Norwich bulletin., 1912-05-01

Boston, April 3O.-The struggle for the control of the Massachusetts dele gation to the republican convention in Chicago between President Taft and Colonel Roosevelt was So close at the primaries today that at midnight with half the state tabul2ted. the two as- pirants for nomination were running neck and neck for presidential prefer ence while incomplete returns showed that they had also an equal division of the distri3t delegates.
 Taft Has Lead of 1,403.
 Returns in the presidential primaries today from Ill out of 1,0S0 election precincts give: Republican prefer ences:
 La Toilette 1.13O.
 Roosevelt 43,S36.
 Taft 45,229.
 Roosevelt Delegate Leads.
 Delegates at large
 Baxter (heading Roosevelt SroGpD 45,441.
 Crane Cheading Taft group, 40,O30.
 Returns from the districts also showed Taft to be ahead in the First, | Second, Third, Eighth, Tenth, Eleventh | and Thirteenth while the Roosevelt l delegates were leading in the Fourth, ] Fifth. Sixth Seventh, Ninth, ! Twelfth and Fourteenth districts. { Clark Leads Wilson Over to 1.
 The cIoseness of the fight in the re- publican ranks overshadOWed the dem ocratic cont est Returns from half the 1 state gave Speaker Clark l9,106, Gov 1 ernor Wilson S,575.
 | Of the delegates at large. Coughlin, | who was pledged to Governor Foss, l polled 18,419, while George Fred Will , Hams received GAG votes in the same | precincts.
 La Toilette Cuts Little Figure. Tho La Toilette vote did not reach four figures until after midnight The Taft leaders seemed sure of carrying the First district and actual ! ly won the Eleventh, consisting of a number of the wards in the Back Bay section.
 Taft Carries Boston.
 President Taft carried Boston by l about COG votes but the eastern towns, | including many in the Cape Cod and i Plymouth districts. lined up strong for 1 Roosevelt, while the central portion was evenly split.
 Many of the manufacturing cities ! supported Roosevelt, but in the resi- dential portions there was a tendency toward the president
 The total vote for the two candidates was about 50 per cent of that boiled by the republican candidate for gov 1 ernor at the November election.
 Early returns showed that four re- | publican voters went to the polls to | one democrat.
 President Taft ran behind in the small towns that had reported up to 10 D. m. Tn these small towns, to- gether with a number of wards in the cities of North Adams, Haverhir New buryport Lynn and Woburn. the vote stood Roosevelt GAGS, Taft 5,355 These same cities and towns gave Baxter who headed the Roosevelt group oi delegates, 6.564 to 4.537 for Senator Crane, who led the Taft group.
 Interesting Question Arises.
 The situation in the republican con i test, which at midnight showed that Taft was leading in the preferential vote. but that the Roosevelt delegates were ahead, led to considerable discus sion as to what would be the attitude in case the final result showed that the voters preferred Taft for president but instructed the eight delegates al large for Roosevelt While politica ! were of the opinion that the delegates pledged to Roosevelt might disregard the expression of preference by tht voters for Taft though it was admit ted that the Roosevelt members oi the legislature and Roosevelt leaders were mainly responsible for the new presidential preference primary law.
 Ballot Somewhat Confusing.
 That the presence on the republican ballot of nine names for delegates al large favorable to President Taft con fused the voters so much that ap- proximately five per cent. of the vote was nullifed, was the statement late tonight of General Champlin, head oI the Taft forces, in the state Only eight delegates at large can be select. ed. General Champlin said that no pre- diction could be made at this timt on the final result of the vote for del egates at large, returns. he said, be- ing incomplete and confusing.
 Claimed for Taft by 10000.
 Speaking generally on the matter of presidential preference, he said: "We shall carry the state by 10000. We are ] already assured of the election of Taft delegates from the First, Second Third Tenth and Eleventh districts and prob ably shall secure the Twelfth We concede the Ninth district to Colone Roosevelt and probably we shall lose the Fourteenth. The other districts are still much in doubt
 BosToN's FAVoRITEs. l