New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-30
THE CHICAGO CONTESTS.

THE CHICAGO CONTESTS.
The statement which Chairman
Hilles has issued explaining the action
Of the Republican National Committee
and the Republican National COnyen-
ton on contested seats is the first
complete and ineligible account 10
reach the public of what occurred at
Chicago. 1t is q singular fact that al
though disputes over the settlement
OF contests disrupted the convention
and were made q preteXt for putting a
third party ticket into the field. no
body at Chicago delivered a speech or
issued a statement attempting TO give
the public a complete and clear idea
Of the contentious involved. The press
reports OF the proceedings before the
National Committee were inadequate
and confused. and the reports of the
debates in the convention threw little
light on the facts or issues on which
the contests were determined, except
in the single case Of the 4th California
District where there was no contrO-
versy as to facts and the question TO
be settled was easy 10 comprehend.
1t is unfortunate that so much dust
was raised and no one seemed able 10
clear the atmosphere with straight
forward. matter of-fact summary like
that which Mr.. Hilles has now issued.
Lack Of information and passionately
reiterated charges Of unfairness I'M
douhtedly disposed part of the pub
lie to think that the National Com
mittee and the National Convention
both acted with some bias. since no
convincing defence Of their action was
Obtainabe. II IS q wise and timely
service. therefore, which the National
Committee has undertaken in collect
ing and marshalling the facts, which
show that the only unfairnesS done or
contemplated at Chicago consisted In
the bringing of confessedly worthless
contests by Colonel Roosevelts mana
gers for the sole purpose OF intimi-
dating the National Committee and
misleading public opinion
It is made apparent by the I1llleS
summary that neither the committee
nor the convention decided a single
contest in which there were not ample
evidence and satisfactory precedent TO
warrant the conclusion reached. The
Roosevelt managers have lamely ar
gued that because they lost almost all
Of their cases they must have suf-
fered injustice. Gs if justice ought to
be reduced to q matter Of arithmetical
probabilities. They would now like to
conceal the fact cynlcally blurted out
at the time, that they went before the
committee and the convention with nm
clean hands They fabricated 100 con-
tests for psychological effect and
virtually abandoned them before the
final stage of adjudication was
reached. They submitted a mass OF
claims which were on their face fc.
titious for the purpose Of bOlstering
up the few contests about which there
might be some legitimate division OF
opinion. They played with fraud in
the hope Of getting a plausible oppCr-
tunity to cry fraud. Now they are
challenged by the cold facts, and il
devolves on them TO answer the Re
publican committees clear and dis
passionate review Of the Chicago cases
or to confess that their clamOr has
lacked any basis Of truth. Such empty
defamation as that in which Colonel
Roosevelt has INDUCED himself from
time to time. and again yesterday, will
no longer serve.
II is well. moreover to consider the
point which Mr.. Hilles has made in
concluding his resume. There may he
some Republicans who feel that the
committee or the convention is likely
TO have erred on some particular find
ing. To err to some extent may have
been almost unavoidable, since both
the committee and the convention had
to dispose Of more than $50 cases in
very limited time Yet, as Mr.. IIllles
sensibly says;
II is not essential TO make Mr.. Tafts
title indisputable that all men agree on
every one OF the issues raised. They
were decided by the tribunals which
uniform party usage had made the
proper tribunals 10 decide such con-
tests. II those tribunals acted in good
faith, a mistaken Judgment would not
inValidate their decisions.
The decisions were made in good
faith by the only tribunals competent
TO make them, and they are backed
by the full weight of the Republican
party's authority. They are legally
and morally unassailable by persons
who continue to profess allegiance to
the Republican organization. They are
even less assailable by men who
showed at Chicago that they had no
respect for honesty and fair dealing
by fOisting upon the National Com
mittee and the convention 100 con
tests admittedly without any founda-
ton except bluff and deceit
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HrATnNECG