Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1912-07-31

attempting to add 13i precinct men to
yond his power. The resolution au-
thorizing him to fill vacancies, of
course. applied only TO those places
which becam" vacant after they had
been filled and clearly did not apply to
131 new precjncts 1t could not in the
nature of things apply to change
from the old - stem to a complete new
system of precincts created by the city
council, because if they were to be
filed the entire number of 331 new
precincts different from the old must
be filed. One system could not be
made into the other by mere addi
tional appointment of 131 committee
men. No lawyer will say that such
action by the committee thus cOnsti
tuted was legal. Therefore the action
which the lawful committee of $50 took
in electing Taft delegates who made Il
majority in the state convention was
the only one which could be recognized
as valid.
CONTESTED DISTRICT DELE
1A 60.
ALABAMA.
Ninth District.
The Ninth Alabama contest turned
on the question whether the chairman
of a district committee had power to
fill vacancies, whether a committee
man who had sent his resignation to
take effect only in case he was not
present, being present, should be pre-
vented from acting as committeeman
and, third, on the Identity Of another
committeeman The written resolu
ton under which the right of the
chairman to appoint to vacancies was
claimed showed on it's face that the
specific authority was written in in
different writing and different cOlored
pencil between the lines. A number of
who were present when the resolution
was passed to show that the resOlu-
ton contained no such authority. This
gave rise to question of fact upon
which a very large majority of both
the national committee and the com
mittee on credentials held that the
lead pencil insertion was a forgery
that the chairman did not have the au-
thority therefore to appoint to the
vacancies, and therefore the action OF
his committee was not valid. This
made 1t necessary to reject the contest
ants. The committee decided the two
I other issues of fact before them in
favor of the Taft contention, although
the first decision was conclusive.
ARKANSAS.
Fifth District.
In the Fifth Arkansas the question
was one of the identity of one faction
or the other as the Republican party
| This convention followed the example
Of the convention of 1908 in holding
that what was known as the Reddine
faction was not the Republican party
that it was defunct organization anC
had only acquired life at the end OF
each four years for the purpose OF
using 1t in the national convention
The contestants were therefore reject
ed It was shown that the other OF
Taft had been in active existence as
the Republican party, had nominated
q local ticket and had run a congress
man.
CALIFORNIA.
Fourth District.
The Fourth California presented thi:
question: Under the state law the dele
CATION, two from each district, was
elected on a general ticket, in grouI
Of twenty-six. Each delegate nigh
either express his presidential prefer
tial candidate receiving the highes
number In the state. In the Fourth
district the two candidates from tina
district on the Taft ticket expressed
a preference for Taft, but did no
agree to vote for the candidates hav
ing the highest state vote. These Taf
delegates in the Fourth district re
ceived q majority Of 200 more thai
the Roosevelt delegates in that dis
trict The national call forbade an!
law or the acceptance of any Law
which prevented the election Of dele
| gates Uy ulSLTIClS. Al OtucT WOTuS, tus
call Of the national convention was a
variance with the state law. The stat
law sought to enforce the state uni
rule and required the whole twenty
six delegates to be voted for all owe
the state, assigning two to each dis
trict on the ticket to abide the stat
wide election, while the Republican
national convention has insisted upol
the unit Of the district since 1880. Tha
has been the party law. This conven
ton recognized the party law and hell
it to be more binding than that of tn
state law and allowed the two dele
gates who had received In the Fourtl
district a vote larger than their tw
opponents assigned to that district, t
become delegates in the convention
This was clearly lawful, for state ha
no power to limit or control the basi
J Of representation of q voluntary ma
tional party in a national convention
The fact that President Taft by tele
| ryysoY Ill ~ ei- SoI-