Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-01-13
REPUBLICAN,
CONVENTION IN
CEDAR RAPIDS ! |:
State Committee Sets April
"a as Date and Leaves to
Counties Method Of Nam
ing the Delegates.

Des Moines, Jan. 1.-THE call for
the republican state convention Whlch
will be one of the largest In the MIS-
tory of the state of Iowa, was to pc
issued today by Carl FRANKIE OF Park
ersburg, chairman of the republican
state central committee.
The committee adjourned late last
|uight. after selecting Cedar Rapids as
the place of holding the state conven-
tion and setting April "a as the date.
C. M. Thomas, who was chosen tem-
porary chairman, was the unanimous
choice Of the committee. g. ~. HoucK
|ofe eDecorail WIS named gtempcrary sec
retary.
whether county caucuses or county
primaries will be held by the several
counties for the selection OF delegates
to the convention will be left to the
option of the county committees. The
presid dentiol primary plan came IN Tor
a little discussion but the commlttee
quickly decided to leave it to the
counties whether they shall hold pri-
maries or the regular caucus.
1,47s Delegates in Convention. g.
There will be 1,479 delegates at the
convention. This number insures the
largest convention of the republican
party ever held in Iowa. At the last
state convention, the basis for repre-
sentation in which was the vote Tor
governor, there were 1889 accred1ted
delegates, This year the committee de'
cided to use the presidential vote as
basis for representation. =.
Taft's vote in 1908 is the basis.
Each county Is entitled to one dele
gate at large and a delegate for every
200 votes cast. A majority fraction
vote entities the county to delegate.
For instance, If county had $50 votes
it would get three delegates, the dele
gate at large, delegate for It's 2O0
votes and delegate for the other l30
votes, majority fraction. ~
No date or place was fixed for the
second convention, which will be held
after the national republican conven-
ton at Chicago, June 18. At this con-
vention the party platform Will pe
adopted, two candidates for supreme
Judge chosen and candidates named for
places not filled In the primary. 1t Is
probable that Des Moines will draw
the second convention. G. M. Thomas,
who was chosen temporary chairman,
has served two terms as county attor-
ney of Jackson county and Is at pres
ent engaged in the practice OF law at
Maquoketa. ..E -
Action on Primaries Surprise.
The action Of the committee in de-
Gliding to leave the primary plan for
the selection of delegates up to the
county committees was a surprise.
Previous to the meeting yesterday 1t
was generally understood that the
early demand for the presidential pri-
mary had so entirely disappeared that
there would be no discussion of 1t by
the committee ...
However the question was brought
up, and the attitudes assumed that
primary of such nature, under exist.
ing conditions with no statute provid-
ing for it, would be cumbersome ar
fair. Hence the committee voted to
Incorporate in the convention call a
paragraph giving the county auditor
the option of having primary or
caucus for the selection of delegates.
Friends of the presidential primary
consider this action step forward in
doing away with the old caucus sys,
tenn, and highly commend the central
committee for it's decision.