The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-18

candidate and bosses whom the people have just now emphatically repndiated.
 This attempt to bind the convention by an act of deliberate dishonesty. this attempt to defraud them of their rights the plain citizens of the republican party. by the bosses whom that party has Just repudiated. brings in question certain ele- mentary principles which lie at the foun- dation not onl yof party procedure and party organization, but ef free govern ment and social order.
 T hold that the convention Itself is of right the only judge of the qualifica- tions of it's own members. From Wash ington, California, Arizona, Texas Ken lucky, Indiana, Alabama and certain other states the people elected certain delegates who are legally and morally en- titled to sit in the convention. The dis credited politicians making up the ma jority of the national commmittee, with the determination to nullify the will Of the people, have substituted for those men certain others who have not the slightest claim to seats in the convention.
 My Men" Are Honorable
 A minority of the national committee composed of honorable men who have voted on every case strictly on It's merits, have in each case protested strongly against the action of the majority, show ing beyond the shadow of doubt that the men thrown off the temporary roll by the majority are entitled to seats by every consideration of law and morals
 T have carefully examined the facts in these cases myself and I say to you that there is no element of doubt that the men in question were honorably and lawfully chosen by the people and that the effort of the majority to unseat them represents nothing but naked theft, car r1ed on with the sole and evil purpose of dishonesty substituting the will of the bosses for the deliberately expressed Judgment of the people
 Tt is for the convention itself to de- eide these cases; and by the convention l mean the lawfully elected members oi the convention The men fraudulently put on the temporary roll by the dishonest ac- tion of the majority of the national com mittee must not be allowed to vote or their own cases-and to allow the bene. nciaries of the theft to vote on one an. others case is of course to allow then really to vote on their own cases.
 By every consideration of real justice we are entitled to have these of whom l speak put on the roll call at once But we do not ask this. Although we are de. prived of our just rights when these mer
 
 ginning, We ask merely that neither sci of eonestants be allowed to vote on any question before the convention until the members of the convention whose seats have not teen contested shall themselves decide which of the contested delegates are entitled to membership.
 Believes He Has Majority
 I believe that even with the addition fhpGa ditia MT. Tafts supporters are in a substan- tial minority and I don't merely believe, know that we have a large majority of the legally elected members of the con vention.
 The question involved in the action of the national committee is of vastly more importance than my nomination or the nomination of any man. The whole sys- tenn of the corrupt alliance between crooked business and crooked politics IS at stake in the making up of this tenn porary roll; 1t has been made up crook edly by the majority of the national committee with the purpose of perpetuat- ing the rule of the corrupt political boss even when the people have declared against him.
 If these methods were allowed to pre-. vail the republican party would come tc an end; for 1t would cease to be the party of the people. It would pass un- der the control of an oligarchy of the representatives of privilege and no method of overthrowing that control would re- main available to the people. If this ac- tion by the majority of the national com mittee Is allowed 10 stand primaries are farce and election the idle exercise of a useless privilege
 We refuse to recognize or abide by this theft of the rights of the people by the national committee. It Is the duty of all honest members of the convention to fight that action from the moment the convention assemblies.
 The man nominated by the national committee as temporary chairman. who- ever he may be. must, under these cir eumstances, be considered as merely an instrument chosen by them to put In ef- feet their purpose. if such a man ia willing to accept an election by the aid of those frauduently selected delegates he becomes the representative of forces which no honorable man can afford to see triumph
 The big. evil politicians derive the major part of their strength from the fact that in any crisis a number of re- spectacle men, although they oppose the evil. do it feebly and dare no, carry the fight to the end. We who
 
 intend to carry the fight to the end
 We ask that, before the convention proceeds to organize. the groups oi contested delegates stand aside and al low their title to be passed upon by the remaining uneontested delegates We will abide by the decision of any honest and impartial tribunal in this matter, but we will not permit the fraudulently seated delegates to sit as judges on their own cases
 We rest our case not only before the republican voters but before the American people. upon the proposition first, that the national committee can. not defeat the wishes of the rank and file of the republican voters by un- seating delegates honestly elected; and second. that those who are dishonestl, substituted for them by the national committee must not be permitted to vote on their own cases and be the beneficiaries of fraud committed ir their own behalf.
 Taft Delegates Fraudulent
 "The fraudulent Taft delegates whom the national committee seated for in stance, from California. from Washing. ton, from Indiana, from Kentucky, from Michigan, from Arizona, from Alabama from Texas, represent nothing but the deliberate attempt by certain discredited bosses to upset the free and honest ex- pression of the peoples will. These fraud llent Taft delegates were beaten by the voters of Washington, of California, oi Texas, of Arizona, of Indiana, of Ken .tuclly-and then they were seated by the discredited political bosses. who have themselves been beaten by the people of their own states, in Massachusetts, in New Jersey, in Pennsylvania. in West Virginia, in Kansas, fin Missouri. Messrs Crane, Penrose and company were sc discredited in the eyes of the repub- licans of their own states that they were beaten as delegates to the convention