Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-04-18
Former President Secures 66 Of
the States 78 Delegates to
National Convention.
POLITICIANS ASTONISHBD
Crushing Defeat for the Regula,
Republican Organization and
Its Leader, Senator
Penrose.

Roosevelts sweeping victory In Pennal-
vania at Saturdays primary election kept
growing to-day as the returns continued
to come in
Incomplete returns from every district
give the former president 65 Of the States
I6 delegates in the republican national
convention. The Roosevelt supporters are
claiming 81. and later returns may carry
the figures TO that total Colonel Roosc-
Welt won SO Of the CT district national dele
gates and his followers elected enough
delegates to the State convention to give
them control Of that body. The State
convention will name IL delega tes- "a large.
Governor Woodrow Wilson Of New
Jersey. who had no organized opposition.
Will have "a of the rs delegates from
pennsylvania in the democratic national
convention. In the 2sth congressional dis
trtct the two democratic national delegates
elected are favorable to Champ Clark.
Politicians look upon the triumph Of
Colonel Roosevelt with establishments The
supporters of the former president were
without State organization or without
nm organization in many OF the 80 con-
Eressional districts
The regular republican orga nization
headed by United States Senator Boies
penrose. which has withstood the fury
OF many a political storm. received a
crushing defeat In the loss OF control OF
the state convention. II IL the first time
in the present generation that It has lost
control Of that body.
WHAT CONVENTION WILL DO.
In addition to naming the IL delegates
ht-large to Chicago. the convention will
o1n os
dates for congressmen-at-lar and cam
didates for State treasurer and auditor
general, all to be voted for at the Novem-
Der election.
The significance of the Roosevelt victory
can be realized when 1t Is remembered
that the delegates In control Of the State
convention have the power to select the
State chairman and under the party rules
the delegation to the national convention
elects the national committeeman. At
present Senator Penrose holds this posi-
ton
1t was said by prominent member Of
the State committee Tonight that some
Of the Roosevelt delegates elected to the
State convention are regular organization
men who while voting for Roosevelt dele
gates will still stand by the State organi-
Yation.
Some of the leaders Of the republic
can organization refrained from per-
sonally entering the primary as cam
ddates for district national delegates
as it had been expected they would
be selected as delegates at-large.
Among those understood to have been
looked upon as the likely delegates
were Senators Penrose and oliver.
Governor Tener. Secretary OF State
Robert McAfee and State Senator
James P. Nichol. the leader Of the
party organization in Philadelphia.
VOTE POLLED WAS LIGHT
The vote polled was light. In some
districts 1t did not go much over 30
per cent of the total vote cast at the
last general election. Colonel Roose-
Welt is said to have received his heav-
lest vote from the reform element Of
the State represented by the keystone
party which since II was organized
about two years ago has opposed the
regular republicans at every election
and succeeded in electing reform
mayor In Philadelphia last year.
Another element Of strength Of the
Roosevelt forces was the 10000 idle
anthracite miners in the northeastern
counties of the State. where the
former president ran strong.
In Philadelphia President Taft's ad-
herents captured three Of the six districts
md split the delegation in another. CIV
ing the President seven delegates to
Roosevelts five. The delegates favoring
Taft We're not instructed Among those
who escaped the Roosevelt storm were
John Wanamaker and r. r. Stoesbury.
who were elected as Taft delegates in
the second district. Edgar Pahs Smith.
provost of the University OF Pennsyl-
vania, a Taft delegate. went down to
defeat but VIM. Draper Lewis. dean
of the law department Of the university.
was a Roosevelt winner.
In Allegheny county which includes
pittsburg, Colonel Roosevelt captured all
the eight delegates in the fourth district.
Among them is william Flynn. who has
fought tine regular state organization for
years
PINCHOTS COUNTY FOR TAFT.
In the congressional district where Git
Ford Pinchot has his home. the Roosevelt
national delegates won, but Mr., Pnchot 6
home county, Pike, sent a Taft delegate
TO the State convention.
Governor Wilson had an easy time of
II in winning "a Of the 70 delegates to
the Baltimore convention. At present