Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-08-13
MANY CONTESTS WERE i
"FAKED" ON PURPOSE
Lengthy Statement Disproves
Teddy's Wild Charges in
Detail

ment approved by President Taft de-
Tending his nomination by the Chicago
| convention was made public at the
| White House today. 1t reviews every
contest before the Republican Nation,
a. Committee and the credentials com.
mittee of the convention, and asserts
that each contest was settled logically
upon its merits. The statement was
Submitted to the Cabinet at a recent
meeting and received the approval of
the Presidents official family.
The statement, which is a lengthy
document of IA printed pages, Is a
detailed denial of the charge that the
denomination of President Taft was
accomplished by the seating of fraudu-
lently elected delegates to the conven-
ton. II takes up individually the 23S
contests instituted by the Roosevelt
forces against Taft delegates who
were seated and presents evidence
in each of these cases to show that
thes Taft delegates were regularly
elected.
Each Contest Considered.
A resume of the statement prepared
by Charles d. Hilles, formerly Presi-
dent Taft's secretary and now chair
man of the Republican National Com
mittee, takes up each contest briefly.
This resume opens with the declara-
ton that the Roosevelt contests as
originally filed before the National
Committee, were not instituted in
good faith. p @~..s..
THE total number of delegates sum-
moned to the convention" says the
resume. twas 1918, with $40 necessary
to q choice. Taft had SCI votes on the
first and only ballot and was declared
the nominee There were instituted
against 23S of the delegates, regularly
elected for Taft, contests on behalf of
Roosevelt. These contests were avow-
eddy instigated not for the purpoEe of
really securing seats in the eonven-
ton; not for the purpose of aducing
evidence which would lead any re-
spectacle court to entertain the con-
tests, but for the purpose of deceiving
the public into the belief that Roose-
welt had more votes than he really
had, as the conventions and primaries
were in progress for the selection Of
delegates. The 238 contests were re-
duced by. abandonment, formal or in
substance, to seventy-four. The very
fact OF these 1874 frivolous contests it.
self reflects upon the genuiness and
validity of the remainder" ~.
Arguments Are Reviewed.
The resume then enumerates the
contests and reviews the arguments
III the contests embraced in the White
House statement is certified to by Vic
tor RoseWater, chairman of the Ma
tional Committee, and Thomas H.. De-
vine, chairman of the credentials COM
mittee. ~. . : - i .
The resume of contests for dele
gates at large and district delegates
by states includes the following:
In the Arizona convention there
were ninety-three votes. All the dele
gates (six in numEer) were to be Sc
lected at large. The counties were en-
titled to select their delegates through
their county committee or by. primary
In one county, Maricopa, majority of
the committee decided Ito select it's
delegates, and minority to have a
primary. In other counties there were
some contests and the State commit
tee, following the usage OF the Nation
al Committee, gave a hearing to all
contestants in order to make up the
temporary roll. There was clear ma
jcrity of the Taft delegates among the
uncoltested delegates. The commit
tee, made up the temporary roll. There
was a clear majority of the Taft dele
gates among the uncontested dele
gates. The committee made up the
temporary roll, and then there was
bolt. sixty-four remaining in the hall
and twenty-five withdrawing there
from. The case of the Taft majority
was so clear that 1t is difficult to I'M
derstand why a contest was made.
Question From California. 49,.
"The Fourth Congressional District
OF California presented this question:
Under the State law, the delegation.
two from each district, was elected on
a general ticket in group of twenty
six. Each delegate might either ex::
press his presidential pref"ren"e
agree to vote r>the Presidential can
didates receiving the highest number
in the State. In the Fourth district
en- the Taft ticket expressed prefer
ence for Taft, but did not agree to
vote for the candidates having the
highest State vote. These Taft dele
gates in the Fourth district received
a majority of 200 more than the RooSe-
Welt delegates in that district. The
national call firhade any law or the
acceptance of any law which prevent.
ed the election of delegates by dis
tricts. In other words the call of the
National Committee was at variance
with the State law.
The State law sought to enforce the
State unit rule, and required the
whole twenty-six delegates to be
voted for all over the State, assign
ing two to each district on the ticket
TO abide the statewide election, while
the Republican National Convention
has insisted upon the unit of the dis
trict since 1880.
THAT has been the party law. This
convention recognized the party law
and held it to be more binding than
that of the State law, and allowed the
two delegates who had received in