Arizona republican., 1912-05-16
Both Taft and Roosevelt Factions Held Sessions in This City
 Yesterday
STEAM ROLLER
 WAS AT WORK
Third Termers Will Hold Primary; Committee Will Name Twenty
 Delegates

! The meeting of the Maricopa cen 1 tral committee yesterday was called to order by Chairman Hayes of tue committee. and after refusing to rec i ognize any one took it upon himself ! to name a credentials committee con- l sisting of three avowed Roosevelt 1 supporters They immediately retired for the purpose of examining a list 1 of members who were entitled to ! seats in the convention. In the mean time. without making inquiry for i those who were represented by proxy. the credentials committee brought in 1 a report seating fl of the delegates who were present in person as well as two members of the committee whose proxies were held by Roosevelt i supporters; WhereupOn the chairman | ruled that the list as presented should constitute the list of members en-
 titled to a vote in the convention. | The Taft people claimed that it was unfair that the proxies of one side
 should be admitted and theirs thrown out, Chairman Hays. however. ruled
 that he was entirely within his rights as chairman to make the above rul-
 
 arbitrary ruling of Hays and by an almost unanimous vote it was de- cided to overrule the decision. The proxies of the Taft people were then given to the credentials committee and the committee instructed to again retire and decide who were entitled to vote. The committee after delib erating one hour and fifteen minutes D1 aF hn
 mitteemen who were represented by
 proxy be allowed to vote. By making this ruling it gave the Roosevelt peo- pie a majority of three in the con vention. If however they had not made the unprecedented ruling that
 no proxies should be voted the Taft people had clear majority of four. The Taft people in the interest of harmony and to avoid a conteSting delegation pleaded with the leaders of
 the Roosevelt forces not to arbi- trarily disfranchise eight of the lead ing citizens of MaricOpa county just simply because their business affairs would not permit them to be present
 at the meeting They were positively assured that the Taft people would
 not stand for such procedure but | Heard anu fiSIl6I WHO dDSOlulCiA diN- tated just what should be done and
 what rulings should be made by Fisher refused to abide by the will
 of the majority of the committeeman of Maricopa county. The Roosevelt
 people then proceeded to adopt
 method of calling d primary and the Taft people immediately organized
 their following which as above stated consisted of 19 members present in person and eight by proxy and de
 cided by q majority vote of all the
 members of the county general com
 mittee that the delegates to the Tue
 son convention should be selected by
 the members of the committee.
 Immediately following the adjourn
 ment of the Roosevelt meeting, an
 other organization was effected and d
 motion adopted calling for a meeting
 of the committee on May 25 at which
 time it is the purpose to review the
 record of yesterdays convention and 1 recommend the appointment of tWen-
 ty delegates to the Tucson cOnven
 ton.
 This means. in brief that the men
 who favor the nomination of Theo-
 dore Roosevelt for president cOntroil
 ed the so-called committee meeting of yesterday, but that a ConteStinS
 delegation will be sent to the state convention from this county, when it
 will become the duty of that organ ization to determine which set of del egates is entitled to be seated. Intense interest and a feeling of ? uncertainty in both camps preceded
 the cenvening of the committee. Both sides proclaimed confidence in the outcome, but each admitted that the , vote would be close
 l The fight was made on the ques- ton of whether or not delegates should be elected by primary or un- I der the old convention system. This f was the point at issue, but it was l an open secret that the Taft sym 3 pathizers favored the old way and , the Roosevelt men the primary.
 It was hot in the committee room f but before the proceedings were well n under way the thermometer had risen Q several degrees. and remained in an
 exalted position until the last com /, mitteeman had expOstulated through
 the door.
 The division favoring the holding :, of primaries controlled the organiZa a t ton of the meeting through Chair = man P H. Hayes whose devoted head . was the target during the afternoon : for more motions. previous questions = points to order, personal privileges r Iquestions and other parliamentary