Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-06


and deposit their voiceless ballots in one o
the boxes, after which they might exercis
| their personal liberty by moving off in any di
| rection they saw proper. A pretty big Grove
was assembled and there were some loud erie
out of the cold and darkness for the doors to b,
opened and the ''pussunal liberty of speech
to be restored, but the Brown faction
otherwise the Chase faction. who appeared I,
be In control, had decided that the object wa
| to vote, not to crate, and that the occasion wa
| an election and not the meeting of a debatin,
society. The judges sat silently behind tn,
boxes and received ballots. and the absence o
fire and shelter on the street was rather dis
couraglng to those who wanted to indulge il
oratory. The ballots began to drop into tn,
boxes thick and fast fromthe hands of the sup
Porters of the Brown faction amid the cries
their rivals for the liberty of speech
ANOTHER MEETING.
certain number of the Carson faction find
ing but cold comfort from entering their pro
tests in the open air bolted and, under tn,
leaderships of Messrs Richard Henderson
delaware Hudnell and Payton Harvey, pro
ceeded to hall two or three squares away
where they could be assured Of the ''pus
sunal liberty of speech
small room, dimly lighted, was soon filled
| and the rump meeting was promptly inaugu
rated, with Mr.. Chas. j. Jones as president pre-
tem, the president and vice president both
being at the other meeting. Each sovereign
citizen present at once began the exercise Of
that privilege for which they had bolted the
| regular primary-the 'pussunal liberty Of
speech'-which included in its range a right OF
the part Of each to talk while everybody else
was talking and to demand of everybody else
to shut his mouf. One feature OF the situation
however, which had not been taken into con
slderatlon; rather threw a damper on the as
semblage. There was opposition present
and the only thing TO talk about was the out.
-, 81,
No. l109 q street, and the only thing they could
disagree on was as to who should do the talk
ing. Upon this the usual '.p'ints OBJ o'dah
were raised against everybody by everybody
else, until almost before they knew it they had
elected Thomas Green as delegate and Joseph
Ambush as alternate. When it had been found
that this had been done every sovereign voter
wanted to know what had been done, and all
demanded at the same time that the secretary
should read the minutes and that all should
keep quiet during the reading The demands
for silence, or for shut yO' mouf," were SO
unanimous anu so constant during the reading
that no one heard anybody but himself But
as the thing accomplished was just what every
sovereign OF them had come there for
there was general agreement without
further explanation. just as they were
about to break up, very black young man
with voice that rumbled declared thai the
vice president of the district, Mr.. Strather,
would sign the minutes OF this meeting. This
was greeted with shout. Then there was a
demand for Mr.. Strather to be produced with
his signature. In about five minutes a very
dignited and quite black gentleman with a
deep frown on his intellectual brow was
marched into the room by the crowd. The
president pro tenn asked him to sign the min
utes.
What is day?' he asked, with an air of au-
thority.
Read the minutes" and then he stood close
up to the president pro tenn, with his back to
HIM, to listen. Without changing this attitude
of superiority and dignity he heard the read
ing for the second time, and then said:
Il won't sign um, and then walked out.
He afterward declared to STAR reporter that
the only lawful primaries were held at 1909
street and that Mr.. Arnold and Mr.. Walker
were elected.
The leaders Of the rump meeting declared
that they did not represent any faction, but
we're standing for the ''pussonal liberty OF
speech"
Ninth District.
There was a certain fitness that the ballot
box should be the most conspicuous object at
the meeting place in the ninth district, for
the meeting was held In the Office Of Mr. Chase
and Mr.. Chase was the president of the club,
and he is also the advocate OF the ballot system
in primary elections in this city. The Office
was not large place for public meeting, but
come and besides no public meeting was held.
They don't do things that way in the ninth
district. The ballot box was placed on the
counter and behind it stood two tables, and
voters were expected to walk in and deposit
their ballots and walk ont again al
free American citizens are supposed to do.
When the hour of arrived the ballot box was
on hand and SO were the tellers and also Mr..
Chase, but the voters Of the ninth district were
rather slow about availing themselves Of the
privilege Of casting ballot. Perhaps some OF
the white occupants Of the fine houses on H
and and X and other streets we're not quite
through their dinners, and so no haste was
made in beginning the voting. But as it
turned out not a single white man voted by
the time the voting was over and the result
was announced. A few colored men assembled
about the door and few minutes after they
entered the Office. Perhaps there were fifteen,
all told. They looked at the ballot box as it
rested in dignified repose upon the counter.
1t was an oblong box made Of pine and covered
chastely with lght-tinted wall paper, indi-