The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-18
BIRCH THE PUBLICAN STATUS Thinks Taft Will Have the Alabama Delegation BEAT MEETINGS HELD Allison and Long Recently Back From Washington Confident Taft
 Will Be Nominated on
 First Ballot

Alex C. Birch, referee in bankruptcy and one of the leaders of the republican faction which adheres to President Tait Is confident that Alabama will send to the national republican convention a dele gation instructed to vote for the noml- nation of the chief executive.
 As descriptive of the republican situa- tion in Alabama at the present time, Mir
 Birch yesterday, following the request of reporter. made the following state
 ment:
 For the first time in the history of
 the republican party beat meetings were | held today in every precinct in Jeffer- l son county. It Is the announced policy of
 the republican leaders under the new regime to organize in every precinct in every county in the state and contest every election in the future, and in this manner build up the party vote.
 "The beat meetings were held pursuant to the call of the county executive com mittee for the purpose of electlng dele gates to the county convention to be held in Birmingham on February 24, which convention will elect delegates to the state convention to be held on March :. and likewise delegates to the Ninth congress slonal district convention to be held on March 16 The state convention will put out complete state ticket and elect six delegates and six alternates from the
 state at large to the national convention, and also three presidential electors. The district convention will elect two dele gates and two alternates 10 the na- tional convention and one presidential elector.
 "Adviees from the country precincts of the county are to the effect that they have fallen in line with the city beats, Bessemer. Ensley. Avondale. woodlaw and East Lake. in electing solid Taft delegations to the county convention. The district convention will be composed of 39 delegates. and as Jefferson county is entitled to 23 delegates. this will insure the election of two Taft delegates to the national convention fiom the Ninth dis trict. In the meeting of the district ex- ecutive committee on the 18th, four of the five members from Blount county, three of the four members from Bibb county and the one member from Perry founiy dDBntu lntilrtiNtt Nltf iut loitto of President Taft an. this would argue that the sentiment in those counties is for the renomination of the President.
 "The following is the personnel of the delegates from Beat 2l to the county con- yention: ]. Rivers Carter, Charles J. Allison, Alexander C. Birch, A. H. Car penter. George H. Clarke, Marvin l.. Kim bro, James Bowron, Edmund H. Dryer.
 Erskine Ramsay, J. S. Allison, Alonzo Greene. H. W. Bernheim, W. H. Mother shed, Charles Hockstader, Edward Ar mold and J. Fl. Heineke.
 "Col. Truman II. Aldrich heads the del- egation from Beat S7. which is the other beat in the confines of lesser Brming- ham.
 "The Roosevelt forcs- or as they term themselves the progryssives, abandoned the fight in the beat meetings in this county, and advices ar. 70 the effect that they absented themselves from beat meetings which were held throughout the entire state, under the call of the re- publican state executive committee. This will assure to the friends of the Pres- dent, who are led by National Commit teeman P D. Barker. and State Chair man P. M. Long, absolute control of the state convention on March '. and will result in the selection of six delegates from the state at large favorable to the renomination of MT Taft.
 "It would seem that as the Roosevelt men, led by J. O. Thompson and ex- Judge oscar R. Hundley. allowed the
 election of Taft delegates to the sew eral county conventions to go by default 1 in the future their attempts 10 break a l solid delegation from the state will be
 confined to sporadic fights in several oi l the congressional dist.fcts. which as yet have not called district conventions Tn, | Second. Sixth. Seventh and Ninth dis tricts' executive committees have already | called district conventions. The Fiftl district met Saturday. but as a quorum | was not present, adjourned until April 6 Mir Thompson. who claims his residence i in this district. and Judge Hundley ex
 erted extraordinary efforts to control thi,