The Laurens Advertiser

SCRAP OVER DELEGATION.
Roosevelt and Taft Claim Republican Delegates from this State and Scrap over Delegation.

Washington, April 19.—The Roosevelt and Taft campaign managers are scrapping over the possession of the "black and tan" element of the G. O. P. in South Carolina. Last night the Roosevelt manager claimed he had it; today Manager McKinley of the Taft headquarters claimed ownership and issued the following statement:

"It has been announced through the Roosevelt headquarters that they have received a message from C. M. English, district chairman, First Congressional district of South Carolina, that the delegates in that district would not vote for President Taft but would support Col. Roosevelt. The facts in that case show the farcical nature of the Roosevelt claims and the contests instituted by his managers.

"English, who was chairman of the district committee, called the convention at Charleston for April 16. Asserting whatever power he had as chairman, he tried to control the convention and to dictate the names of the delegates without a roll call. But a roll call was demanded, which English refused, and then he announced that T. L. Grant and S. M. Walker were the delegates and were instructed for Roosevelt. He was laughed at by the convention and walked out of the hall with three supporters only, out of the total of 32 delegates present. The remaining 28 refused to recognize him in any way and proceeded in regular order with the business of the convention. The secretary of the convention was elected chairman and two delegates were elected and instructed to vote for President Taft first, last and all the time. This is a sample of the claims of Roosevelt's managers and of the character of the contests filed against legally elected Southern delegates."

Director McKinley's statement continues:

"At least two of the men named by Senator Dixon as changing their allegiance to any known convention yet held," and then goes on to observe that if instructions be not binding in South Carolina "why are they more binding in Oklahoma, Illinois, Pennsylvania or Maine?"

The statement also declares that Director McKinley does not believe Senator Dixon's claim and says:

"If Ormsby McHarg, now in the South, for no other purpose than to persuade men to dishonorable acts, can find any of that calibre in that section of the country, the sooner the country knows it the better."—The State.