Evening star., 1920-06-01
M|X-UP IN FLORIDA
|SLECAL PROBLEM
FOR REPUBLICANS
AIl-Night Session Is Held by
Experts in Passing on
Delegate Claims.
By the Associated Press.


By the Associated Press
CHICAGO. June 1.-Hearings on the
claims of contesting delegations to
next weeks convention continued today
to occupy the attention of the republic
can national committee .
A decision in the three-cornered fight
in Florida was first on the program. A
special subcommittee composed of
Committeeman Warren of Michigan,
du Pont of Delaware and Parsons of
New York. spent most of the night
examining the law and the facts in
the Florida case.
When the evidence was all in last
night many of the committeeman said
that all three delegations seemed to
them to be "defunct," but announced
that they would depend upon the sub
committee headed by Committeeman
Warren. who Is acting as legal ad-
wiser to the committee in the contests,
to point way out of the muddle.
Reopenfng of Hearings.
The Florida hearings were reopened
to hear the regular delegation and
that headed by H. L. Anderson of
Jacksonville. 1t appeared to be gen.
orally agreed that the third delega-
tion. headed by A. L. Church and w.
L. Van Duzor of Jacksonville. would
not be permitted to participate in the
rehearing.
The subcommittee headed by Charles
B. Warren of Michigan, advising the
further hearing for the regular and
Anderson factions. reported that there
appeared to be no legal republican
organization in Florida through fail
ure OF the regular group headed by
George W. Bean of Tampa, national
committeeman. and also failure of the
Anderson faction to elect a state ex-
n
law. Mr.. Warren reported that there
was doubt whether the Anderson fac
tfon could be recognized as a de facto
organization. as the undisputed evil
dence showed that in the primary only
nineteen state committee members
had been elected from fifty-four coun-
ties. The Bean faction. Mr.. Warren
stated, could not be regarded as a de
facto organization.
GeorEia's Acrimonious Contest.
With the Florida contest out of the
way, the national committee will face
the most acrimonious contest of the
list. that from Georgia, where an off,
cially reported delegation. headed by
Henry Lincoln johnson. an Atlanta
negro, is counted in the Lowden col
umn. and a contesting delegation.
headed by Charles Adamson of Cedar
town, is counted in the Wood column.
Both delegations had figured In the
hearings of the Senate subcommittee
investigating campaign expenditures.
The next contest on the calendAr is
from, Louisiana, where q regularly
reported delegation headed BY Ma
tional Committeeman Emil KuntS is
being opposed by delegation AAaded
contesting dslegation is listed anong
those favorables to the Wood kpd3-
dacy and to Frank n Htchco4k
The COMMITTEES ases nOt@hopA t. ct
further than the I0ntsaanA cohtest in
Nhiie the iiational committee 10
grinding away at the contests, things
are beginning to stir about the head
quarters Of the presidential cAndi-
dates and their managers. Chicago
hotels already overcrowded with an
abnormal business, are beginning 70
show the first symptoms OF a. cam
paisn week Of noise and confusion.
headquarters sare blooming out with
banners and autographs, but the
campaign managers have not yet
emerged from the state Of conhaent
predictions. Only two OF the % canai-
are in the city, but Senator Harding
ana Senator johnson will arrive later
in the week.
Length Of Convention.
Estimates of tho probable duration
of the convention are as numerous aS
the candidates arc various. some c0n-
fident ones have made railroad reeer-
vations to return home on Tnursaay
Of convention week. The predtcfion
that a presidential candidate probably
will be nominated on Friday night
and a vice presidential candidate on
Saturday seems to be regarded among
most of the politicians as probably
being more accurate tnan any oIner.
The generally accepted tentative
program seems to be Tuesday for tenn
porary organization and keynote
speeches: Wednesday for permanent
organization and work OF the reeolu-
tions committee framing the platform.
leaving Thursday and Friday for vot-
ing, If two days be needed.
All the politicians seem agreed that
no one is going to be nominated on
the first ballot Many Of them are
going SO far an to make predictions
Of what Is going to happen on the
first. second and third. Then come
the sanguine predictions and claims
Of what is going to happen on the
fourth.
It took three ballots in 1916 to
nominate Charles Evans Hughes. and
that was the first time since 1896 that
moro than one ballot had been re-
quired to nominate a candidate. In
1900 and 1904 the nominations were
made by acclamatton.
YesterG65's Decisionh.
In what Chairman Hays character
lied as "judicial rather than politi-
cal decisions" the committee yester-
day seated regularly reported dele
gates from Arkansas and Alabama,
and. after giving an extended hearing
to the three-cornered contest from
Florida, adjourned overnight.
The decisions made yesterday Will
not be factors in the strength Of any
candidates In the convention, and
ranged principally about the ques-
tions Of regularity. although the race
issue frequently was injected.
In all decisions the committee was
guided on questions Of law and prec-
edent by Charles B. Warren Of De-
trolt, national committeeman from
Michigan. who was acting at the re-
mittee attorney. At the conclusion
of each contest Mr.. Warren issued a
statement of the reasons upon which
the committee was acting. Chairman
Hays said that was part Of his
plan Of laying the committee work
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