Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-29
THE SUFFRAGE COMMITTEE OF
ONE HUNDRED.
Minus Ninety.One.
Grand Rally Of the Nine at Shea.s
Hall.

"IanO N0iIy OF the Nine at ShcRsS
Hall.
THE CRISIS DECLARED TO BE ATHANp-DISCREPA ANGLES
IN TIE FIGURES OF PIE MEMOgIA ALIsTs CHARGING
DISCREPANCIES UPON THE DISTRICT GOVERNMENT
THE suFFRAGISTS DENoUNCE SECRECY AT THE COM
MIssIoNERS OFFICE AND THEN GO INTO SECRET SEES
SION.
Nine members OF the committee OF one hundred
on suffrage assembled last night at Shea's hall in
response to published announcement saying that
''an important meeting will be held on Friday
night" THESE gentlemen were MeSsrs. A. NJ. Clapp,
the chairman; E. ID. Wright. the secretary; John
H. Crane, Solomon j. Fague, A. C. Richards. James
Coleman, A. B. Muett, Ii. c. Clagett and Surgeon
General Hamilton.
THE CRISIS HAND.
Mr.Wright In proposing meeting next week said:
'The crisis has come and we may have to hold
Two meetings week. The first gun has been
fired"
Mr.. FAGUE WANTS AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
Mr. Fague, eyeing THE STAR reporter, moved to
go into executive session.
Mr.. Wright was not ready to go into executive
session. He made motion to have 1900 copies of
the memorial printed for circulation
MI Clagett wanted to postpone action until q
fh .er ron eefng I'll & as somebody Nigh disclam il as
been done In case OF the memorial.
Mr. wRIGHT's SPEECH
MI. Wright thereupon made speech In reply to
the criticisms passed upon the memorial. He
claimed that it was the practice OF deberatve and
legislative bodies to conduct business OF this kind
py means OF committees When the committees
reported, and the majority adopted the report, it
was the action OF the body, and ii was not in such
cases customary to append the signatures of the
members to the paper. The statement that Ger
tain gentlemen were not present amounted to moth
Ing. ut was mere cavilling,n Satd Mr. Wright
81 say with all due respect to the character of HE
X. a hat 4 iS hnfo
the question to say that because a gentleman was
not present he did not give his assent thereto
Not one OF the gentlemen interviewed by THE
STAR disclaimed his position On the suffrage auts-
t1on They said merely that they were not pres
ent at the meeting" Mt Wright then criticised
statements made by the Commissioners in inter-
views published in THE STAR. He said the Com
missloners admitted it was true that the price paid
for asphalthad been increased II the former Com
missioners had acted promptly Barber & Co. would
never have had the monopoly in asphalt.
Mr.. Mullett, lnterrupting the speaker, asked
mittee since the repOrt?n
"NO, sir,' said MI. Wright.
"Ihen, said Mr.. Mullett, .'there is nothing be-
fore the house. We have no quarrel with the Com
miSsoners but with this form of government"
Mr.. Wright insisted that as the action of the
committee had been criticised by the Commissions
erS, his remarks were in order.
Mr.. MuLLETT PREFERS FACTS
a." said Mr.. Mullett, "wOuld prefer to answer
with facts instead OF an Grafton here"
"iou can answer them with facts after 1 get
through" said Mr.. Wright.
Mr. Wright continuing, said that the statement
OF the COMMISSIONERS that they had accepted Mr..
BARRIERS figure because it would have injured his
business in Chicago to have reduced it: placed
them in the position of panderng to the interests of
a moneyed corporation. He was not, he said
afraid OF taking the responsibility of attacking the
COMMISSIONERS. The nature OF this government
was such that there was an indissoluble connec-
tion On between @ its form and It's personnel
man could be appointed who could administer the
government we'll. believe the gentlemen do as
well as they can with the web OF treachery that is
woven around them. AS for the facts and figures
don't know anything The subcommittee pre-
pared and reported them, and the committee had
accepted them. merely suggest that there are
other matters that need our attention l want to
put our cause on the broader ground that the form
OF government Is antlrepubcan."
but the Commissioners had answered these minor
complaints, evidently to divert attention from the
main question They had attacked some members
OF the committee personally by reference to sour
grapes. That had nothing to do with the memo
nal 1t made no difference II Messrs. Clapp, Cla-
gett and Klngle had been candidates for the Office
OF commissioner. To be unsuccessful was not a
crime.
