The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1912-07-24


legislate as to any other matters per-
tanning to the affairs of the cOnven-
ton. There would be no regularity,
no uniformity and it would be wholly
impossible to conduct a convention
under such circumstances. AS has
been we'll said, state could fix the
basis of representation or fix the
qualifications of it's delegates, ex-
Guiding men because of race, color,
nationality, or for any other fancled
cause. There is no more reason for
saying that the two delegates from
California were stolen than there is
for saying that the state of California
deliberately planned to steal two del
esates from the San Francisco dis
trict, which it knew could not be had
except by forcing them to be voted
upon by the state at large rather than
by the district. What moral right
had the state of California to attempt
to rob a congressional district OF the
privilege of naming it's own delegates
to the national convention any more
than the state of Iowa would have to
provide in it's primary election law
that all candidates for congress should
be nominated by the voters OF the
state at large?
1t is argued that because Roosevelt
carried the state at large he was en-
titled to the votes of all of the dele
gates of the state, including those
from the various districts, and that
inasmuch as the two delegates re-
ferred to were seated for Taft they
we're stolen. How about the eight
delegates at large from Massachus-
etts? Taft carried that state by
good majority which under the law
If the state instructed those delegates
TO vote for him, and Roosevelt said
thew belonged to Taft, and must sup
port him, but they didn't. Did any
one hear him protest against such
action? On the contrary, ne mas
since stated that Mr.. Root, the chair
man of the convention, tried to steal
two of them for Taft. How could ne
have done that when Mr.. Roosevelt
himself had said they rightfully be-
longed to Taft? If he then told the
truth who was guilty of theft VINO
has heard any of the other gentlemen
who are suffering from an attack or
acute conscience" say anything OF
the fraud" perpetrated by the action
of the delegates at large from Massa-
chusetts?
Let us go one step further. There
we're 1O2 contests brought before the
national committee, involving 242
seats. Of that number 126 were seat
ed by unanimous vote OF the commit
tee, ten abandoned the contests, TWEEN
ty we're seated with only one dissent
ing vote and twelve with only from
two to four dissenting votes. mus
If will be seen that as to l6S seats
involved in the various Roosevelt
contests there was absolutely no col
mr. of title. What has been said by
our friends who cry theft ana
fraud" as to those cases? When gen.
tlemen come into court or before the
nuh,ic CRYING theft" and fraud" they
should themselves come with clean
hands. We were told before the meet
ing of the national convention that all
of the contests brought by the frlenos
Of Mr.. Roosevelt were brought IN
good faith and founded on facts. There
ic everv reason to believe that he
would have made use OF the l6S
fraudulent contests referred to in or
der to receive nomination had 1t
not been for the action OF the ma
ioritv of the committees and the con-
vention.
There was room for honest differ
ences of opinion as to some OF the re-
naming contests, but in my opinion,
as we'll as in the opinion OF many 9TH
ers. who had more and better oppor-
tunity to Judge than any of those VINO
cry theft" and fraud" there was no
evidence submitted to the convention
that would warrant anyone in saying
that any delegate who was seated IN
the convention was any less entitled
to a seat than the man who contested
it with him.
The nomination of President Taft
was not stolen, neither were friends
of Mr.. Roosevelt permitted to steal
it for the colonel by seating dele
gates claiming title to seats under the
fake" contests referred to. think
am warranted in saying that If peo-
| ple will be content to wait little
these matters will all be presented to
them in way that they may nave
some information at least upon which
| 70 base conclusions as to the merits