Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-06-15
TAFT SECURES
TEXAS DELEGATES,
Will Give Nearly all Remaining Con-
tested Seats to the
President
Roosevelt Is POWERLESS
Rumored Break Among Delegates In.
slructed to Vote for the Colonel
SpeculatiOns of Second Ballot.

Chicago, June 15.-After the most
violent and bitter fight of the session
the National comittee today took the
eight Texas delegates at-large from
the Roosevelt column, and awarded
them to Taft, this in the face of an al
mission by Judge Bryan, one of the
contest managers, that the Roosevelt
organization is the regular and level
one.
All the evidence went to show that
the Roosevelt men controlled the state
convention overwhelmingly and regu-
larly elected Roosevelt delegates-at-
large.
The Taft men, however, argued that
the election laws Of Texas were all
wrong, in that they permitted coun-
ties with only few Republicans to
have equal representation with large
counties. Therefore they asked that
the Taft delegates-at-large, named by
majority of the large counties, be
selected. The committee took the
Taft view of the contest.
The Roosevelt contention at the
first Texas district contest was that
the Taft convention was composed of
u few federal office holders and was
illegal. The Taft people replied that
the Roosevelt convention had not COM
piled with the National convention
call.
Chicago, June l5.-That the Taft
majority of the Republican National
committee was determined to give all
or practically all of the remaining 6s.
contested seats to Taft was admitted
by them today.
R0oSevelt's only chance, Taft mer
said, is to secure q few delegates il
Texas, from districts where the Taft
managers were unable to prepar,
contests that had any merit in them
A conference of Taft leaders OF
the National Committee was held or
Friday night when they determined
it is said, to give Taft all of the 2C
contested seats from Virginia, all OF
the ii from Washington, two from
the District of Columbia, two from
North Carolina, and possibly "a Of the
80 from Texas.
PowerleSS to prevent this, the
Roosevelt men on the committee con.
soled themselves by declaring thai
even though the Taft men "stole" al
the remaining contests, Taft would
not have enough votes to insure his
nomination.
In connection with the report oil
q break among the instructed dele
ates, Thomas McCusker, of Oregon,
said today:
while it is true that on the
first ballot our vote will be unit fo,
RoSevelt because of state instructions
if there is ! second ballot, Taft will
get six votes to Roosevelt'S fohr. Oul
delegation is divided, four Taft men
four Roosevelt and two LaFollette 81
far as our personal feelings are con-
cerned But of course we will vote
for Roosevelt under our instructions or
the first ballot. After that we car
follow our own individual preference
eS.'
So far as the IllioniS delegation is
concerned. its attitude will be made
plain next Monday. A conference OF
the delegates will be called at tina;
time and the entire situation will be
1hrashed out. Many Of the delegate:
are opposed to voting against Senat.
or Root for temporary chairman o.:
the convention, and Roosevelt vii!
be invited to attend the conference
10 stiffen the backs of the malcon.
tents.
The Roosevelt meeting in the Aud
itorum Monday night will be thu
Colonels first big public meeting
Many of the leaders will ask the Col,
onel to keep to his room as much a.
possible until then. They vetoed the
plans Of the local Roosevelt organ.
ization for an elaborate welcome tt
the colonel this afternoon. They
made it plain that they wanted the
gathering at the station to be "spon.
taneous" and so early today no pub.
lie plan of the reception had beer
made, Privately, however, ever,
friend of the colonel on the greunt
was getting ready for an elaborat
hurrah.
Coliseum, Chicago, Juns l5.-As it