Evening journal., 1912-07-29

to impeach the returns from Marion
county by charges of fraud and repeat
ing. These charges were of a general
character. without specification except
as TO one ward out of fifteen wards.
and then the impeaching witness ad-
mitted he could not claim fraud enough
10 change the result in that ward. The
national committee, upon which there
were fifteen ant-Taft men. rejected
the Roosevel1contestants and gave the
Taft delegates their seats by a unani-
nous vote. Senator Borah and MT
Frank B. Kellogg. both Roosevelt men.
made speeches in explaining the votes
in which they said that the case turned
wholly on the Marion county primary.
and as there was no evidence to inn
peach the result certified. the title Of
the Taft delegates was clear. This is
the convention whose proceedings
called forth such loud charges Of theft
and fraud from Mr.. Roosevelt
Kentucky.
In Kentucky a contest was fled
against only three of the four delegates
at large. The fourth Taft delegates
seat was uncontested. The three con-
aestants admitted they were not elect
ed by the convention which sent the
Taft delegates or by any other. They
only contended that il the Roosevelt
forces had had a majority they would
have been elected. There were 1856
delegates summoned to the convention
by its call There were 449 OF these
whose seats were contested. If all Of
these had been conceded to Roosevelt
It would have made the Roosevelt vote
297 votes less than a majority. The
appeal to the committee on credentials
from the decision of the national COM
mittee was abandoned, as it ought to
have been.
Michigan.
In Michigan the state convention
had in it about 1900 delegates. There
were only two counties in dispute or
contest. One was Wayne county. in
which Detroit is situated, and the other
was Calhoun county. The evidence
left no doubt that the Taft men car
ried by a very large majority Wayne
county, but it was immaterial whether
this was true or not, because, leaving
out both Wayne county and Calhoun
county. the only counties in contest.
the Taft delegates outnumbered by
several hundred the Roosevelt dele
gates. and they had a clear majority
out of the total number OF votes that
should have been in the convention.
The contest was so weak as to hardly
merit recital.
Texas.
In Texas there were 249 counties OF
which four have no county govern
ment. The 245 counties under the call
OF the convention were allowed to have
something over 1,O00 delegates, repre-
senting them. who were given author
ity to cast 24s votes. OF the 245 couE
ties there were ninety-nine counties IN
which the total Republican vote was
but 1000, in fourteen Of which there
were no Republican voters. in twenty
seven of which there were less thar
ten each and in none Of which wa'
there any Republican organization and
IN none OF which had q primary or con
vennon been held. 1t was shown tina
Colonel Cecil Lyon. to whom had beer
assigned as referee the disposition o.
the patronage Of the national Repub
lcan administration for ten years IL
the state, had been IN the habit Of con
trolling the Republican state cOnven
ton by securing from two federal Of
fceholders in each OF these ninety-nin'
counties a certificate granting a proxl
70 Colonel Lyon or a friend OF his 4
represent the county as IL regularl!
conferred by a Republican county OF
ganization- The national committe
and the committee on credentials an'
the convention after the fullest investi
cation decided that these ninety-nin
counties in which the Republican vot
was so small and in which there wa
no Republican party, no convention, n
primary, no organization, was not tn
proper source for a proxy to give
vote equal to that to be east by th
other 146 counties In which there wa
Republican organization and i
which primaries or conventions wer
held. The two committees therefor
held such ninety-nine proxies to
illegal and not the basis of proper rel
resentation- The two tribunals VIII
heard the case decided that they shoul
deduct the ninety-nine votes from tn
total Of PAS andtgive the representatio
to those who controlled the majorit
OF the remainder. The remainder wa
152 votes, and out Of that the Tai
men had carried eighty-nine countie
having ninety votes. This gave to th
Taft men a clear majority in the stat
convention and with it eight delegat'
at large.
WASHINGTON.
The contest in Washington turned Q
the question whether the Taft del
gates appointed by the county cor
mittee in King county, in which Seatt
A. situate, were duly elected TO Il
esnvention or whether a primar
which WAS subsequently held and
which Roosevelt delegates were cleo
ed, was properly called. so that It's I
suit was legal. Under the. law Il
county committee had the power to d
eide whether 1t would select the del
gates directly or should call a primar
In some counties OF the state ol
course was pursued and in other cou
ties the oSher In King county 4
committee consisted OF 250 men, 4
5 majority Of whom were for Taft, al
& that majority, acting through its exc
n utive committee, selected the Taft de