Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-05-16
ROOSEVELT GIVES
VOTES PRESIDENT
Declines to Accept Eight Dele
gates at-Large.
PRESIDENT WINS BY 1856
taft and Colonel Make an Even Break
in District Eiections-f9,719 Is
Champ CIark's Majority Over
Governor Wilson.

Boston, May Presented" to
President Taft by the colonel, those
eight Republican delegates-atlarge
who were elected at the primaries for
Roosevelt, have most emphatically re-
fused to vote for the president.
After two conferences the delegates
announced that they had decided not
to take any joint action on the atti-
tude of Colonel Roosevelt in releasing
them from the obligation to vote for
him. But in individual interviews
each declared that the voters instruc-
tons were paramount and binding.
While President Taft's managers
and leading supporters made no Off
cial statement, they made clear that
they would demand the seating of
their eight delegates-at-large. They
presented figures and assertions to
prove that the Confusion" of the pri-
mary ballot cost the president $4,000
votes. These figures are doubtless ex-
aggerated. However, the appearance
Of an independent candidate pledged
III L at II - dOlI41ltSuy d4UCN III COIl-
Fusing some of the voters. Many men
voted for nine instead of eight dele.
gates, as the primary law directed.
There was much teIegraphing be
tween here and Oyster Bay after the
colonel publicly presented the eight
delegates to President Taft. He knew
by that time that both he and Taft
had won IA district delegates. With
the eight delegates-at-large Roosevelt
would have had p Of the total Of Sc
delegates.
The Taft supporters declare they
will insist on the seating of their own
chosen eight" instead of the double
1uartette of rough riders offered by
Colonel Roosevelt. And as the first
step to prove their assertions Of an
unfair election the Taft league deter
mined to demand recount of the
state vote. Each side also demanded
a recount of one district.
Boston, May -Massachusetts
emerged from its first presidential
preference primary election to find
that the Republican voters had ex-
pressed preference for the renoL1i-
nation of President Taft, but had Civ
en- Colonel Roosevelt the eight dele,
gates-at-large to the national conven-
ton. To these eight votes Colonel
Roosevelt renowned all claim. The
Democratic voters Of the state ex-
pressed a preference for Speaker
Champ Clark, although the delegates
at-large to Baltimore will go pledged
to Governor Foss.
Returns from 1917 out of ], 08o cleo
ton precincts give:
Republican presidential prefer
ence); Taft, 74.S2s; Roosevelt, IT,
203; LaFoIlette, 1855.
Delegates-at-Iarge Baxter (heading
Roosevelt group, 74,121; Crane (head-
ing Taft group, 65,876.
Democratic presidential prefer
ence): Clark, 1903; Wilson, $500;
delegates-at-large, Coughlin pledged
to >Foss), 1860; Williams (for prefer
ence primary, 8,256.
On the Democratic ticket, although
ten Of the fifteen candidates for dele
gates-at-large to Baltimore were either
pledged to or indicated to be "for'
Governor Foss, there was no Foss
name in the presidential preference
column. Speaker Clark, whose name
appeared in the preference ballot and
who defeated Governor Wilson by a
vote of to l, did not have a single
pledged delegate on the list. Many
Of the Democratic district delegates
were also elected pledged to Foss.
The Republican delegates-at-large
elected are Charles S. Baxter, George
w. Coleman, Frederick Fosdick, A. R.
Hart, o. A, La Riviere, Arthur L. Ma
son, Alvin G. Weeks, James P. Magen-
is; all for Roosevelt but renounced TO
Taft By districts:
First, c. c. Chesney, E. B. Blake.
Taft; Second, E. P Clark, William H.
Reiker, Taft; Third, Matthew ]. Whit
tall, Lawrence P. Kitty, Taft; Fourth.
John M. Keyes, F. P GIazier, Roose-
welt; Fifth, L. S. Chapman, S. NJ. Deck
er, Roosevelt; Sixth, ]. P. Ingraham,
Jr., Isaac Patch, Taft; Seventh,
Charles n. Cox, Lynn NJ. Ranger,
Roosevelt; Eighth, John Read, George
S. Loyejoy, Taft; Ninth, A. Tewks-
bury, L. L. Jenkins, Roosevelt; Tenth.
H. Clifford Gallagher, Guy A. Ham.
Taft; Eleventh, Grafton D. Cushing.
w Prentiss Parker, Taft; Twelfth,
J. Stems Cushing, George L. Barnes.
Taft; Thirteenth, John Westar, A. P
Smith, Taft: Fourteenth, E. K. Keith.
W. A. Swift, Roosevelt.