listened closely to Judge Burnam's statement. A request was then made to let C. o. Wallace reply and Senator Borah moved that some additional Roosevelt ahldavits be also heard Both proposals were refused by the committee which had plainly determined to end the long debate over the Eighth district case
 The committee room was cleared of cons testants. MT. Vrys of Ohio moved the seating of the Taft delegates. 1 The Roosevelt men asked for roll call, which was granted and the Taft dele gates were seated my a vote of 37 to 15. 1 The negative votes included the follow ing in addition to those who had previous | y voted for Roosevelt contestants during 1 the day:
 Lowden, Illinois: Simpson, Maine: Rog- CTS. Wisconsin Shackleford, Alaska | t,1fg f,, axrr.1ot trafr lie vote, said this was plain case of "steal." :"
 Thank you" simultaneously remarked several members of the committee.
 Chairman Rosewater was absent when | the vote was taken.
 Tenth District Case Called
 The Tenth Kentucky district case was called. Here again the boundary lines of the district had been changed by the leg slature of the district conventions had been called and the Taft delegates were elected from the old district.
 Judge O'Rear said 10 counties were taken out of the district by the redistrct- ing and only six of the original counties were left. He declared Roosevelt had carried the new Tenth district, while Taft forces elected their delegates from the old Tenth district
 1 R. C. Stoll again defended the Taft dele gates right to seats on the ground that the convention had been properly held under the republican state committees | call
 Every Kentucky district had it's proper | representation Tn one of the district con- ventions under the old plan
 MT. Stoll declared If we had gone ahead and held the conventions in the new dis | tricts Judge O'Rear would have been here l declaring they should have been held in the old districts"
 The vote in this district was unanimous for the Taft delegates. 52 to 0.
 Last Kentucky Case 1 The Eleventh district the last of the ! Kentucky contests, was next taken up. In this district the Taft delegates appeared | as contestants. F. P. Morrow declared the Taft forces had II majority of the uncontsted Taft delegates, while there | We're 123 contested delegates.
 The Roosevelt forces elected a tenn porary chairman, with the aid of con- tested delegates. he said. and then broke the established party law" by having the chairman appoint credentials com mittee of five instead of letting the con vention select committee of one from | each 19 counties
 Mir. Morrow declared the Roosevelt forces had seized the credentials commit tee, because fair hearing of the con- test cases would have given the Taft forces control of the convention.
 In Owsley county. he declared. Isaac l Wilder, the county chairman. after cer- | tifying the credentials of the Roosevelt men, admitted that "the Taft people had | the most men, but we had the best men" so he had issued the Roosevelt creden- tials
 ! In Clay county, he said, the Taft men 1 had control, but "a man named White.'' who had some reputation as a Killer called democrat out of the crowd to 1 preside and forced them to nominate l Roosevelt.
 He made other charges of illegal action on the part of the Roosevelt forces in the different counties. The district con vention. when it met. split. He asserted that the Roosevelt convention had been | illegal.
 Judge O'Rear declared the Roosevelt delegates in the Eleventh district were regular and that the Taft men had bolted. He said the party law. which the Roosevelt convention was alleged to have broken. in naming credentials commit | tee of five, had been similarly broken l by the Taft convention.
 O'Rear Denies Charges
 Judge ORear denied charges that the ! county conventions had been illegally con trolled for Roosevelt Senator Borah l declared his belief that any party laws in Kentucky could have been changed by the convention when it met.
 "A state convention. as soon as it ad- ! journs. is as dead as door-nail." Sena- tor Borah declared. 'It cannot make any law, party or otherwise, that has to