Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-06-18
TAFT AND ROOSEVELT FORCES
HOLD FINAL CONFERENCES
AND PLAN PROGRAMS.
ROOSEVELT PLANNED TO
DELAY DECISIVE TEST
Followers Played for Time in Reaching
Vote on Temporary Organization
colonei's Followers Hoped to SECURE
Substitute Roll Of DsIssa tss-Ns either
Side Musters Necessary $40 Votes.

Chicago. June 1S.-Warring Taft and
Roosevelt forces gathered at the COL
| iseum today for the opening Of the
| fifteenth republican national conven-
tion with battle lines on both sides ap-
| parently firm and with leaders and
delegates predicting that the session
would mark an epoch in the annals of
American politics.
Rarely have the principals in a ma :
| tional political convention met under
greater stress of feeling than that
| which prevailed today. The atmosphere
| was electric with bitterness and per-
sonal animosity.
Thousands of people who were un
able to obtain seats at the convention
| thronged hotel lobbies and the immedi-
ate vicinity Of the coliseum with the
| idea that a sensation of one sort or
another would develop in the big hall
at any moment.
President Taft's managers concluded
! their plans for the fight on the floor of
| the convention on the assumption that
the temporary roll as prepared by the
national committee would show Taft
majority by small margin. Also they
| assumed that the temporary roll Of the
! committee would become the tempo
rary roll of the convention.
The Roosevelt Plans.
Colonel Roosevelt and his advisors,
evidently familiar with the Taft fig
ures. evolved an eleventh hour scheme
for reducing this small Taft majority
by means Of an. arrangement to elm
mate from the poll on temporary or
ganization those votes which are chal-
lenged by Colonel Roosevelt.
This scheme, fathered by the Illinois
delegation and ratified by a meeting Of
| Roosevelt delegates. was embodied in
the following resolution:
Resolved, That no election Of tenn
porary or other officers OF this con-
vention or resolution or other proceed
ing shall be ssr p.Fthe act Of this
| tconveption Or tovhave AnS effect unless
1t shall receive on roll. call the af-
firmative votes of $40 delegates whose
seats are uncontested, and this resolu-
| titon shall govern and be in force dur
ing the temporary organization of this
convention and until the permanent
organization thereof shall have been
effected"
Taft Men Reject Plan.
I Every effort was made by the Roose-
Welt manager to have the Taft leaders
to agree to accept and abide. by this
proposal Illinois friends Of Congress
man William B. Mckinley, President
Taft's manager. sought to have him
agree to the plan.
Governor Deneen, Lawrence Y. Sher-
man. State Senator Logan Hay, OF
Springfield, and Thomas Healy, Of
Chicago were among those who threw
their personal influence into the bal
ance in attempts to have Mr.. McKin-
ley accept the arrangement.
Taft leaders pointed out that the
plan was in direct opposition to the
rules governing the national committee
and to the long established procedure
in the temporary organization Of re-
publican national conventions. The
| proposed innovation met with little en-
couragement at the hands of a major
ity of the members Of the national
committee.
Some Roosevelt Men Object.
Some members Of the Roosevelt or
ganization counciled against the res
olution. They declared that attempts
to secure it's adoption would precipi-
tate a decisive fight at once. They
said they did not believe revolutionary
proceedings in connection with the
temporary organization OF a conven-
ton would be justified; that the or
ganization is not the convention but
merely the gateway to the convention.
In this connection a hard fight OF
protest was urged on every point with
the idea Of preparing case for pre-
sentation to the country in conjunction
with whatever line OF action is found
feasible at a stage further along.
Roosevelt Forces Seek Delay.
Prior to the meeting Of the national
convention at noon today the leaders
of the Taft and Roosevelt forces held
their last conferences and mapped out
their final plans Of campaigns for the
day.
AS they started for the big coliseum
1t was the announced purpose OF the
Roosevelt forces to delay the tempo
rary organization Of the convention as
Hong as they could. They carried with
them two propositions. One was the
original plan Of sub-roll for the tenn
porary roll reported by the national
committee and containing Roosevelt
! ,;.;sSa.es r. place of many OF the Taft
delegates seated by the committee. The
other was the resolution adopted at a
caucus Of Roosevelt delegates early this
morning which would seek TO prevent
any action by the convention except
unon the affirmative vote OF $40 un-
A.