Evening journal., 1912-07-29


doubtful However, the fact is that
the Taft men protested against any
action by a committee so constituted
on the ground that the chairman had
no authority to appoint the 131 new
committeeman. They refused to take
psrt in the primary, and so did the La
Toilette men. The newspapers report /
ed the number of votes in the primary
to be something over 5000. The Roose-
velt committee showed by affidavit the /
number to be 5000 out OF a usual total |
Republican vote Of 10000. The action |
Of the chairman of the committee In /
attempting TO add 131 precinct men to !
tthe old committee was, OF course. be-
yond his power. The resolution au-
thorizing him to Ill vacancies, of
course. applied only to those places
which became vacant after they had
been filed and clearly did not apply TO
131 new precincts. 1t could not in the
nature of things apply to a change
from the old system TO a complete new
| system Of precincts created by the city
council, because II they were to be
filed the entire number OF 331 new
! precincts different from the old must
be filed. One system. could not be
mate into the other by mere addi-
tional appointment OF 131 committee
men. No lawyer will say that such
action by the committee thus consti-
tuted was legal. Therefore the action
which the lawful committee Of 250 took
in electing Taft delegates who made a
majority In the state convention was
the only one which could be recognized
as valid
CONTESTED DISTRICT DELE
GATES.
ALABAMA.
Ninth District.
The Ninth Alabama contest turned
on the question whether the chairman
OF a district committee had power 20
I'LL vacancies. whether a committee
man who had sent his resignation TO
take effect only in case he was not
present, being present, should be pre-
vented from acting as committeeman,
and. third. on the Identity OF anotne
committeeman The written resolu.
ton under which the right Of the
chairman 10 appoint TO vacancies was
claimed showed on its face that the
specific authority was written In In
different writing and different colOred
pencil between the lines. A number OF
af1davits were fled by committeeman
who were present when the resolution
was passed to show that the resolu-
tion contained no such authority. This
gave rise to a question OF fact upo-
which a very large majority Of both
the national committee and the com.
mittee on credentials held that the
lead pencil insertion was a forgery.
! that the chairman did not have the au-
thority therefore TO appoint to the
vacancies, and therefore the action Of
his committee WAS not valid. This
made it necessary to reject the contest
ants The committee decided the two
other issues OF fact before them in
q favor Of the Taft contention, although
the first decision was conclusive.
! ARKANSAS.
Fifth District.
. In the Fifth Arkansas the question
was one of the identity of one factor
, or the other as the Republican party
This convention followed the example
Of the convention of 1908 in holding
that what was known as the Reddinl
faction was not the Republican party
that II was a defunct organization and
had only acquired life at the end OF
. each four years for the purpose Of
using It in the national convention
; The contestants were therefore reject
ed. II was shown that the other oi
Taft had been in active existence al
4 the Republican party. had nominated
!. a local ticket and had run a congress
q man. .s..l.....
= CALIFORNIA.
8 Fourth District.
o The Fourth California presented thi
a question: Under the state law the dele
a CATION. two from each district, wa
e elected on general ticket, in groul
s of twenty-six. Each delegate nigh
n either express his. presidential prefer
e ence or agree to vote for the presiden
e tial candidate receiving the highes
e number in the state. In the Fourtl
, district the two candidates from tha
% district on the Taft ticket expresses
d a preference for Taft, but did ne
e agree to vote for the candidates hay
n ing the highest state vote. These Taf
y delegates in the Fourth district r.
is ceived a majority OF 200 more tina,
II the Roosevelt delegates In that dis
S, trict The national call forbade an
le law or the acceptance Of any Lay
10 which prevented the election OF dele
Is gates by districts. In other words. tn
call of the national convention was q
variance-with the state law. The stat
N law sought to enforce the state uni
@ rule and required the whole twenty
n. six delegates to be voted for all owe
le the state, assigning two to each dis
ie trict on the ticket to abide the stat
y, wide election. while the Republica
at national convention has insisted upo
T. the unit of the district since 1880. Ths
e. has been the party law. This conveI
he ton recognized the party law and hel
e- 1t to be mere binding than that OF th
e- state law and allowed the two dell
y. gates who had received In the Fourt
ne district vote larger than their tw
n opponents assigned to that district,
he become delegates in the convention
be This was clearly lawful. for state h'
nd no power to limit or control the bas
&C. of representation Of a voluntary nj
le- tional party in a national convention