Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-07-30
Statement Of Campaign Man.
aqer Passes on Conven.
ton Contests
Charges With Un.
fairness and U0tfuth.
fu|neSs
BY Associated Press.

ulent, appTOVeu ny FTcSlucul dlt, uc'
Tending his nomination by the Chica.
go convention, was made public at the
White House today. 1t reviews every
contest before the Republican Nation.
al committee ana the credentials
committee Of the convention and as
serts that each contest was settled
logically, upon Its merits. The state.
ment was submitted to the cabinet at
a recent meeting and received an ap>
prevail of the presidents official fam
lily.
The statement which Is q lengthy
document, OF l44 printed pages, Is q
detailed denial Of the charge that the
denomination of President Taft was
accomplished by the seating of frau
dulently elected delegates to the con
vention. 1t takes up individually the
z3S contests instituted by the Roose-
welt forces against Taft delegates who
were seated, and presents evidence In
each Of these cases to show that the
Taft delegates were regularly elected.
A resume of the statement, prepar-
ed by Charles d Hilles, formerly
President Taft's secretary and now
chairman of the Republican National
committee takes up each contest
briefly.
This resume opens with the declara-
ton that the Roosevelt contests. as
originally filed before the national
committee were not Instituted In
good faith.
1.-The total number of delegates
summoned to the convention" says
the resume, was 1913, with, $40
necessary to a choice. Mr.. Taft had
SCI votes on the first and only ballot
and was declared the nominee. There
were instituted against 23S Of the
delegates regularly elected for Taft,
contests on behalf of Roosevelt.
These contests were avowedly insti-
gated not for the purpose Of really
securing seats In the convention, not
for the purpose of adducing evidence
which would lead any respectable
court to entertain the contests, but
for the purpose OF deceiving the pub.
lie into the belief that Mr.. Roosevelt
had more votes than he really had,
as the conventions and primaries
were in progress for the selection Of
delegates. The two hundred and
~thirty.eight contests were reduced by
abandonment, formal or in substance,
to seventy-four. The very fact OF
these 1874 frivolous contests itself re.
fleets upon the genu.neness and val
idity of the remainder"
The resume then enumerates the
contests, and reviews the arguments
in each case. The review Of the evil
in the contests embraced In the
White House statement is certified to
by Victor Rosewater, chairman of the
National committee, and Thomas H.
Devine, chairman Of the credentials
committee. AS an appendix, the
statement carries in detail the vote
in the national committee On each OF
the contests, and q statement Of the
dates of the Taft and Roosevelt con.
ventions in contested states. The OBJ
ject of the latter is to show that the
Roosevelt delegates were chosen aft
er the regular conventions had named
taft representatives.
Another appendix is the report OF
the credentials committee to the con-
%vention, in which the statement issued
by the Roosevelt committeeman at
lacking the majority of the commit.
tee was answered. In discussing the
charge the report said:
1.-THE statement as a whole in its
o. combination of un'
worthy motive, in it's recital of alleg.
ed facts, is grossly and maliciously
untrue. 1t was intended to convey
the impression that the time for hear
ing cases was SO limited as to pre-.
vent their being properly presented
to the committee. The %untruthful-
ness of this statement is clearly
shown by the records of the commit
tee and the ewspaper reports Of its
deliberations. Not only did the rules
make liberal provision for time in
presenting the cases, but in every in
stance where the parties presenting
the cases, or any member Of the ON
asked for an extension Of
time, 1t was granted"
The statement of the Roosevelt
members OF the committee asserted
that the speed With which the creden.
tails committee brought in reports
made it evident that the reports had
been prepared beforehand" In reply
to this statement the appendix to the
White House statement said:
In regard to the assertion that re.
ports were prepared in advance OF
the action Of the committee on ere
dentials no one Of the gentlemen who
makes this statement will state Of his
own personal knowledge that any r
ports were thus made"
In concluding, the majority of the
committee, defending its
said:
"As to the merits Of these contested
cases upon which the committee
it should be remembered that
the national committee sat for Is days
hearing evidence and argument upon
them. Out Of a total membership OF
So only Is members of that commit
tee objected to the findings and de.
cisions and they only with regard to
part OF the cases, the action Of the
having been unanimous
with regard to q majority Of them.
The convention declined, by q sub
stantial majority to reverse the &C.
ton Of the national committee, and