The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-05-31
'ub Committee Of The Republican
National Bodyis Busy Clearing Way
And Oiling Steam Roller For The Big
Republican Convention; 1877 Contests
OF Lily Whites And Black And Tans

Chicago, May 3l.-The right Of
nearly oneseventh Of all the dele
gates to the republican national con.
vention to occupy their seats when
the big quadrennial show opens here
one week from tomorrow, was at stake
today when the national committee
opened its hearing in 1877 contest
cases.
Practically all the national commit.
teemen were on hand when the hear.
Ing opened, with the absentees rep.
resented by proxies. Notable among
the proxy holders were w. T. King
of New Jersey. former campaign man.
ager for Major General Leonard
Wood. who holds the proxy of sena-
tor Boise Penrose of Pennsylvania,
and joe 7. Healing Of Indianapolis,
representing James A. Hemenway, Of
Indiana.
Contests from 3 southern states,
Alabama. Arkansas and Florida, prob
ably will be heard today, the COM
mittee said. When the committee met
this morning, its first action was to
prepare q calendar and fix limits
on the time TO be devoted to oral
Arguments tas.an.. BY attorneys for the con-
Announcement by Chairman Will
H. Hays, tomorrow. that the session
will be open. marks a new departure
IN republican politics and was hailed
In the camps OF the various candidates
as the passing Of the steam roller"
methods. Besides the contestants,
secretaries, attorneys and friends OF
the various candidates and newspaper
men representing the public have
been invited to attend.
The executive session of the COM
mittee which opened today's business
and the compilation of the calendar,
was expected to take all the morn
ing 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. The un.
instructed 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 COM
mittee that each had spent 81 900 in
the state.
AS usual in past conventions, vir.
tually all OF the contests originate
between lilly white and BLACK and
tan" groups in southern states. In
the alphabetical orders in which they
will be heard, the other contests are:
= Arkansas-Seven Of the states IL
seats are in dispute between "lily
white" and black and tam groups.
The latter bolted the state and elect.
cd four delegates at large. one dele
yate from the first and two delegates
for the fourth district. The first
district man is instructed for Lowden,
and the others are unpledged.
I1crida-Threc complete sets of
delegates, ''lily white" ''black and
tam" and regular" are fighting for
the states eight seats. George w.
Bean of Tampa. national committee
man, heads the regulars, while the
other white faction is sponsired by
w. L. Van Dusor.
Georgia.-Ten Of the states II dele
gates are in dispute in what prom.
ises to be the most bitterly fought
OF al the contests, with direct issues
between the Lowden and Wood forces.
The "plack and tan" convention elect
ed complete delegation headed by
Henry Lincoln Johnson, Of Atlanta.
They were listed officially as un.
pledged, but Governor Lowdens cam.
paign manager testified he sent 49,
900 OF Lowden money to johnson. The
Wood group, headed by Roscoe Pick.
EFT, later elected Is delegates. Frank
Hitchcock, one Of the Wood manag-
ers, told the senate committee he sent
$4,000 to Pickett, when it was re-
ported 'the opposition was spend.
ing considerable money"
Loulsinna-Twelve seats are con.
tested by whites and "black and
tan"
Mnnesota-Two Of the states "a
h seats, both in the tenth (Minneapolis)
district, are at stake. with Represen.
tative Schall, the blind congressman,
one Of the contestants.
Mississippi--All IL seats contested
with the delegation pledged to Gen.
eral Wood Frank Hitchcock told the
senate committee that in his opinion
the Wood delegation was illegal"
MissouriHTwo seats in the fourth
rand two in the fifth district contest.
ed.
North Carolina-Seventeen out Of
% seats contested. with the whites
pledged to Judge Pritchard. John NJ,
Morehcad. national committeeman, is
sponsor for the government.
(. Oklahoma--Six seats in dispute, two
each from the second, fourth and
fifth districts, with one OF the con.
testants favoring Lowden and 9TH
ers. Wood.
Y, South Carolina-All IL seats con-
tested by the regulars and the
"union republican party" a negro
n faction.
IN Tennessee-Two seats in the sixth
n and tenth districts at stake, with
n! Wood partisans involved in both.
Texas-All 90 seats, contested along
racial lines.
All II seats contested by lilly
whites" and black and tans," with
extra contests, filed from the third
and eighth districts.