The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-06-25
WILL BUILD NEW
PARTY FROM THE
GROUND UP
Continued from 1st page.)

Continued from LIST page)
back to Oyster Bay the former presi-
dent gave a glimpse into the secret
history of the last day of the conven-
ton, when it was apparent that the
tide OF battle had turned resistlessly |
against him. 1t was plan to seize
control OF the convention at the last
moment by sudden move, overturn
the Taft majority and make Roose-
welt the nominee This is the story
as he told it,
Early Saturday morning a group
] CT delegates from southern states
arranged private interview with
Col. Roosevelt They told him they
had come TO offer him the nomination
They had with them a list of the
known Roosevelt delegates, and
stated that they were authorized toI
speak for block of Taft delegates
who were willing to swing over to-
Roosevelt to avert a rupture in the
party. The number of these dele
gates, they assured Col. Roosevelt,
was large enough to nominate him
or any other candidate he might
name.
One provision was made, Col.
Roosevelt continued II was that he
must accept the nomination from the
convention as then composed and not
insist upon removal of the Is dele
gates whom he contended were frau
dulent, before he would recognize any
act OF the convention. The delegates
told him, he said, that their hand
would stand together on the rOll-call
for the presidential nominee, but
it would be hopeless for them to at
tempt to combine with the Roosevelt
minority to unseat the rs delegates.
Col. Roosevelt said he informed
these emissaries that if he should be
nominated under these conditions he
would not accept the nomination. He
told them to 90 to the delegates
whom they represented and bring
back to him pledge signed by 30
delegates agreeing to combine with
the Roosevelt delegates and INake
the attempt TO start all over again
to organize the convention and TO I'M
seat the IS contested delegates. The
attempt failed. Col Roosevelt said
that considerable number of sigma
lures to the pledge were obtained
but that it had proved impossible to
hold a sufficiently large part of the
delegates in line for the course of ac-
ton upon which he insisted to give
ii the chance of success.
The chief point of interest to Col.
Roosevets supporters yesterday was
| l,t no 10
with them the strength OF the follow
ing which Col. Roosevelt has
heretofore had within the
republican party. Some of them
said frankly that the movement was
inaugurated on the assumption that
since Col Roosevelt had been the
choice of the party in number OF
republican states, il would be pos
sible to bring these states in line for
r the new party. No plan has yet been
decided upon by which it would be
possible to effect such a transfer OF
workable organizations from the re
publican party to the new enterprise
In cases In which the republican
state organizations as a whole ar,
y against him 1t is his plan TO set NJ
new machinery with complete state
n and national tickets. 1t is his opln
u ion that wherever public sentiment
b is in his favor 1t will be merely
s question Of detail how his supporter,
:, are to work out a plan of expressing
- themselves at the polls.
With the announcement at Chicag,
T. by Gov. Hiram Johnson of California
of the committee on organization tn,
movement assumed more defnit,
shape and IL was said that in severa
states the leaders had begun thei
work Gov Johnson said the natio
nal convention will be held late il
July or early in August The plac
has not been selected. A repor
, that the convention might decide Il
- give up the fight this year should III
democratic national convention non
mate a candidate who would be rec
ognized as a progressive" wa
4 denied by Col Roosevelt when h
- said that he would carry the hgh
through to the end