The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-05-31
Republican National Committee
in Session at Chicago.
Must Untangle Party Scraps in
Twelve States.
ARE 1877 SEATS CONTESTED
First Hearings Taken Up From
Alabama District.
All Proceedings win Be Held in
Open, Says Hayes.


nearly one-seventh of all the delegates
to the Republican national convention
to occupy their seats when the big
guadrennial show opens here one week
from tomorrow was at stake today
when the national committee opened
its hearing th 1877 contest cases.
Practically all the national com
mitteemen were on hand when the
hearing opened. with the absentees
among the proxy holders were John
T. King of Connecticut formerly cam
paign manager for Maj. Gen. Leonard
Wood, who holds the proxy OF Sena-
tor Boise Penrose of Pennsylvania;
and Joe Heating of Indianapolis rep
resenting James A. Hemenway OF In
diana.
Three states Up Today.
- Contests from three southern states
Alabama, Arkansas and Florida,
probably will be heard today, commit
teeTneh said. When the committee
met this morning its first action was
TO prepare a calendar and fix limits
on the time to be devoted to oral ar
eufnents by attorneys for the contest
ants.
Announcement by Chairman VIII
Hays yesterday that the contest ses-
sions would be open marks a new de-
parture in Republican procedure and
was hailed in the camps of the vari-
Gus candidates as the passing of
steam roller methods. Besides the
contestants themselves, attorneys and
friends OF the vafiOus candidates and
newspaper men representing the pub
lie have been invited to attend.
Contest on Color Line.
The executive session of the COM
mittee which opened tGday's business
and the compilation of the calendar
was expected to take all the morning
and part of the afternoon. The first
contest, involving one delegate from
the Fourth Alabama district, Is not
expected to be reached before the
middle of the afternoon. Two unin-
structed delegates are contesting for
the seat: with the Wood and Lowden
forces interested TO the extent that
their campaign managers testified be-
fore the senate investigating commit
tee that each had spent $1,000 in the
state.
As usual in past conventions vir-
tually all the contests originate be-
the alphabetical order in which they
will be heard the other contests are:
Arkansas Has Seven.
Arkansas: Seven of the state's 10 seats
are In dispute between white and black
AMI tan groups. The latter bolted the
a convention asro sn9 sro elected sa ana
from the Fourth district The First dis
;riet man is instructed for Lowden and
the others are unpledgea.
Florida: Three complete sets of dele
ites. Lilly White" BLACK and TAM and
"ilegulara are lighting for the states
NATIONAL committeeman heads the regulars,
while the other white factionI lis sponsored
Georgia. Fifteen OF 1t delegates are in
dispuse in what PROMISES to be the most
bitterly fought Of al the contests with
Wood forces The "biacK and tan con
Tention ELECTED a complete delegation
Snta. They we're listed offtefalis' as IN
manager testified he sent 1000 q Low
q delegates Frank Hitchcock. One of the
SENT sig6 10 Pickett stq When It Wes
considerable money"
whites and black and tan.
minnesota Two of the states "a seats,
both in the Tenth {Minneap.9lisl District ra1
The blind congressman, one of the con
Mississippi; All IL seats contested with
pne delegation pledged to General Wood.
Frank Hitchcock told the senate comiHfttee
hat IN Ills, opinion the woo delegation
Missouri. Two seats in the Fourth and
two in the Fifth district contested.
North Carolina: Seventeen out OF %
seats cOntestetl, with the white pledged
% Judge Pritchard. John NJ. MoTeAehd,
national committeeman, is sponsor for the
group.
oklahoma Six sets in dispute. ? each from
he Second, Fourth ana FIFTH districts,
Sith some of the contestants favoring
,Lowden and others Wood.
South Carolina All II seats contested
by the regular" and the 'unien Repub-
lean party" n negro faction,
Tennessee: Two seats in the Sixth and
- Tenth districts at stake, with Wood parti-
fans involved in both
Texas: All 10 seats contested by Lily
whites ana Black ana Tans with extFn
,ontests filed from the Third aud Eighth
districts.
District Of Columbia Three sets of
delegates, one said 10 favor General WAC 4
ind the other two unple,lged. contesting
Tor the districts two seats.
-S