Omaha daily bee., 1912-05-02
Eight from State at Large Are for
the Colonel.
TELLS THEM TO VOTE FOR TAFT
Former President Requests that
They Obey Preference Vote.
RESULTS IN THE DISTRICTS
Taft Carries Nine of Them and the
Colonel FiVe-Part Of Mixup
is Due to Errors by
Voters.

preferential primary election TO find thar
the republican voters had expressed 4
preference for the denomination Of Presl-
dent Taft. but Notwithstanding had given
Colonel Roosevelt eighteen of the thirty
six delegates To the national convention.
Roosevelt leaders said today that the
Taft preference would have no effect ou
the eighteen delegates chosen for Roose-
Welt, and that the expression Of the vot-
ers for Taft would be disregarded.
The democratic voters OF the state ex
pressed preference for Speaker Champ
Clark, although a majority OF the dele
gates 10 Baltimore will go pledged 20
Governor Foss.
Returns from l.C1 out Of 1850 election
precincts give:
Republican presidential prefereneel-La
Toilette. l.156; Roosevelt, Il,9S; Taft.
74,S0S.
Delegatcs-at-Large - Baxter theading
Roosevelt group, Iil2l, Crane (headng
Taft group, 6,S76.
Democratic presidential preference
Clark ig.903, Wilson. 9.2O6
Dele egates-at-Large - Coughlin pledged
TO Fossl, 1850 Williams uor preference
primary. S,2Ss
Just how Massachusetts, could send an
evenly divided delegation 10 Chicago
while on the preference vote Taft has a
plurality Of 500 over Roosevelt is partly
explained by the wording of the state
presidential preferential primary law. en-
acted two months ago. BY that law
every voter. to have his vote recorded,
was compelled to mark each deegate-at-
large of his party. there being no circle
for voting b. groups. The law enabled
hundreds OF voters to mark the eight
names in the delegation headed by {. s,
Baxter and styled for Theodore Roose-
velt' and then express a preference for
Taft on another part OF the ballot.
FosS Delegation Elected.
On the democratic ticket although ten
Of the fifteen candidates for delegates
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 did appear In the
preference, and who defeated Governor
Wilson by vote OF . to J., did not have
single pledged delegate on the list.
Many Of the democratic district dele
gates were elected pledged to Foss.
Another incident which some observers
say may have bearing on the selection
of Roosevelt delegation -at-large with
Taft preferential. was the sandwlching
In OF the name OF former state Senator
Frank Seibertich, pledged to Taft" be.
tween the Roosevelt and Taft groups.
Mr. Selbertich claimed today that he wak
III treated by the Taft managers and
therefore ran Independently. Reports
from many precincts show that hundredc
of ballots were thrown out because vot
ers had invalidated their ballots by vot-
ing for nine instead of eight names, be-
ginning with Seibertlch and going through
the entire regular Taft column Of eight
names. The space between the name of
Seibertich and the Taft group was slight
Every one OF the eighteen Taft dele
gates is pledged for Taft " while all Of
the eighteen Roosevelt delegates are for
Roosevelt"
Roosevelt Releases Delegates.
OYSTER BAY, N. Y, May l-Colonei
Roosevelt renounccd his claim today to
the eight delegates-at-large to the repub-
lican national convention elected for him
in Massachusetts yesterday. He tile
graphed that he would expect them to
vote for President Taft taking this ac-
tlon. he said because OF the fact that
President Taft carried the state on the
presidential preferential vote.
Colonel Roosevelt announced his deci-
sion in a statement, copies of which he
teIegraphed TO each Of the eight delegates
at large elected yesterday. The statement
follows:
In Massachusetts, tine ballots contained
the names OF eight candidates for dele
gates at large. printed under each the
words pledged to vote for Theodore
Roosevelt. and also contained a column
in which the voter was TO express his
preference as to whether ] or Mr.. Taft
should be nominated as president. IL
would seem unlikely that a majority Of
the voters would both vote for the dele
gates pledged to me and at the same
time express a preference for Mr.. Taft.
but apparently this is what has happened.
such being the case, and on the as
sumption that the preferential vote is
for Mr.. Taft, hereby announce that l
shall expect these delegates at large to
disregard the pledge to support me and
support Mr.. Taft. and IL any one OF
them hesitates SO to do | shall imme-
diateIy write him and urge him with all
the emphasis and insistence in my power
to take the course indicated and support
Mr.. Taft in the convention.
Let the People Rule.
In this fight. am standing for GER
tain great principles which l regard as
vital to the present and future welfare
OF this nation. My success is Of value
only as an incident TO securing the
triumph Of these principles Foremost
among these principles is the right Of
the people 20 rule and the duty of their
representatives really to represent them.
in nominating conventions no less than
in executive or legislative offices. In the
majority Of the rank and file Of the
republican party do not wish me nomln-
ated. then most certainly do not wish to
be nominated
My aim has been TO get the genuine
expression Of the genuine desire precisely.
as. II nominated. I should desire 10 get
at the polls the genuine expression Of the
fTFs.rtiyI,sd = pzga Two