The Washington herald., 1912-06-11
TAFT MEN HIRE
DETECTIVES TO
TRAIL DELEGATES
Continued from Pass one.

1 Continued from Fage One.
ing. The presence and activity Of these
detectives is one OF the picturesque fea-
lures Of this unique situation.
Taft Gets Twelve DeIesates.
The work OF the committee was neat
and effective, though It was terribly
noisy at times. When the day was over
the score stood:
For Taft. Il delegates.
For Roosevelt / near-victory.
! The Roosevelt honors were won at the
very opening Hof the session. They came
when Committeeman George A. knight.
/ of California, opened the proceedings
with a demand that the contest in the
Fourth California district be taken up
at once-lt had been postponed until
this week''-and decided. Francis ].
/ Heney. the fighting prosecutor, who
| worked in the San Francisco graft case.
was on hand to argue the case. What
he said did not exactly please the CON-
mittee, and for time the storm clouds
were so thick that the sunshine OF the
bright. June day could not be seen in
the committee rooms at all
] As a net result the case OF the Fourth
| California district was put over until
Wednesday morning. The victory came
/ In laying a bogy that has been appar-
emily frightening the Roosevelt men. Ac-
eording to reports that have been cir
] culated about the hotel Hobbies where
| the politicians have been gum-shoeing.
| the Taft men were ready to try TO an
/ mex the entire California delegation. On
\ a motion by Senator Borah. the Cali
| fornia delegates outside the Fourth dis
trict, were seated. giving Roosevelt the
rest Of the men from that State. A mo-
ment later Committeeman Pearl Wight,
Of Louisiana. made motion seating all
uncontested delegates. By vote Of the
committee they were added to the tenn
porary roll.
| EIEhty-fOur Now Seated.
After this near-victory the Roosevelt
troubles began. The Taft delegates-at
large and the Taft delegates from the
First. Third, Fourth, and Thirteenth
Indiana Districts were seated. This brings
Taft's total score up to eighty-four seat
ed by the committee.
Almost every contest brought forth a
clash in the committee. The trouble
started when the effort to secure the
| hearing Of the California case was
brought up. Heney had been admitted
&c the committee room to argue the
case.
Senator Borah. Of Idaho. and Heney
and Thomas Devine. who holds a proxy
| from the Colorado committeeman. figured
in the initial fray.
Heney asserted he understood there
was movement afoot to ''disfranchise
the delegates from the sovereign State
Of California"
Hes out OF order" shouted a half
dozen committeeman.
Chairman Rosewater's gavel fell with
/ a smash.
That was Senator Borah's cue. He
is not out Of order" shouted the Idaho
Senator.
Again the gavel emphasized the chairs
ruling. Then Borah asserted that unless
Heney was allowed to proceed members
Of the committee would speak In his
stead. But Heney wasn't sIIenced.
"As I understand him." he fired at
Rosewater. IF confine myself to some
thing that does not offend the commit
tee ! am in order"
Devine then took a hand in the ARRAY.
Then gentleman should not be allowed
to come in here and insult the commit
tee on the strength Of newspaper gos-
sip"
shouts mt BOrah.
Turning to Borah. he shouted:
'AN the honesty is not on that side"
BY that time quiet was restored, and
Heney continued his remarks, arguing
that the case had been heard at once.
Chairman New, of the subcommittee on
Arrangements. and Senator Crane. Tafts
closest political adviser. were willing TO
allow the case TO be heard, but former
Senator Dick preferred a delay. He said
important papers in the case had not
been received. Although Heney was
willing to admit the statements made in
these papers, as they were outlined. the
move TO take up the case was defeated
on roll call by vote OF IS to IL
The California contest was based upon
the fact that the Fourth District was
carried by Taft by slight vote. The
voters Of the entire State, however.
voted on all the delegates, and by this
showing the Roosevelt men in the Fourth
were elected by several thousand The
Taft men held that the committees call
providing that the electors Of each dis
trict should name their delegates had
been violated. On this ground, Roose-
welt men charged they wanted to throw
out the entire California delegation. In
asmuch as Roosevelt carried every other
district, however, by a heavy vote, the
contention, the Taft men assert, held
good in one district only. and for that
reason a contest was fled only in one
district.
T. r. Men AIIeEe Fraud.
After the other uncontested delegates
had been seated the committee took up
the case Of the Indiana delegates-at-
large. The contest centered on charges
OF irregularity in the Marion County
primary. where, # was alleged, gross
fraud was used in naming the Taft del
egates to the State convention that
chose the delegates-at-large.
The Roosevelt men asserted that fraud
vote buying ballot-box stuffing, and the
voting OF repeaters formed part Of the
Marion County methods Of the Taft men.
They asserted that 800 blacks, loaded on
auto trucks, were hauled from one poll
ing place to another. The primary was
an optional one, held under the rules of
the county committee, OF which Harry
Wallace is chairman. A long anidavit
by Wallace denying unfairness in max
ing the arrangements for the primary
was a part of the Taft defense. II was
also shown in a brief submitted by the
Taft side that a contest committee was
appointed Immediately after the primary
and that all charges OF fraud were thor
oughly probed before the delegates were
given their credentials. Martin Hugh,
law partner OF Joseph B. Healing, one
Of the chief Taft contest men, was chair
man OF tnis committee.
Horace Stillwell argued the cases for
the Indiana Roosevelt side.
Collection of NOtabIes.
The Taft committeemen-at-latSe Se are
Harry S. New, national committeeman;
Charles W. Fairbanks, former Vice Presi-
dent; James E. Watson, former Con-
gresham and former whip Of the House,
and Joseph D. Oliver, millionaire plow