Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-06-08
WINS FIRST
COMMITTEE CONTESTS
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authorized to sit throughout the COM
mittee hearing. The Alabama contest
cases were taken up by the committee
when 1t convened at 10 o'clock.
The Alabama Contests.
The Alabama cases were declared
by the Taft attorneys to rest upon the
regularity of the state republican or
ganization presided over by Pope M.
Long, state chairman. Six delegates at
large and two district delegates each
in the first, second, fifth, sixth and
ninth congressional districts, sixteen
in all, OF Alabama's twenty-four dele
gates were involved In the contests.
Under the contest rules adopted by
the national committee when 1t or.
ganized yesterday, attorneys on each
side were given thirty minutes to pre-
case involving the delegates at large
and fifteen minutes to each district
case. 1t was expected that several OF
the district contests will be grouped
together to shorten the hearings.
When the Alabama cases were call
ed, a strong array of counsel appeared
on each side to open the fight for dele
cations upon the outcome OF which the
republican presidential nomination Is
supposed to depend Ormsby McHarg
Of New York and Charles Dick of Ohio
appeared as the chief counsel, re-
spectively, for Colonel Roosevelt and
President Taft.
With former Senator Dick were
Frederick s. Bryan of Washington, his
associate counsel: o. D. Street and
8. s. Peasants, members of the Taft
delegation at large from Alabama. and
w. s. Roose, J. J. Curtis and A. e.
Birch. representing the contested Ta1t
delegates in the congressional dis
tricts.
Mr.. McHarg was assisted IN pre-
senting the Alabama cases by oscar
r. Hundley of Birmingham, one OF the
Roosevelt delegates at large and the
Roosevelt leader in the state. Assocl-
ated with the Roosevelt attorney was
Bainbridge Colby Of New York, VINO
is aiding in the contest fights.
The TAFT Claims In Alabama.
The TAFT claims to the Alabama
delegates at large, six IN NUMBER, as
presented to the committee by the
president representatives were SUD-
stantially as follows:
In August, 1911. republican facuons
in Alabama came together IN conven-
ton under suggestion from Presi-
dent Taft to compromise long stand
ing differences. That convention, 1t
was claimed. selected Pope M. Long
state chairman, superceding j.. ..
Thompson, and selected six delegates
at large to the republican national
convention.
When the republican national COM
mittee met in Washington In Decem-
Der. 1911. 1t invalidated any election
of delegates that had taken place prior
to it's meeting. State Chairman Long
called another convention in Bfrming-
ham. March T. 1912, and the delegates
at large were reelected in conformity
with the national committees official
call
Later, Senator Dick claimed, Mr..
Thompson. the former chairman, IS
sued another call for separate con-
vention at which the contesting dele
gates at large were chosen.
"After Colonel Roosevelt announced
his candidacy for the presidency he
said. "Mr Thompson repudiated the
written agreement he had entered in
to year ago. pretended that the en-
tire proceedings of the convention held
in August. 1911, were illegal and void,
and pretended to call together the old
state committee of which he had been
chairman. Three members of the old
committee out of total Of forty-one
responded to his CALL
''The Taft delegates at large were
elected by state convention duly
called by the new state committee Of
which Pope NJ. Long is chairman.
There can be no question about the
legality of their election"
The District Contests.
In the first congressional district
cases the Taft attorneys declared the
organization established by the re-
publican convention in Alabama had
been ignored and that a separate con-
vention to elect Roosevelt delegates
had been called by = G Thompson.
ana N. l.. Steele. who occupy no off.
.cial relations to either the state or
congressional committees"
In the second district 1t was claimed
the regular organization was also
ignored and the Taft forces further