Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-06-10
SEES REPUTATION OF v0TFr~s !,
Wants Protest To- ,soyscAsas
vctES Evs,as''
LEADERS NOT FULLY IN ACCORD
Former President Insists They All
Trying to Wreck Party.
CONFERs WITH LIEUTENANTS
Party Would he Wrecked by
Opponents-Tellso of South
ern Contests.

OYSTER BAY. N. J., June 9.-The re
publicans Of the country were calle
upon last night by Colonel Roosevelt I
protest against the action of the re
publican national committee in ruling o
the contest for seats in the national con
vention from the Ninth Alabama district
The colonel served notice on his op
as whole would repudiate nomins
ton II 1t were obtained, 'fn defiance Q
Justice" He declared that every ma
who wished to see the party continu
to exist should protest at once "agains
those who are deliberately trying t
wreck it."
| ''The leaders," said the colonel, "speal
as If they were the regular republicans
I do not concede that theft Is a test o
regularity"
Colonel Roosevelts statement wa
given out after conference which Taste,
| all the afternoon. He was in constan
touch over his private wires during tn,
day with Senator Dixon and his othe
iieutenants in Chicago. He also con
suited with number Of his supporters
who visited him.
The colonel talked politics today with
men from a number of states. Among
them were Arthur Hill of Boston, Gov.
ernor Bass of New Hampshire, Charles
II. Thompson Of Vermont, Dean w. D.
Lewis of the University of Pennsylvania
law school and Howell F. Lea and E. NJ.
Reilly Of Kansas City.
Colonel Roosevelt's statement in part
was as follows:
I'm view Of the action taken by the
national committee in unseating the two
duly elected delegates in the Ninth Ala
bama district, and replacing them by men
who have no more title to sit in the re-
publican convention than they have to
sit in the democratic convention, ]
would like to make as serious an appeal
as is in my power to every good citi-
zen, who regards the republican party as
an instrument for good government
which it is wicked lightly to destroy
Room for Honest Doubt.
Alabama is entitled to twenty -four
delegates in the convention. AS regards
several of the districts where there have
been contests 1t is my sincere belief that
the right was as much on our side as
on the side Of our opponents. But In
these districts there was room for honest
doubt, and, talking the matter over with
Senator Dixon, we both agreed to advise
the Roosevelt members of the national
committee to support no contest in any
district where there was room for reason
able doubt as to the right Of the Roose-
welt delegates to be seated. Accordingly
the Roosevelt men in the national COM
mittee voted with the majority, and this,
in spite Of the fact. as I have already
said, that we regard the claims Of the
Roosevelt men in certain of these dis
tricts as being as good as those of the
opponents.
But in the Ninth Alabama district
two Roosevelt delegates had been un-
questionably elected. The facts are as
follows: The republican committee Of
this district, composed of thirty men,
bers, met to call the convention. Eight
cen members were favorable to my
candidacy, twelve to Mr.. Tafts The
Taft men conceded that this was the
regular district committee and began by
participating in the meeting, but as soon
as 1t developed that the Roosevelt men
were in the majority the twelve Taft
men left the meeting and called a con-
vention Of their own, leaving eighteen
members. clear majority of the regular
committee, to call the regular convention
in which the Roosevelt delegates were
named No serious evidence was pre-
sented before the national committee to-
contravene these facts.
Contest without Grounds.
1.-THE contest against these two regu-
larly elected Roosevelt delegates had
literally no foundation whatever. even
of the most flimsy description. There was
no more ground for unseating these dele
gates than there would be, for example.
In unseating the Taft delegates from
Rhode Island, or in any district in any
state where there is no contest whatever.
Yet the national committeeman who are
supporting Mr.. Taft voted to unseat the
two men properly elected. and to seat
In the national convention two men, who
right to appear as delegates in that con-
vention than they have to appear in the
democratic national convention. They
represent nothing, whatever in the re-
publican party except the determination
of certain members of the national COM
pudiated by the republican party, that
the majority Of the party shall not be
permitted to decide whom they wish to
be the nominee for president
Now l wish to call the attention not
only Of all good republicans. but Of all
good citizens to just what this type of
action means. AS yet there is no law
to govern national nominating conven-
tions as there is to govern national cleo
in certain states the
of candidates is carried on
under the law of those states precisely
as are the elections.
Because of this lack of federal law,
acts which If done to Influence elections
would be criminal. can be perpetrated
with impunity SO far as national nomina-
tons are concerned But this is Diff
ference in legality and not in morality"