Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1912-04-06
STATEMENT OF GENERAL GEO.
H. ROBERTS
President of the Idaho Taft Club of
Ada County.

OF President Taft who co-operated
with me in the effort to secure del
egation favorable to his denomination
! highly appreciate the expression o1
confidence given me by the Taft
delegates who met in the Taft head
quarters prior to the county conven
tion Saturday, and by rising vote
passed the resolutions which Were
published Sunday morning in your
paper.
1t has been sought in various quart
ers to convey the impression that
large amounts Of money have been
expended by the Taft Club in the
campaign just closed. The total ex-
penditure of money will not exceed
k9O0 My efforts in various direc-
tions have been hindered and hamp-
cred by the lack Of ready funds, and
the apprehension that funds might
not be forthcoming to meet necessary
expenses. The list of contributions
to the campaign fund of the Taft
Club has varied in amounts from s.
to $25, which latter amount repre-
sents the largest contribution MAD,
by any one person for this purpose.
1t has always been the custom in
Ada County in Republican conven-
tions to give proper representation
to each precinct represented therein.
The Roosevelt campaign managers,
while constantly asserting their de-
sire to carry out the will of the peo-
pie, and to give more direct repre-
sentation to them, have, in the con-
vention just closed, refused to give
representation to city precincts of
Ada county, despite the fact that
there Was clean majority for Mr..
Taft of 224 votes in the city precincts
of Boise. Matching promise with
performance, it seems indeed to be
sorry exemplification of the old
adage of keeping the word of prom
ise to the ear and breaking it to the
hope" And this is only paralleled
by their assertions during the cam
paign that Senator Borah was indeed
and In fact a candidate for the nomi-
nation for President, and the Roose-
veltian promise that in case he failed
In the nomination for President on
the first ballot that Roosevelt would
turn his votes and strength to Mr..
Borah; yet when they had an oppor-
tunity to vote to make Mr. Rorah
a candidate for President by the vote
of the convention, the Roosevelt for
ces voted solidly against this motion.
The utter disregard of parliamen-
tary procedure by the chairman of
the convention just ended seems but
forerunner of the inevitable chaos
which would come upon the country
as the result of the Rooseveltian
theory of government. Rules of par
liamentary procedure have been
established for the control of the
unbridled will of the majority, and
the protection of the rights of the
minority. These rules of procedure
seem to have been thrown to the
wind by the chairman of the conven-
ton, as evinced in the want of pro-
lection of the speakers of the minori-
ty, the disregard of the plainest prin-
ciples of justice and fair dealing, and
the further handing over of the order
ly conducting of the convention to
the hands of at times a frenzied and
Rooseveltian mob. Ap-
peals from the decision of the chair,
which can never be denied, were re-
fused; roll calls, which are always
allowed upon proper demand, were
denied, and the arbitrary limiting of
debate at the will of the chairman,
,hese are a few Of the many tyranni-
cal usurpations of power exercised
by the chairman of said convention
IN utter disregard of parliamentary
aw.
AS a further illustration of the
great desire Of the Roosevelt mana
gers to give representation to the
common people, | call attention to
he unceremonious way in which two
delegates from the country precincts
ere expelled from the convention
because their certificates of election
we're crudely drawn by tax-paying
citizens who were unacquainted with
he proper forms of credentials. This
effectively disposes of the charge
hat the Taft headquarters were pre-
,aring credentials for delegates in
country precincts where no elections
lad been held.
In Lincoln County, Idaho, where it
las been claimed that Roosevelt for
es were in control of the convention,
ach precinct was allowed to name
ts own delegates to the Lewiston
m IT,, tt 4