Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1912-06-18

| seated Dy act or the republican ma
tional committee, should sit in tn
convention.
How can you help it?" he wa
asked.
I'VE are not unmasking our belle
today" he replied. "No delegate Will
stolen credential shall have vote
in this convention if we can help It
BY tomorrow we will have our plans
completed
| What will you do?". ..,.r
Nothing that is not regular ant
American; nothing that will not be
approved by the American people,
The Roosevelt leaders apparently
were not disturbed by the announce
ment of the Taft adherents that they
would successfully block the move TO,
the adoption of substitute roll o1
delegates. They asserted with con
fdence that the convention would
not be organized with fraudulent
delegates in the places that should
be occupied by those duly elected OF
chosen"
Senator Dixon, campaign manager
for Theodore Roosevelt emphatically
declared today that the temporary roll
call Of the convention at this hour
showed that Roosevelt would be nom
mated by a majority of at least forty
two and that Senator Borah would be
chosen temporary chairman over Sen.
ator Root by larger majority.
Roosevelt and Taft leaders, after a
practically sleepless night, today
stacked final hands in their bitter
struggle with less than twenty-four
hours before the gavel falls at the
coliseum for the formal opening of
the republican national convention.
Prominent men from many states
were subjected to conference room
interviews of type known in polit-
ical struggles as third degree" under
ordeals as hard and cold as the gran
it's blocks that paved Chicagos
streets. E.
Leaders whose lives have been
spent in the game" brought into play
every artif1ce known to modern poll
tics in their almost frantic efforts TO
swing the balance to Col. Roosevelt
or to President Taft.
Running through it all was the con-
stantly recurring fact of the presence
of Col. Roosevelt himself leading his
own fight with his own hands.
1t was a question, in final analysis
as the day wore on, of whether the
party is bigger than It's
controlling body, the national COM
mittee, or bigger than any individual
candidate.
In this connection it became appar-
ent that the division Of delegates be-
tween Col. Roosevelt and President
Taft on the question of the nomina-
ton does not hold on any other ques-
ton to come before the convention
This was shown plainly by the atti-
tude Of the Virginia delegation. AL
though practically all are for the non,-
Ination Of President Taft, nine Of the
Virginia delegates declared that they
would pull to overrule the action of
the national committee in seating
Taft delegates over Roosevelt dele
gates from California, Texas and
This sentiment among arriving del
egates was sounded quickly by Col
Roosevelt and his advisers, who have
determined to attempt to break down
President Taft's strength in the con-
vention through the medium of pre-
iminary ballots. The Roosevelt man
ayers purpose to focus the fight the
minute the convention has been |
:alled to order by precipitating roll |
:all in which only those delegates
whose seats are undebated by COL
Roosevelt shall vote.
The Roosevelt men expect to
achieve this end by demanding a
oil call on the temporary chairman
'hip or the very first question that
zones up before the convention. Then
t is planned to have Gov. Johnson
II California cast the twenty-six
yotes for that state on the question.
This action by Gov. Johnson, it Is ex-
,ected, will be objected to by the two
Taft Delegates from the fourth Cal
fornia district.
Rosewater Has Power.
This juncture will be grasped by
he Roosevelt floor leader as the one |
lpon which to get the 'expurgated"
'ote of delegates. The floor leader |
will move at once that the temporary
oil as made up by the national CON-