Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-08-05
SETTLING CONTESTS
WEAR|SOME TASK To
MOOSE COMMITTEE
inexperienced and Diffident Party
Tribunal Torn by Question Of
Excluding Negroes.
TWELVE HOURS SESSION HELD
One Contest Decided After Bitter
Dispute Between Races.
ADJOURN TO MONDAY MORNING
Senator Dixon Succeeds in Prevent.
ing Open Quarrel.
STARTLING ISSUE IS RAISED
Negro Delegate Asks II Roosevelt IL
to BE Cause of Taking Away
Liberty that Abraham
Lincoln Gave.

CHICAGO, Aug. A troublesome
world confronted the new bori. prog
ressive party last night at the end of It's
first day OF political responsibility.
After an almost continuous session that
lasted from noon today until nearly
midnight. the provisional national COM
mittee Of the new party adjourned weary
and worn until 3 o'clock Monday morn
Ing. In the long session the committee
had heard arguments on three contests
for seats in the convention and had de-
cided one. In that one twelve negroes,
contesting the seats of twelve white
delegates from Alabama, were ruled out
A bitter dispute over the negro-white
delegate question in the state of Florida
was the cause of the late adjournment
after an animated argument that several
times forced the committee to turn out
the contestants and the newspaper men,
and go into executive sessions that were
fraught with wordy battles. Throughout
the day the committee several times bar
red the doors and went into star cham
her session, while a few detected negro
contestants, and weary newspaper men
waited in the hotel corridor outside the
committee room.
The Florida contest resulted from the
sending Of separate delegations by white
and negro conventions, The former senr
six white men. the latter five negroes
and white man. The negro delegates
claimed that II. L. Anderson, provisional
national committeeman for Florida, sug-
gested that they hold the separate con-
vention and produced documents pur-
porting to prove it.
Says Negroes Must lie Barred.
Anderson admitting that he barred
negroes from the white convention de-
Tended that action saying:
by no other course can success be
secured in Florida. White men will not
follow negro political leaders,
This doctrine aroused considerable op-
position among northern members OF the
committee and the argument prolonged
the session. An attempt was made to
adjourn until tomorrow, but this was op-
posed, several committeeman objecting to
meeting on the Sabbath. Thereupon ad-
journment was taken Until Monday at
o'clock. BY that time Colonel Roosevelt
himself may be on the scene.
1t was, indeed, q day of Labor for tho
inexperienced, rather diffident national
committee. The race question proved n
difficult matter. to adjust in each of thu
contests which were heard. Chairman
Dixon, who presided. labored nightly to
prevent anything like an open quarrel and
succeeded.
A score or more Of negroes from Ala
bama, Mississippi and Florida besieged
the headquarters of the committee
throughout the day. arguing, pleading or
demanding The debate during many of
the contests was heated, with negroes
and white men clamoring before the
chairman's desk
Contestants Discouraged.
During the hour of executive session
that preceded the adjournment half
dozen negroes sat disconsolately on
chairs or on the floor outside the door
of the committee ROOM When the COM
mitteemen filed from the room, excited
and perspiring, with the announcement
of the adjournment until Monday, one Of
the dusky Florida contestants turned to
another and sadly exclaimed:
We'll, | guess we all might jest as well
start foh home"
What's that?" demanded the other.
You all a-gettin' cold feet already? No,
stree; I'm a-goin to stay right heah.''
The committee likewise was tired of the
session.
Just talking things over. No decision
as yet" remarked Senator Dixon as he
left the room, just u trifle disheveied.
Before the final executive session be-
gan the committeeman rounded up
Francis ]. Heney Of California. That
state, whose national committeeman was
Governor Hiram Johnson, had not been
represented at the meetings during the
Continued on Second Page.)