Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-28

THE DISTRICT DELEGATES.
Chairmaa Davis Expresses His visws o.
the Action Of tho National Rspublisas
Committee.
10 the Editor Of Ths Evenine Star:
Having been Ssked 10 give my views through
the columns Of your paper Of the recent aotios
OF the national republican committee touching
District republicans and District republicanism
shall do 90 with your permission.
It lie unfair for anybody to even intimate that
members Of the national committee were unduly
Influenced in favor Of or against either Of The
| so-called political factions in the republican
party Of this city. Having been instructed by
the last national convention to prescribe and
publish in their call the mode Of electing dele
gates TO the next national body from this Dis
trict they went about the discharge Of their du-
ties with . spirit having in view, not the sup
posed interests or caprices Of any individual or
faction, but the dignity and welfare Of the
party at large. am satisfied with their work
in the District will be when he considers the
result dispassionately.
1t has been said that the committee refused
70 allow Us system Of registration. believe
both Mr.. Carson and Mr.. Chase agree in this
construction Of the committees action. For
the sake Of avoiding further contention in this
direction am willing to let IL rest there, but
for the life OF me cannot see where such con-
clusion can come from. The only reference to
this question in the call is that the members of
the District convention held for the purpose Of
choosing delegates to the national convention
shall be elected in primary district assemblies
held under the call and direction Of the rspub-
lican central committee of the District Of Co
lumbis II that does not leave the mode of
electing members to that convention in the
hands OF the republican central committee
fail to comprehend the meaning Of plain En-
glish. The national committee rightfully, in
the proper spirit, left 1t for the central
committee to determine whether its own mem
bership should be selected by system of reg
istration or by q viva voce vote. Even the
constitution under which the central commit
tee have acted since its addition in December
1881, 10 silent on this subject. 1t says: 1.-THE
elected by the several district republican clubs
which are recognized by this committee"
The national committee now says that these
delegates shall be elected ''in primary district
assemblies" &C., the only distinction resting
in the phrases district assemblies and 1.-The
several district republican clube," neither of
which designates the moius operandi OF election,
being expressions only of the manner of meet
ing. The question Of voting stands today Just
where it has stood since the first election for
the members Of the central committee on the
hrst Tuesday OF January. 1884.
The constitution Of our central committee
says that the election here referred to ''shau be
held at such places as the presidents of the
district clubs shall fix" The national CON-
mittee places this power Of selection in the
hands Of 1.-The members Of the national commit
tee for the District Of Columbia and the chair
man OF the republican central committee Of
said District" Our constitution gives the CEN
trail committee membership of sixty-six; the
national committee reduces it to twenty-five or
one from each legislative district, and these are
mi oarfi al ntnfa If hat
the rules adopted by the national committee
and those heretofore recognized by republi-
cans OF the District as part of the constitution
under which the central committeeman have
invariably acted. Even the time for electin2
these committeeman, fixed by the national
committe, is the same as recognized by the
constitution, the first Tuesday Of January, 1892
and not an earlier date, as many thought would
be the case, largely because it was considered
immaterial when the District convention
to elect delegates to the national body should
be held. and the representatives Of the national
organization felt that they had no right to
name an earlier date, as by so doing they would
have required me to kill the body of which
am the official head, and subsequently to pro-
claim the inauguration of its successors I
stated In published interview not long since
that the life Of the present central committee
would not expire, politically, until its success
ors had been elected, which could not possibly
be before the first Tuesday in January, 1891,
and that the birth Of the new committee could
not take place until after that date. Recog.
nizing the justice Of that claim for the COM
mittee whose members had been elected
for four years from the first Tues
day Of January, 1888, the national COM
mittee very properly set the above time for
electing members of the new central committee
I have endeavored to state my position in q
spirit whose tendency shall not alone be for the
interests OF our party here, but also that here
after members OF our grand old party" in
other sections Of the country shall not be re-
CURED by democrats to explain why it is that
here in the national capital there are such dis
graceful exhibitions Of the inability Of the col
zenship whenever he attempts to exercise the
that the recognized leaders of the two factions
Of colored men in the District have expressed
the belief that the national republican commit
tee desire that the new central committee shall
be chosen by viva vocs, vote let all true repub-
licans unite in manly, patriotic efforts to get rid
OF even the appearance Of rufianism and mob
rule in the several legislative districts on the
first Tuesday Of January next, thus demon
strating the ability to govern ourselves and
proving the justice Of our demand for the
right OF suffrage in all political affairs of the Dis
trict Let US witness no more Illuminating in
stances or glaring evidences Of incapacity and
unfitness to be clothed in the full garb Of
American citizenship here in the most beauti-
full city on Gods green earth. the capital of
the freest and best government the sun shines
upon. A. H. 8. DAVIS
Chairman Republican Central Com, DO.
November q, 1891.