The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1912-08-01
DELEGATES SEATED
FAIRLY. SAYS TAFT
President Issues Statement Denying
Theft at Chicago.

Theft at chicago.
Washington, July ga statement
defending the action of the Republican
National Committee, the Credentials
Committee of the Chicago Convention it.
self in deciding the Roosevelt-Taft con-
tests, was given out at the White House
Yesterday afternoon.
The statement begins:
THE National Committee which pass
ed upon the contests of 1912 was the
committee chosen in 1908, when Roose-
welt was the leader of the party, at a
time when his influence dominated the
Convention.
There were 252 delegates to the Re-
publican National Convention at 1912
whose seats were contested; 23S of these
We're Taft delegates whom Roosevelt
people sought to unseat.
Then follows a statement of the party
practice in deciding contests-first by
the Credentials Committee of the Con-
vention, and finally by the convention
itself. The seats of "a delegates-at-
large from IA States and 178 district
delegates were contested The state
ment says:
There were only four States-Ari-
IONA, Michigan, Texas and Washington,
having in all % delegates, including six
district delegates from the State of
Washington-wher the contests were
at all worthy of the name, and in none
of the IA States did the contestants at
large bring the matter to record vote
in the convention, and no rollcall was
demanded in any such case.
'In no other convention was so much
care exercised, or pains taken, or so
much time devoted to the careful in
vestigation and fair determination of
contests. No delegate was permitted
to vote upon any contest affecting the
right of his own seat. In no other con-
vention were there ever presented,
manlfestly for the deception of the
pubic, 50 many wholly unwarranted
and uniustified contests. There were
protests filed against 238 Taft delegates,
but in two cases only, involving tour
delegates two from California and two
from the Ninth district of Alabama
was there a rollcall demanded IN the
convention In the California case the
right of the Taft delegates to their
seats was sustained by vote of $40 to
500, and IN the Alabama case by much
larger vote. In very large number of
cases the right of the Taft delegates
was affirmed by unanimous consent of
the convention, and in others by viva
voce vote, no roll-call being demanded. -
The White House statement says
Governor Hadley moved to strike out
only go names and the cases from Vir-
ginia and the District of Columbia. 20
seats, were so without evidence that
the claim of "stolen" delegates is re-
duced therefor from 238 to u, land
this list includes two delegates from
the Eleventh Congressional district of
Kentucky, one of whom was given
Roosevelt, and two from the Ninth
Congressional district of Tennessee,
case in which his contest managers had
so little confidence that they abandoned
and never presented it TO the committee
on credentials" The Y contests were
then taken up in detail and evidence
cited to show that the Taft delegates
were regularly seated.
Of the California cases, it is said
State law was passed after the call pre-
scribed the manner of electing dele
gates had been issued by the Ma
tional Committee, the purpose Of which
was to have the States delegates vote
as unit instead Of by district, prac-
tice that has obtained in the Republican
party since 1880.
Much space is given to the Indiana
contests, where after the State conven-
ton had adjourned, 30 Roosevelt dele
gates-not even all Of those who had
attended the regular convention elect
ed contesting Roosevelt delegates while
standing in the corner of the convention
hail, not even having a secretary to
record the proceedings