Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-25
The Local Democratic Controversy.


Your well-known fairness will certainly in
duce you to permit the use of your columns for
a reply to the interview had with Mr.. James F.
Brown. which appeared in your issue Of Mon
day, August %.
Mr.. Brown therein endeavors to maintain a
singular position and appears strikingly IN the
situation of drowning man grasping for a
straw. As a political trapeze performer and
explainer of his own egregious political follies
and indiscretions he would be .'nonpareil'
were not bis easuistry IN consistency and also
his convenient observation-disclosures SO palpable.
In the first place Mr.. Brown affects to regard
the central democratic committee. of which Mr.
NJ. l. Weller is chairman, as 'usurpers and
interiopers, and pretends to consider as
casual and unofficial the expressed and de-
cided intention of Senator German TO whom
WAS referred for arbitration by the national
democratic committee the pending controversy
between the two district factions) to recon-
mend the recognition of the Weller committee.
The gentleman goes even further in his extreme
announcements and presumes 70 ignore entirely
the authority of the national committee to
reconcile differences in local politics and has
the assurance TO declare I'VE of the Manogue
committee do not recognize the right of the
national democratic committee to interfere in
our affairs, this in direct opposition to long
established usage and precedent. Mr.. Brown,
with the aid of his trusty committee in accord
ance with his sage and advanced views will no
doubt soon imperiously dictate to the national
committee and assume control of the campaign
Secretary Brown next reproaches National
Committeeman Jas. l.. Norris with base ingrati-
tude. reminding him that he ia the creature"
OF the Manogue committee and that he owed his
position to it. Is our memory treacherous or is
1t designed to have our credulity practiced
upon? Unless we be sadly mistaken we think a
nominating convention was called and did con-
vene III this city and did elect two representa-
tlves to the Chicago nominating convention.
We know this because we were a delegate to the
said convention, although our seat therein was,
for some time, precarious. We will not say,
however, that our difficulties were due TO the
Vaccinations of the Manogue workers in the
convention. While we admit that We cannot
conscleatiously approve of the method
employed by the Manogueites in the
nominating convention still respectfully
maintain that Messrs. Norris and Davis were lat
least presumably selected by the convention as
whole, and could hardly have exercised their
vested powers had they been authorized so to
do by the all-powerfuI Manogueites alone
These people no doubt have much to complain
of, as Mr.. Norris. in his Judgment. has dared, in
defiance of his creators, to consider the Weller
faction the legally constituted central demo-
cratic committee.
1t is further stated that ''these followers of
Mr.. Weller viz, Messrs. Boyle, Burns and
Costello, were ''tired of his administration and
intended to depose him." Either Mr. Browns
recollection is wofully defective or he wilfully
miscOnstrned the real statement made to him
by these gentlemen referred to, who had been
appointed by the central democratic commit
tee to meet a like delegation from the Manogue
faction and with view Of reaching peaceful
and satisfactory settlement Of differences
What the three gentlemen did say was that Mr.
Weller had seif-sacrificingly announced that if
hecama i'm he int Of harv
and unity he was willing and ready to resign his
position as chairman of the committee Mr.
Browns cleverness i'll distorting plain state
ments may or may not be creditabIe, but he
should learn that our memory sometimes plays
us sorry tricks.
With reference to his kensington speech Mr.
Brown has endeavored to crawl out of q very
small hole, but somehow the sapiept and aero
batic secretary has become stuck and still sticks
fast He complains to have been misrepre-
sented and severely criticised. Is it the custom
of The STAR to deceive its readers? Would
such vile reports of maltreated citizen be pub
lished by "A reliable newspaper if untrue? In
plain truth the pretense that his remarks
alluded only to the management Of the District
e.. A. r. is as fimsy and as transparent as
game. The G.. A. r. of which the gentleman is
$50 justly proud is noble organization Of
devoted citizens and do not deserve that any
reflection be cast upon them. The body con-
tains, no doubt as many democrats as repub-
Leans, and being essentially private orSaniza-
ton should not be charged with political
character. According to report Mr.. Brown
concluded his famous address with the relation
of dirty story" which probably was unfit for
publication, else We should likely have received
the benefit Of it. Is this the policy and methods
OF the Manogue democrats? Must we shoulder
the responsibilities of their errors and miscon-
duct? The reply is a very emphatic one. If
they be true democrats, desiring at heart to
advance the best interests Of the party in the
District, they haze adopted strange ways of
showing it. Without concert Of action and au
accepted policy the party is subjected to diff
culties and, besides rendering ourselves
ridiculous spectacle to the public, offers yalu-
able advantages and opportunities to our oppo-
nents. We trust our late friends Of the Manogue
faction will ponder on this. Apologizing for
the length Of space occupied and thanking you
for your courtesy am; sincerely,
w. j. COSTELLO,
Secretary Central Democratic Committee d. G.