Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-06-11

! CHICAGO. June 1O.-Today's work OF
the republican national committee aooeu
twelve more delegates to the Catalogue
of the Taft strength on the temporary
roll of the republican national convention.
The much discussed Indiana contests
came before the committee and were dc
cided all in Taft's favor.
With the seventy-two delegates COM
prised in the southern contests decloeo
last week in the Alabama, Arkansas,
Florida and Georgia cases, todays gains
make q total of eighty-four deiegates
added to the Taft forces by the work OF
the national committee. With the 2Ol in
Istructed and uncontested delegates cred
tied to him, they bring his total on the
temporary roll up to 2SS; not counting
other contests that may be DECIDED 1or
him. A large proportion of the contested
seats among the ITO cases still 10 pe
fpassed on by the committee represent
delegates instructed for Taft: the precise
number is the subject Of much dispute
NOR can 1t be stated how many OF these
contests Taft will win.
The cases decided today were those or
the Indiana delegation at large, 1our IN
number, headed by Colonel Harry ..
New, chairman OF the convention eonir
rnittee Of arrangements and 1ncludlnS
former Vice President Charles w. tair-
banks. and the district delegations OF
two each from the First, Third, ana
Thirteenth districts. The contest In the
Fourth district was withdrawn and the
committee confirmed the two sitting
(TafD delegates
The real fight Of the day in the COM
mittee came? not on the contest over the
delegates-at-large, where 1t had been
expected-the committee was unanimous
in giving them to Taft-but over the seat
ing of two Taft delegates from the Th'r-
! teenth, or South Bend district. At
tempts Of the Roosevelt attorneys to
introduce cerain affidavits declared by
them to beat the signatures of majority
Of the delegates to the district conven-
ton at South Bend q which the Taft
delegates were chosen, precipltated the
only sensational interchange of the day,
and occasioned a sudden reversal of the
committees vote which was not explained
to the satisfaction of the Roosevelt men.
Senator Borah taupted the Taft men
about 1t, telling them they changed front
because they were scared. THE worst
scared lot Of men l ever saw" he said.
What has happened? Whom have you
consulted? What has come over you?
. Whence came this revelation?" he de-
manded.
/ The Taft men denied they were scared
or that any special light had broken in
upon them; they insisted that their first
vote, against admitting the affidavis
was because of heir desire not to delay
: the hearings by the necessity of giving
the Taft side an opportunity to answer
them or to create a precedent which
would be embarrassing In later cases.
4 Their reversal of tn evote was coupled
| with a specific declaration that it was
not to be regarded as precedent. In
! this form the Roosevelt men all voted
against 1t.
Taft Delegates seated.
So the committee heard the affidavits,
with verbal testimony in contravention of
J
the Taft delegates The vote, 81 to H.
; represents what has been the lineup be-
tween the factions ever since the com
mittee came together.
i This was not the first battle of the day,
however. Before the Indiana cases were
taken up, the committee came near to a
turbulent scene of factional bitterness.
A motion by Senator Crane of Massa-
chusetts to postpone until Wednesday
the case of the Fourth district Of Califor-
mia, in accordance with the request of
ex- Senator Dick, the Taft contest leader,
met the opposition Of the Roosevelt
forces. The case already had been called.
and the attorneys and contestants were
in their places at the tables when this
question arose.