The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-05-23
REPUBLICANS IN A ROW.
GUlLAH SMALLS MAKING IT HOT FOR
CONGRESSMAN MURRAY.

9 ly and squsrely N0mlusted-Mesti tirg c
q the s:ate Republican Executive Com
0 mttt, What " as Dons.
d COLUMBIA, S. c., May 16.-Unherald
d ed, the notsbles of the Republican par
e tv came into Columbia yesterday morn
ing and during the day there was {
, great rattling Of the dry bones of tht
!. Republican corpse in South CaroliLa
|. There was Bob Smalls. the "gullaf
q statesman," there was George Wash
t ington Murray. the present gullat
: Congressman from the seventh dis
: trict; there was Jenkins, the "gentle
e man from Bucksley," there was Dick
7 inson, Edmund Deas, Fordham, Bray
t ton, the white eX State chairman; Web
Q ster, the present State chairman, and
t others.
t The following is q complete list Of
: those present: E. A. Webster, chair
: man, Orangeburg; Robert Smalls, Beau
J.. fort; E. II. Deas, Darlington; J. F. Lo
: PEI, ColletoD; &. w. Murray, Charles
f ton; r. E. Brown, Charleston; E. J
/ Dickson, Aiken; Professor Morris
!. Barnwell; J. II. Johnson, Newberry
/ R. A. Tolbert, Abbeville; W. J. Thom-
2 as, Oconee; l. F. Goldsmith, ,Greenville
: B. F. Means, Spartanburg; w. E. Boy
/ kin, Kershaw; E. Wilson, Florence;
9 L. Jacobs, Williamsburg; R. A. Stew.
3 art, Clarendon; W. W. Ramsey, Sum,
ter; George A. Reid, Beaufort; r. E
/ Jenkins, Berkeley.
=. They came here to attend meeting
[ of the State Republican executive com.
: mittee AID the meeting was held be,
3 hind closed doors. continuing most OF
? the day. The principal wolk of the
E day was trying to settle first class
| row between Smalls and Murray about
the nomination in the First Congress
! loDaI district. cVinihis5a1has HIS has not been set:
tied, except IN so far as a result or the
meeting.
The most important thing done dur
ing the day was the appointment of a
committee, consisting of BraYton, Ford
han, Dickinson and Webster, to devise
means for testing the election laws of
South Carolina as they now stand in
tile courts. This comm1ttee proposes
10 bring test case in the State SD
preme Court or in the United States
| Court to test the constitutionality of
the State election Laws. They propose
| to establish fund for the purpose and
employ able counsel to make the test.
| Another matter Of importance tran
sacted was the revision of the rules OF
the party, so as to reach all CASES of
| redistricting, there being no such pro-
visions heret ofore. The com mlttee al
| hot n
address to the Republican voters Of the
State very shortly, calling upon them
| to register, and referring TO other mat
ters Of registration.
The committee yesterday did not dis
cuss the matter of nominating State
ticket, saying it is as yet TOO early to
discuss that matter. They say, how
ever, that they will cali the State con-
ventlon to be held in September, ADD
there the matter Of nominating State
ticket @ill be given serious consldera-
| lion. They say they are watching the
| Democr-tS to ser what they are gong
70 do aid rhelr action will be governed
accordingly.
In regard to the Congressional fights
tbe Republicans will make, they say
that tney Will not bother with any but
the new First and Seventh districts
| la the Seventh the Republican caDdi
oates for the nomination are: Il. Il.
| Richardson, Murray's private secreta-
ry: T. B. Johnson and E M. BraytOn.
rhs Fl hit between Murray and Sualls
| for the First diStric9 nomination is ln-
terestlng. Both claim that they have
| the nomination and it looks as If no
matter what comes both are going to
| be IN the race. The row had its start
about the organization of the district
committee. This committee met, it
sems, and elected Sperry chairman
pro TEN, in place of R. Fl. Jenklns,Wh
was lett in the new Seventh by the
redistrlcting of the State. This COM
mittee called the nominating conVen-
tion. Smalls and his friends chal-
lenged the legality of the call but went
ahead and went into the convention.
Murray claims that they made no big
| kick tall the convention met and they
found that they could not carry the
convention. Murray says that Smalls
| then withdrew with one delegate,
trumped up some followers in the
street and getting them together made
them nominate him and declared him
ssla their regular nominee. Murray
| claims that Small5 is stopped from any
further contest by his Withdrawal
| from the convention. Smalls claims
that the change OF the district destroy
ed the Republican organization in the
| district, and that the convention which
nominated Murray was irregular.
Murray claims that the laws of the
| State have nothing to do with the Con.
gresslonal organizations. He gives the
following letter in support of his posi-
| ton, and gives some interesting III
formation:
| Hon. E. NJ. Brayton, Of the National
Committee. Columbia. S. G.
My Dear Sir: 1t seems to me that
Hon. G. W. Murray, member Of Con
| gress of the old Seventh District, Is the
regular nominee for Congress of the
new first district. 1 understand that
be was nominated at the district con-
vention May 2ad, by vote of % to |;
! that the convention was regularly call
ed, and that On some technical GROUNDS
| Mr.. Robert Smalls claims that the
nomination was irregular and aD-
nounces his candidacy.
hope that you Will use your goou
| offices to see to it that Mr.. Murray is
sustained. and that no bolt is made
against him among the Republicans.
| The chances are ID favor of the Repub-
licans having the next Houso, and the
First district of your STATE ought to
| helr c0nsummate that result, and 1t
will do so if Mr.. Murray is sustained.
1t seems to me that 1t would be a po-
litlcal mistake, yes political crime,
not to sustain Mr.. Murray. If each
county in the new district had COM
mltteeman elected by the convention ln
| the old Seventh district and every com
mitteemau thus elected joined IN the
call for the convention which was held
IN Charleston May god, the convention
was regular AID its action blnding
upon the R-pu blicans of said dlstri; ;t.
| arl With great respect your "b-dl
| eDt servant, J. II. MANLY.
| Chairman Executive Commit ee RI
| ouhican National Committee.