Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1912-05-02
massachusetts, Vote Close. but
President Probably Wins.
DEMOCRATS VOTE FOR CLARK
President Loses Considerable by Pres.
ence on Ballot of Nine Names for
Deleeates-at-Large When Only
Eight Are to Be Elected.

Boston, May --latest returns show
the following preference vote in 223
towns: Taft, 1861; Roosevelt, 49,
522.
Taft has a lead of more than 500 in
Springfield and of about 1900 in
Worcester, which makes his plurality
of returns SO far about $500.
Boston, May /. - Returns indicate
that President Taft carried Massa-
chusetts in the preferential primary
by from 1000 to 5000 plurality over
Colonel Roosevelt.
Taft delegates have been elected in
the First, Second, Third Tenth,
Eleventh and Twelfth congressional
districts. The Ninth district chose
Roosevelt delegates by margin of
100 votes, which means a recount.
The Fourteenth district went to
Roosevelt. The six remaining dis
tricts are in doubt with the outlook
favorable to the colonel The returns
arc incomplete from these districts
In all probability the eight delegates
at-large will be Roosevelt men.
Chairman Champlin of the Taft
League executive committee said that
President Taft carried the state by
from 5000 to 10000
Owing to the presence on the bal
lot Of nine names for delegates-at-
lal ge, all pledged to Taft, the regular
slate, headed by Senator w. Murray
Crane and Former Governor John l..
Bates, appears to have been defeated,
but the eight alternates are probably
successful. How the district delegates
stand is problematical
The Roosevelt victory in the mat
ter of delegates-at-large was due to
the name of Frank Seiberlich being
sandWiched in on the ballot between
group one, consisting of eight names
pledged to Roosevelt as delegates-at-
large, and group three, comprising
eight names pledged to Taft. Seiber-
Itch was also pledged to Taft but his
name on the ballot caused endless con
fusion and substantial loss for the Taft
delegates. In nearly all the voting
places Taft delegates ballots were in
validated by voters marking for Sci
berich as well as for the eight regular
candidates. In each case the Taft
preferential vote was counted, but the
vote for his delegation was thrown
out. The voters in their haste, neg
lected to heed the instructions to vote
for eight and marked every name
pledged to Taft.
Just how the thing worked out is
shown in the vote at Scituate. The
Roosevelt delegates, however got an
average of So votes, or sixteen more
than the Taft delegates average, which
was SO.
1t is coniectured that at least II
Taft supporters in making crosses be
size the names of wouldbe delegates
at-large voted for 9 men, including
Seiberlich, when they should have
voted for only s, thereby invalidating
their ballots insofar as the delegates,
at-large are concerned. AS this oc-
Cured all over the state it hal y dam
aging result on the total figure for the
Taft delegates-at-large.
Champ Clark won in canter over
Wilson, and LaFollette was scarcely
heard from. The speaker of the
house beat the governor of New Jer.
sey by $500 in Boston, but in the
west of the state it was not quite as
bad. The vote was light all over the
state, probably not more than 40 or
45 per cent of the total vote being
cast. In many places the polls were
not closed until o'clock.
Worcester was for Taft by 10, North
Adams for the president by IS, New
buryport for Taft by 81. Haverhirl
went to the colonel by 342 and in Lynn
the latter led MIR, Taft by 395,