Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1912-08-08

seating of the regularly elected Taft
delegates from that county. This gnve
the Taft delegates eighty-four votes. or
Two more than were necessary for n
cholce. In other words. assuming that
the Roosevelt men were entitled to all
the delegates from the counties I'm
which they fled contests in the dis
trict convention there remained a clear
majority OF uncOntested delegates who
voted for the Taft delegates to Chi
cago.
OKLAHOMA.
Third District
In the Third Oklahoma district the
question of the validity of the seats of
the delegates turned on the constitu-
ton Of the congressional committee.
which was made up of twelve Taft
moA and seven Roosevelt men. The
chairman, Cochran, was Roosevelt
man and attempted to prevent the ma
Jority OF the committee from taking
action. The chairman was removed
and another substituted, and thereupon
the convention was duly called to order
ON the temporary roll prepared by the
congressional committee, which was
made the permanent roll, and the two
Taft delegates to Chicago were duly
selected. Every county in the district
had its representation and vote in the
regular convention, and no person
properly accredited as a delegate was
excluded or debarred from participat-
ing in it's proceedings. Cochran and
his followers bolted after his deposi-
ton. Assuming that all the committee
who went out with him had the right
to act on the committee, 1t left the
committee standing twelve for Taft
and seven for Roosevelt, so It was sim
ply question whether a majority of
the committee had the right to control
Its action or a minority. The boiling
convention which Cochran held was
not attended by a majority of the duly
elected delegates to the convention. 1t
did not have the credentials from the
various counties, and its membership
was largely made up Of bystanders
who had not been duly accredited by
any county in the district Its action
was entirely without authority.
TENNESSEE.
Second District.
In the Second Tennessee district
there were fifty-nine delegates uncon-
tested out OF a possible total of los in
the convention. There were forty-nine
contested. The Roosevelt contestants
In the forty-nine refused to abide the
decision of the committee on creden-
tials and withdrew, leaving ffty-nine
uncontested delegates. These fifty
nine delegates. part of whom were
Roosevelt men. remained In the con
vention, appointed the proper commit
tees, settled contests and proceeded to
select Taft delegates. There can be
no question about the validity there
fore of their title.
TEXAS.
The only remaining districts were the
nine in Texas. Ia this state in many
counties there is no regular republican
organization, as understood generally,
and what few republicans there are in
some of the counties are, unfortunately,
divided into factions each claiming to
predominant. In the contests from
Texas, therefore, the National Conven-
tion decided them on the basis of the
precedents of the party conventions in
the past, which is of course, the only fair
and equitable manner of reaching a set
tlement of the vexed question.
The above is in conclusion of the sum-
mary, part of which we published last
week, to give in a clear and unbiased
manner the facts concerning the con-
tested delegates at the recent Chicago
convention. 1t furnishes a convincing
answer to Mr.. Roosevelt's charge that
he was deprived of the republican nom-
ination by theft. The facts are against
him, and he is not making his campaign
on facts. OF the 238 Roosevelt con-
tests, 164 were frivolous or fraudulent,
and were withdrawn or abandoned.
Only IA remained. The evidence in
these cases and in some of the others
was heard at great length by the re-
publican National Committee and again
by the credentials committee, and re.
jected by both. Some of the contests
were rejected bv a unanimous vote
even Mr.. Roosevelt's supporters could
not bring themselves to support such
frivolous contests.
Mr.. Roosevelt never had majority
of the rightfully elected delegates. His
pretentions to such majority are but
fraudulent. By different generalshir
he might have secured the nomination
of a progressive republican. 1t was
evident at the time that neither Mr.
Roosevelt or Mr.. Taft had control oi
the convention. Had Roosevelt but
given his consent and been willing tc
sacrifice his own personal ambitions fol
the good of the party, a progressive