The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-05-10
RUSE SAY ROOSEVELT MEN
Just an Effort to Save a Few
Votes is Their Claim
I. R. ISSUES A srATEMEN
Ex-President Declares He Can Be
Nominated. Eight Against
the Bosses"

San Francisco. Calf. May 10.-The
failure of the Taft delegates Of Cali
fornia to sign preference and dele
gates pledges has complicated the sit-
uation. The Roosevelt supporters all
ready have planned 10 contest the Taft
delegates should they be elected. Both
sides are agreed that the Taft
delegates had a legal right TO omit
signing the pledges inasmuch as both
pledges, under the law. are optional.
The Roosevelt leaders declare the pur-
pose of the action was to save votes
for Taft in the event Roosevelt car
ried a majority of the districts. Had
they signed tht pledges they would
have been Obliged to vote for Roose-
welt, as the delegates pledges bids
them 10 support the candidate who
received the highest number of votes
cast throughout the state"
Roosevelt Issues Statement.
New York, May 10.--The Roosevelt
committee today gave out a copy OF
a letter from Roosevelt to r. A. Cas-
we'll, chairman of the Roosevelt COM
mittee and clerk of the supreme court
az Minneapolis, MINI. The letter says
IN part:
II wish II had been possible for ma
10 go again to Minnesota Unfortun-
stely il is physically Impossible. Nine
states have held presidential primar-
les, or their equivalent-North Dako-
Ia. Wisconsin. Illinois. Pennsylvania.
Nebraska. Oregon, New Hampshire,
Massachusetts and Maryland. These
states. the only ones in which there
has been free chance for expression
of popular will. are To be represented
by 256 delegates In the Chicago con-
vention. Forty OF these are instruct-
ed for Taft, and 2l6 are against him.
He carried but two OF the nine states
New Hampshire and Massachusetts
while In Massachusetts the Roosevelt
delegates large were elected by
over twice the majority which Taft
obtained on the preferential vote. In
Maryland the majority against Taft
was about the same, proportionately,
as the majority for him In Massachu-
setts and New Hampshire. In the
other seven states the majorities
against him range from two TO one 10
twenty to one. If primaries could be
held in all states Taft could by no
possibility have two hundred votes i'm
the Chicago convention.
"Taft's chances of being renominat-
ed lie solely in securing delegates who
misrepresent the will OF the people. He
can get these delegates. not in the pri-
mary states. but in the convention
states where the delegates are chosen
under the old system, and even in
these states he can get them only
where the state is ruled by a boss.
The fight is a nation wide fight OF
the plain people against the bosses.
There is just one candidate whom it
Is possible tn nominate against the
bosses and that is myself. Every vote
for every other candidate from now
on is in reality a vote for Taft. "A
vote for Taft Is vote for the bosses;
IL is a vote for Lorimer. Penrose. Gug-
genhelm. Gallinger and the rest OF
them and It is a vote for these men.
whether cast in Minnesota or Mass
achusetts. Ohio or California.
THE contest has gone so far as tn
make Il evident I certainly can he
nominated against Taft. that either
shall be nominated or else a reaction
arv will be nominated. My personal
interest is no concern one way or the
other. but It happens at this time
typify and embody a great cause
which can only be furthered by sup
porting me. Almost everywhere where
have been able 10 appear personally
in this campaign and fight the bosses.
we have beaten them. and ask Mia
nesota 10 stand beside Oregon. Illinois,
PENNSYLVANIA. Nebraska. Maine, Kan
sas and Maryland In this fight