Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-08-05
CHICAGO THEFT" PENNED
GRAPHICALLY BY COLONEL

NEW YORK. Aug. 5.-Replying to
Charles H. Hilles's defense of Presi-
dent Taft and the actions of the Re-
publican national committee in Chi
cage the provisional national COM
mittee of the National Progressive
party yesterday issued a statement
entitled "A Stolen Nomination for the
Presidency; the Facts of the Chi
cage Convention of 1872" 1t was
written by Theodore Roosevelt, and
reads in part:
1.-THE total number of delegates
making UP the Chicago convention
was 1,07S. To nominate Mr.. Taft re-
quired $40 delegates. Mr.. Taft did
not have this number of votes in the
conventions; of the honestly elected
delegates, Mr.. Roosevelt had a deci-
sive majority. How was Mr.. Taft
to be nominated? Not by a minority,
that was clear. He had been unable
TO win a majority. That majority
had to be found. =
1.-THE national committee bound to
Mr.. Taft by Federal patronage and
machine politics, proceeded to find 1t.
In the thirteenth Congressional Dis
trict of Indiana afhdavits were filed
that the Taft delegates had not been
voted for and hat they presented
false certificates of election. The
committee received these afidayits
and seated the Taft delegates.
"The Texas delegates were the regu-
lar and lawful ones. but they were
for Roosevelt. Without a qualm the
national committee ignored these del
egates and seated the Taft delegation
elected by a boiling minority from
the State convention, in direct vio-
lation of the Terrell election law of
the State of Texas"
Says Borah Was Steam-rolled.
The statement goes on to say that
the national committee, knowing that
only eleven or twelve of it's members
were impartial or in favor of Roose-
welt. passed a rule that there should
be no roll call except upon a request
concurred in by twenty members.
Senator Borah. of Idaho, opposed
this, but was steam rolled and the
number remained at twenty.
"A large proportion of the con-
tests" continues the statement, orig
mated in the Southern States and in
the nature of protests against the
fraud and corruption which have
characterized the party administr. :
ton in the Southern States for more
than a generation,
These Southern States never cast
an electoral vote for a Republican
candidate for the Presidency, yet
through the patronage given to a
President seeking denomination Taft
received PA votes from such South
ern States. He could not have spared
the single Democratic State of Ala
bama, or Virginia, or Georgia.
In many Of the Southern States
formalities in regard to the call for
conventions were totally disregarded.
Conventions were held without notice,
or ul,or n ocular notice. The par
~f!ciruitss of the voters in the choice
Of local delegates was neither desired
nor sought, but, on the contrary,
every fraudulent device was used to
exclude such participation"
In another paragraph. the state
ment says: Where downright mis-
statement is not possible, resort is
nao 10 ul"SlngenuOuS suggestion anu
deceptive forms of statement. A
misstatement is contained in the ac-
count of the California contest to the
effect that the result in the Fourth
California district was certified to by
the registrar of voters Of the city and
county of Sal Francisco. but the
further information is not vouch-
safed that the ~certifcation of the
vote thereafter was cancelled and
rescinded and being not only incor-
rect, but, by reason of local condi-
tons, impossible.
There was but one question on
which the decision of every contest
hinged. Were the contestants for
Taft or were they for Roosevelt? If
for Roosevelt some pretext must be
found for excluding them from the
rnnvantinn IF fot- To ~ IN did mt