The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-17
WILL AVOID THE PRIMARIES.
PARTRIDGE MEN TO STAY FROM
THEM ALTOGETHER.

The Citizen Clubs Reform Move
ment Disseeted-COI. Dixon and Mr..
Charlton so over the situation.
Mr.. HartrIdge Attacks the Reform
scheme and Touches Upon the A..
p. AIR. O'ConnOr DweIIs Upon
the Present Administration and It's
Policy.
The Hartridge meeting at the Masonic
temple last night was big one There
were between 500 and 60 people at the
meeting and the enthusiasm was at white
heat. The hall was crowded. so was the
gallery and people were packed in the
entry way clear to the steps
The meeting was called 10 order by Col.
NJ. W Dixon, who said. Fellow demo
Gratis if I am allowed to address you as
democrat to democrats. In the last forty
eight hours I believe certain clique OF
ring has decided 10 rule me out Of the
Democratic party. Since the days of re
construction when. as a boy, I worked
around the court house for the Demo
cratic party I have been a democrat and
ct this late day. because a certain clique.
dominated by office holders, is in control.
am now TO be read out Of the party. 1
can remember times before now, when
the people you had placed in power abus-
ed that power. and you. that is the demo-
Gratis, revolted. and deprived them Of it,"
Col Dixon mentioned the times when
these so-called bolts occurred. The first
time, he said. was when the executive
committee had the power of making the
nominations, and got to swapping the Of
fees around The democrats revolted,
elected their own men and put a stop 20
nominations by the executive committee
He recalled the time when the democrats
of Chatham revOlted against the Egypt
convention and placed Maj Meldrim in
nomination and elected him He and 9th
er supporters of Mr.. Hartridge are in
similar position to-day, he said. They had
been refused by the executive committee
a fair, just and honest opportunity for an
expression of the will of the party al the
ballot box and because they refused to
abide by this unjust decision they are
called boilers Col Dixon paid some atten-
ton to the Citizens Club and its preten-
sions He had seen IL crying reform and
urging reform on every street corner ana
he had seen every leader seeking Office
and securing it,
IF they succeed in electing their can
didate this time" he said. laws will be
enacted perpetuating their power for the
next twenty years. That is why we must
1
elect our candidates we can 90 before the
legislature and say that the two gentle
men now there from this county no longer
represent the ma jOrity in this county ana
are not entitled to consideration as such.'
He called upon those present 10 stand
shoulder to shoulder, and predicted thar
victory would crown their cause on the
night of Sept. 25
There were calls for Hartridge, but the
chairman stated that the next business in
order was the report OF the committee
which called upon the executive commit
tee and endeavored to secure an altera-
tion of the resolution providing for district
primaries, which would be made by Mr.
Charlton, the chairman Of that commit
tee.
Mr.. Charlton was given a hearty greet
ing. Gentlemen and fellow democrats.
said he. Il am glad the chairman has
given me the liberty Of addressing you as
fellow democrats, and that you approve
of that liberty. / may not be in the best
of accord with the Savannah fire depart
ment, but / feel that l am still in accord
with my fellow democrats"
Mr.. Charlton gave an account of the
appearance Of Mr.. Hartndges represen-
tatiVes in conjunction with those of Mr..
Travis before the executive committee.
Il have nothing to complain of as to
the courtesy with which we We're re-
ceived," said Mr.. Charlton, but / have
since understood that our cause was rem
dered more hopeless because / was a
member of that delegation. 1 could not
but remember but that for the fact that
l.. as chairman of the party allowed
those gentlemen a second hearing some
of them would not have been sitting there
as members OF that committee. l told
them the experience of the party with
district primaries, and that we asked moth
ing but what every democrat was entitled
10. ! appealed to them in the interest
of the Democratic party to give us a pri-
mary similar TO the one in 1894, than which
no primary has been so free from the
faint Of fraud; and yet majority of thir-
teen stolid partisans of the Citizens Club
decided that they would throw the inter-
ests of the Democratic party to the winds
in the interests of the candidate named
by that club.
In the exercise of my right and repre-
senting you, as l believed my fellow
democrats, conceiving that these our SER
wants and not our masters had violated
their obligations and no longer represent
ed the Democratic party, / entered my
notice of appeal from the executive COM
mittee to the Democratic party"
Mr.. Charlton said that Mr.. Mcguire,
whom, he believed, represented the fire
department to a certain extent and to
certain extent the Citizens Club, had
questioned his right TO take such step
and still retain the title of democrat. He
pfoceeded 10 give several instances Where
the democrats had reVolted against their
own constituted authority and establish
ed their democracy in so doing.
''The trouble with the Citizens Club"
history of the Democratic party. The
party is over 100 years old and does not
date from the organization of the Citi-
zens Club as some of them seem to think"
He referred to the state convention of
1880 when A. II. COlquitt was nominated
by a majority of the party, after repeal
ing. the two-thirds rule, and the bolt which
followed. He instanced Col. Garrard, now
a member of the board of aldermen, as
one of the leaders of this bolt. and who
was active in the nomination of Col
Thomas NJ. Norwood, who. though nomi-
mated by boiling faction, was given
1900 majority by Chatham county. He
also mentioned the split in the Chatham
democracy in 1888 when three democrats
ran against the party nominees and de
feated them and everybody was granted
free absolution by the executive commit
tee The object Of party organization, ne
said was to present an unbroken front to
the enemy. With no enemy in sight I'M
less it was the Citizens Club, the COM
mittee has seen fit to override the wishes
of the party and to consider the interests
of only one candidate This being the
case the committee had violated its trust
and could no longer be considered the
head of the party.
Mr. Hartridge was next introduced by
the chairman. The crowd cheered for sew
eral minutes when he came forward. Like
the other speakers he too addressed his
fellow democrats" He spoke at length
and it is possible to give only the sub
stance of his remarks. He was not afraid
to express his views he said. Towards
certain members of the Citizens club, who
had been prominent in the last campaign
he had no personal feeling whatever, es-
peciallV as manV of them had seen the err