Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-08-15
LETTERS ON
TIMELY TOPICS
THE CHICAGO .sTEAL.r

:
! August Il. 1872.
4 To the Editor Of the Star. Bulletin,
i Permit me, a word on the IA
tai CHICAGO conventional The support.
ers Of President Taft have heretofore
explained his errors with the state
ment that he was badly advised, but
somehow that does not keep him from
!, making more mistakes Il
i When he, for the first time In our
/ history. took the high office OF Presi-
i dent, out campaigning for his own
election. he told the people that he
had been a man of straw, but was
not going to be SO any longer
1 Now, through the columns OF the
j Star Bulletin, President Taft sanctions
a statement, explaining and defending
i the suicidal success of his political
advisers. and further that the Asso-
ciated Press delights to aid<in its wide
distribution. - RI =.
This inspired statement fails to rec
ognize a fundamental difference in
the methods used by the two con-
tending leaders in the Republican
convention. The Roosevelt men adj
mitted that some of the contests In
their favor filed without their sane
ton were not worthy of credence. that
they were filed without official sane
ton can be proved by reference to
the official statements of Senator
Dixon, given out prior to the conyen-
ton, lin which he does not claim dele
gates for Roosevelt in certain South
ern States. u On 1.-THE other hand, the
Taft leaders, Barnes, Penrose, etc.
would NOT admit that any of their sup.
porters could possibly be wrong, even
| liz they had to- reverse their own de-
Ecisions to sustain, this position.
The statement you published adj
nits that Arizona could frightfully Sc
lect delegates Atilarge, but that Cali
fornia could not.
The Taft men In Chicago were chal-
lenged to- prove thar their DELEGATES
won singlencontestt in the Whole OF
California. H was stated there, that
the fourteen district inspectors were
unable to segregate the voters be-
tween certain districts because of no
proper registration eand that they ar
bitrarily assigned Taft two delegates
and the rest. TO Roosevelt in the 18th
District, this being about the proper
ton of votes cast In the two districts,
but that the total iyote was over
whelming against Taft.
Later these 4, inspectors cancelled
their first returns, and substituted
those in which they "a tied their
inability to give anything, but guess
as to the subdivision and the final re-
turns filed showed only the total votes
or both sides OF the new division lire,
and that these votes were overwhelm
ingiy for Roosevelt; and further that
as the people were not voting for dis
trict delegates but Delegates at large
combining all the votes lid no injury
In the Washington cAse this pub
lished statement makespM clear as Mas
been claimed all along 9that the Taft
men everywhere were Opposed to let
ting the people express their free
choice through primaries In Michi1
gan one word from Taft and his SUD
porters in the Legislature would have
consented to put that states new Dri-s
mary into immediate effect, instead of
insisting upon fits 'delaysuntil 1916.
III Roosevelt had no possible chance
OF a majority in the convention why
did the Taft men fight so hard over
seventy-four contests which this state
ment by inference admits did have
merit. Why did they refuse even a
roll call? Finally, If the claims of
Roosevelt followers were without
foundation then why pay any Aatten-
ton to them
A II ufcy Of
whole situation is coming in Noyem-f
Der and then many will clearly see
just how much coloring matter there
is IN this White House butter. Deal
ers claim that some people always
like their butter colored. y.
Now as to your editorial, you can
of course color that as you like. for
1t IS not supposed to be unadulterat-
ed. If you will show me where the
fourteen Roosevelt men on that ma
tionaI committee with its thirty mine
unburied dead hold-over politicians
who had no seats in the convention,
voted with the Taft men on any OF
these seventy-four contests that were
left after those without merit were
settled, will take off my hat to you,
anu dumIlsi lldI III lHdt InStauSC yOu
knew more about the Chicago conyen-
ton than / did. As to your quotation
from the New York World, permit me
to say that never knew that the
Roosevelt supporters ever claimed a
majority of rightfuily elected dele
gates In that convention" The con-
vention was a fraud, and to sustain it
means the approval Of the right of
those holding the power of initiative
to control a political party, r."
However, let me also quote the New
York World. which said, of this same
convention IF this contest means
anything, it means the old Republican
bosses are done for. The rank and
file demand a new dispensation. Nor
ally, the Taft administration has been
rejected by the Republican party. The