Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-17
Occupying the Exclusive Attention OF
the Local Democracy at
the Present Time.
NATIONAL COMMITTEE CONTEST.
Jiles Comes From Harrisburg to Deny the
Charges Against Him and Look
After His Political Fences.
THE REVISION OF THE PARTY RULES.
Chairman Bremen Issues Call for a Meeting, but
Does Not Favor the Scheme.


place on the National Democratic Commit
tee is growing daily more interesting, and
it threatens to become battle of national
Importance. Secretary of State Harrity
has made an earnest campaign for the posi-
tion, and he has already secured pledges OF
support from over 80 of the So members Of
the State Democratic Committee.
At the recent meeting of the Executive
Committee at Washington, J. NJ. Guffey,
the oil man. who is also a candidate for Mr..
Scots place on the National Committee,
scored point against his opponent by
having the committee delay action and
securing the appointment of State Chair
man Kerr as Pennsylvania I representative
on the National Committee until Nh. Scott's
successor was properly chosen. AT that
time Mr.. Harrity and his friends contended
| that the Executive Committee of the State
Central Committee had the authority to fill
| the vacancy on the National Committee.
The Guffc. people argued that the Execu-
| tive Committee had no authority in the
premises.
Meeting Called for January 20.
Then the HarritE people decided to refer
| the work to tie State Committee and asked
that an early meeting of the committee be
called to act on the matter. Chairman Kerr
refused to call special meeting of the
State Committee, but yesterday he issued a
cali for the regular annual meeting of the
committee for January 20, 1892. The Ma
tional Democratic Committee will meet on
| the day following, but ii has been given
| out on authority that the National Commit
| tee will take no action on the vacancy III
its body, as the entire committee dies when
! the National Convention meets in June.
AT that time new National ComS,ittee
| will be chosen. and the member from Penn
svlvania will be named by the Pennsylya-
MIA delegation. This information was tele-
graphed from Washington to Pittsburg
! gentleman Yesterday.
A Question of Authority.
s'The fight for Mr.. Scott's place now e1-
tends into the campaign for national dele
| gates, the gentleman said. "The Gutfey
| people all along have contended that the
| State Committee had nothing to do with
| filling vacancies III the National Committee,
and that we were correct is shown by let
ter from the Secretary of the National Com
mittee, in which it is positively stated that
| the National Committee alone has authority
! TO fill vacancies in its body. The State
| Committee is made up of the County Chair
| men with an additional member for each
additional Senatorial district in the county.
| The work begins and ends with State and
| COUNT campaigns. They are in no way as
| sociated with the creation of the National
| Committee
Mr.. Guffev's friends contend that this
| condition is strongly in his favor, and the !.
believe that it will result in the selection of
a
Committee.
W. j. Bremen, Chairman of the Demo-
cratic County Committee, yesterday issued
the following:
In pursuance of a resolution passed at the
last meeting of the Democratic committee
OF this county, authorizing us SO to do, we
app INT the following Democrats rs com
mistes to re Use the lules of the party and to
report the next meeting of the commit
tee: A. ]. Barr, ID. J. Boyle, II. u. Casey,
Herman Handel and Ed S.Kennedy. The
abov. named committee are requested to
M &c; Tuesday, December 60. at $3.50 r. NJ, at
the office of ". J. Bremen
Why the Rules Are to Re Revised.
The purpose of the committee is to revise
the rules Of the organization. The resolu-
tion providing for the committee was pre-
sented and pass d at the instance OF those
who contend that the districts where there
is but a limited Democratic vote should not
us now prevails, have equal representation
in conventions with those districts where
tn Democratic vote is largest.
The resolution and its object are oppo sed
by Chairman Bremen. He argues that
part polio, should guarantee equal repre-
sentation in all the districts He says: ITO
revise all rules in accordance with the pur-
pose of those who introduced the resolution
would reduce the size of our conventions,
and would make such bodies easier to handle
bv anyone who might assume the roll of
boss. The more representatives We have the
close- get to the people and the farther
away we get from the unscrupulous poll
uiciaas and bosses. in nv Judgment 1t
would be a mistake to cui of representation
from the weak districts.
Jury Commissioner John .Jiles, who is
employed in the State Department, at Har-
rishurg. came to Pittsburg yesterday and is
industriouslv at work in his campaign for
reelection as a member of the State Central
Committee. He denies that he has been
using the jury wheel to further his political
ambitions. He said the letters, one of
which was printed in THE DISPATCH
Yesterday, was mailed to friends in con.
fidence, and the slips enclosed were in
tended for the best interests OF his constitu-
eLts, they knowing best who in their dis
trict would make the best jurors. He is
Central Committee.
A Part of the Programme.
Ex-Jury Commissioner Ennis said last
night .Iiles was justified in using his office to
aid MIN politically. "He is one otmy pupils,
Mr.. Ennis said, ''and taught him to do
just what he has been doing
James Clark has been announced as a can
didate for place on the State Committee
in opposition to ,Iiles. 1t is alleged that
he is running in the interest OF the State
administration, but the friends of Jiles
contend that his defeat would be construed
throughout the State as a defeat for the
administration, and they argue that if
Clark is really friend to the administra-
tion he should withdraw from the contest
against Jiles, who is accepted as the admin-
istration candidate.
Clark is reckoned one of the strongest
men in the district. He has carried the
district in several heated contests and the
most confident friends of Jiles fear him in
the contest. 1t was limited last night that
Clark had been announced to Keep out
other candidates against Jiles, and that he
will withdraw at the proper time. Clark
and his friends deny this. as do also the
friends of Jiles. If the two are in the fight
to a finish, it will be decidedly lively, as it
will array the administration and anti-ad-
ministration-people against each other