The Washington times., 1912-07-10
ELECTORS PLEDGED
TO THIRD PARTY
IN MANY STATES
Steam Roller Methods in
Convention to Be Nullihed
by Moral Obligations.

delegates. honestly elected to the Chi
cago convention. and enough of them
crushed to make room, for the hand
picked, machine-made substitutes who
voted for Taft's nomination in spite
OF the fact that their constituents did
not want Taft, It was thought by the
bosses that they had done a very ef-
fective piece of work and all that re-
mained was to crack the whip of party
regularity and move on to the election.
These same bosses are now In panic
over the fact that while delegates wcle
needed only to nominate a candidate.
electoral votes are what elect Presi-
dent, and they have not devised a way
as yet to steam-roller Presidential cleo
tors.
AS matters stand today, approximate
ly 100 mon. properly selected by the
people, are on the regular Republican
tickets in various States, who announce
they will, IL elected, cast their votes
for Theodore Roosevelt.
Backed By People.
The uncontestable thing about It is
the fact that these men not only have
been selected according to the methods
prescribed for the selection of Presidcn-
tial electors, but they have taken their
position as to whom they shall support in
the electoral college backed by the
people of their own States.
There is nothing except moral obliga-
ton that binds any Presidential elector
to vote for any particular candidate for
the Presidency. Should he wish, an
eiector on the Republican ticket could
vote for the Democratic candidate for
President, even though his State went
Republican, and the contrary holds true.
Moral Obligation.
It is this moral obligation to repre-
sent what their constituents want that
has determined the course Of the 100 or
more electors who have been placed on
the Republican ticket to support Roose-
welt in the Electoral College.
They will not admit the legality or the
honesty of Taft's nomination. They do
not regard him as a candidate in any
decent sense Of the word. They know
that delegates from their States unfav-
orable to Taft were thrown out of the
Chicago convention, and the people Of
their States thereby misrepresented.
These electors have announced that
they will see to it that their States
are not misrepresented when the
votes of the Electoral College are
counted-that they Will live up to
their moral obligations by voting for
and whose defeat was encompassed
only by the grossest fraud and most
open theft.
Roosevelt Electors.
South Dakota Republicans have. in
a State convention held since the Chi
cago convention, placed five Roosevelt
electors on the ticket. North Dakota
Republicans are preparing to do the
same thing with Ave more; Kansas
adds ten. Washington State, where
the Republicans were disfranchised
by the steam roller, will add seven
more; California Will give twelve;
West Virginia, eight; Indiana, four;
eight; while other States, yet to hear
from, will add to the list.
The bosses are now talking about
such electors being IN "honor pound
not see any honor in refusing to re-
fleet the wishes Of the Republicans who
selected them, more especially In view
9f the outrageou 70 manner Snn9 tbe n ticRet Teh
They claim all the honor Is on tns
Roosevelt side.
Third Party Tickets.
The third party convention will sup
ply the electors in States which are
now controlled by the reactionaries
and through which control reaction
ary Presidential electors have been
put on the ticket despite the fact that
the majority of the Republicans
would, If given an opportunity, selec,
Roosevelt electors.
As Is known the electors are selected
by whatever methods the political ma
chinery of each State has designated
nnd in some States the bosses have
made it impossible for the people tt
have any voice in the naming Of theil
electors. It is in such States that the
third party will institute the most Wig
orous fights, by putting complete tlc,
kets in the field, and openly opposing
The third party convention will have
$50 delegates, each State being entitled
to one delegate for every member oi
Congress.
Plans of Leaders.
There being no Roosevelt party as yet
some prominent man, or men, will cal
a meeting at some central point in eacl
State which will elect delegates. Il
some States, If time permits, the mas
meetings may order primaries. The cal
for the convention establishes no rule
for choosing delegates, and each Stat
will be expected to select its member
under its own laws. The representation
Ia cut down Just to one-half of the mum
Der of delegates in the Republican con
yention, excluding the Territories an
the District of Columbia.
After the convention Is held and IN
candidates are nominated, each Stat
will have to put up an electoral ticket
which must be chosen in complianc
with the various State laws regulatln
elections.
Election of Electors.
In Virginia, for instance, any voter. b
sending his name to the secretary o
state, accompanied by the names o
two men for witnesses, can be full
fedged candidate for elector for Roose
Welt or anybody else. In North Caro-
lima he need not go to that trouble
all he has to do is to have tickets print
ed bearing his name as an elector.
In Kansas an elector must be electe
in a primary.
In New York the law requires that
candidate for elector be nominated b