"It is an honorable Office, and m honorable aspt
ration" inteIjected Mr. Mullett
DISCREPANCY IN THE MEMoRIALIsTs' FIGURES.
Mr.. Wright claimed that the explanation OF the
alleged discrepancy of s3,OG00O0 In District ac-
counts, attributed to DIR. Tindall was not adequate
He said that he was informed that the whole
amount of rebate paid would not exceed 100000.
81 think that is a mistake, said MI Fague ut
is admitted to be s2,0O0,OOO.'
Mr.. Wright insisted that he was talking about
would be required. He said the difference in tile
face value OF bonds, and what realized on them
was not great enough to explain the s3,coo,Oo0 un
accounted Tor The charge OF the committee he
declared proved, upon investigation, to be substan-
TALLY true.
MI. Wright was proceeding to criticise the Com
mlsSlonerS SomeN hat severely, when Mr.. Clapp re-
marked, "Our war IS not against the Commissioners
personally, but against the form OF government"
AN UNPARDONABLE THING.
'For the Commissioners to say" continued Mr..
Wright, "that they are not responsible for what
previous Commissioners have done is no answer to
our position. We are prepared to prove that we
are right, and to prove more than we have already
stated This is only the beginning of the cam
to govern the District Of Columbia, but they have
attempted to advise the judiciary Of the District:
and they have even gone so far as to advise THE
STAR-Wnich OF course is an objectionable thing
as to the course 1t should take"
MR.. CLAGETT CoNSIDERATE.
Mr.. Clagett was anxious to postpone action on
the motion to print the copies of the memorial un-
til Wednesday evening, "when, he said, 81 am sat-
1sfed we shall have full meeting. and, besides it
Will give Mr. Edmonds and the other ninety and
nine a chance to get out of town."
Mr.. Fague charged that the statements made by
the commissioners that their records were open TO
the public were not true. He said he had asked
Thursday for permission to examine records Of the
Office in the interest OF certain clients and mad been
refused unless he would specify the particular cases
he wanted "'-'
Mr.. Clagett renewed his opposition to the motion
TO print, on the ground that members might dis
claim the action.
THAT memorial was adopted by the committee
said MI Mullett "Any man that allows his name
TO remain on the committee confesses that he is re-
sponsible."
II wanted to stop forever the denial OF such
things" said Mr. Clagett.
81 Think said Mr. Mullett, "that my young
friends faith in his ability to stop sucn things IS
not founded on experiences
AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
The motion was carried, and Mr.. Fague again
moved to go into executive session.
~ want to enter my earnest protest, said Mr.
Wright, against anything being done in executive
session."
There was some discussion as to how to get rid OF
THE STAR reporter without going into executive
session Mr. Crane and Others opposed secret
and discuss theft private matters Informally.
Messrs. Mullett and Fague finally prevailed upon
the committee to go into executive session.
ave are sorry to lose your society,"" said Mr.
Clapp to The STAR reporter, as the latter took his
hat down from the peg.
"If we do anything added Mr.. Mullett, "we will
bring report to THE STAR Office"
The reporter left them In the gloom OF a secret
session
Mr. COnkling to NIr. Springer.
THE EX-SENATOR ON MR.. CRowLEY's TESTIMONY IN
THE OTTMAN CASE.
Mr.. Crowley, in his testimony before the Springer
committee, in reference to the Ottman case as pub
ished in THE STAR OF last Tuesday, said In connec-
ton with Judge LaWrenceS decision that he Grow.