Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1912-08-09
changed hfs mind and called . meet

changed his mind and called q meet
ing of the committee for April IT.
This committee called a congressional
convention to be held on May 49, But
there was no publication of the call,
which had to be thirty days before the
convention. until April 81. The Taft
convention seems therefore to have
been duly and regularly convened,
while the Roosevelt convention was
not The Taft delegates were seated
Tenth District.
In the Tenth district the decision
turned largely upon the bad faith with
which two members of the district
committee voted in the seating of dele
gates and upon the bad faith with
which one of them used the proxy In
trusted to him. The Taft delegates In
this case bolted and left the hall and
Immediately in the same building or
ganized another convention which con-
sisted of delegates from six counties.
Proceedings were regularly held; per-
manent organization effected, the re-
port Of the committee on resolutions
adopted and delegates pledged to Taft
were elected. The undisputed evidence
indicated that a fragrant attempt had
been made to deprive Taft of this dis
trict, to which he was justly entitled
The national committee sustained the
title Of the Taft delegates and alter
mates by practically unanimous vote.
Fourteenth District.
In the Fourteenth district there were
fifteen counties in the district. When
the executive committee met at San
Antonio to make up the temporary roll
there were ten members of the com
mittee present whose right to act was
undisputed, of whom six were for Taft
and four for Roosevelt There were
four other Roosevelt men present
whose right to vote was disputed and
who were clearly not entitled to repre-
sent their county at that meeting. One
Of them held the proxy Of the commit
teeman from Kendall county, who was
dead, and the proxies from three other
were held, two by postmas-
tiers and one by an assistant postmas
ter, while under the election law OF
Texas no one. who holds an Office of
profit or trust under the United States
shall act as a member of an executive
committee either for the state or for
any district or county. The temporary
roll was made up by Taft members,
having a clear majority without per
hitting these men to act under their
proxies. There was a contest over the
]
contains the city of San Antonio. Full
was given to this contest,
put the testimony was overwhelming
hat Taft carried the county by a vote
If four or five to one. On the proper
1asis the total vote in the district con
1ention was sixty-seven, of which the
number instructed or voting for Taft
vas thirty-seven and one-half, the
lumber voting or instructed for Roose-
,elt twenty-eight and one-half, not vOt-
ng one. The Taft delegation was
therefore, seated at Chicago.
CONCLUSION.
The purpose of this resume Of the
ontests in which there was any shad-
w of substance has been to inform
hose who have not time or inclination
o read the longer and more detailed
ccOunt Of them contained in the larger
1t is not essential to make
IT. Taft's title indisputable that all
len agree on every one of the issues
aised They were decided by the tri
unals which uniform party usage had
lade the proper tribunals to decide
uch contests. If those tribunals acted
] good faith mistaken judgment would
OF invalidate their decisions AS
latter Of fact. an examination Of the
acts show that the tribunals were
ght in every instance There is not
ne slightest evidence that they were
loved by other than a mere desire to
each a right conclusion. On the other
and, the action of the Roosevelt men
] bringing 160 contests that they
abandoned strongly tended
, show the lack of good faith in the
Of all of them. Those who
lpport President Taft can well afford
, stand on the record in this case and
asseverate without fear Of success
Il contradiction that the delegates
hose seats were contested were as
lirly seated in this convention as In
~ in the history of the party