The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-22
THE ISSUE IN CHATHAM COUNTY.
The Power Claimed by the Executive
Committee Dangerous and Undem-

The Power Claimed by the Executive
Committee Dangerous and Undem-
ocratic.
Editor Of the Morning News; There are
so many things in the present campaigns
which are novel that / am moved TO seek
information through the public prints AS
l understand the situation ii is this: Mr.
Hartridge and Mr.. Travis contend that
the action of the executive committee be-
ing unjust and unfair they have a right
to appeal from its decision to the party;
Mr.. Willink, contending that as the COM
mittee represents the party its action in
regard to district primaries is final and
binding. Barring the charges and counter
charges incident to any contest in this
county under the new dispensation, this
seems TO be the issue. 1t is of the grav-
/ est interest to the party at large for. if
the executive committee has tne power
| claimed, il is invested with a discretion
/ dangerous and undemOcrauc IT, as a
I democrat, in a time of profound party
/ peace, in county in which there is prac-
/ ucally neither republican nor populist
/ contention, L am at the mercy Of a bare
/ majority OF a committee of twenty-five
/ ana must sink not only my preferences
/ and wishes (Which is proper enough, but
| as well my ideas of right and wrong, then
1 nave misunderstood the compact / have
\ with the party l have served and revered
all my days l had thought its funda-
mental principle was the voice of the peo-
/ pie, not the rule of the few. As l under
/ stand it, the committee is selected to rep
/ resent the entire party. The fact that it
IS placed in authority by a faction is no
warrant Tor ITS adhesion TO that faction
/ II judge were elected by popular vote
/ he would be expected TO administer JUS
| lce to all alike. If the committee deny
/ 10 a democrat justice, on what to him be
| a plain matter of right, il is inconceiVable
tnat ne may not come into the presence
/ OF the party and seek redress. j have
| never heafq that this right of appel was
| ever denied. Indeed, / never heard Ii
| questioned. The humblest negro caught
in the act of pettiest crime may apeal
| somewhere; why not a democrat in a
| free country, in defense of what he con-
slders his highest rights? I occasionally
hear the reply that at the next pri-
mary this committee may be defeated if
the judgment il has given be wrong. This
Is no answer In the first place, its MEM
DerS may not run. In the second.
the trouble is the present grievance and
the defeat of the committee at the next
election would not give Mr.. Hartridge
ana Mr.. travis the rights to which they
are entitled now. In the third place, the
most serious difficulty would be that even
II the present members applied for re-
election and sustained defeat, the prece-
dent would remain that the incoming fac
ton in its turn could do as it pleased and
from It's decision no appeal lie. IT is
readily seen that such a doctrine means
the creation of two bitter, uncOmpron;s-
ing Iactons within the party itself, bent
aEtGnQ1nCN
lacJOnal ends and in disregard of the
general interests of the party This IN
turn means party disintegratiOn The sir
uatiOn is intensified by the fact that uu-
der the present arrangements, if there Is
an appeal it can only be made in the
manner adopted by the opponents of Mir. I
WINK Another serious question sus-
gests itself The campaign seems to be
an active one, and l am led to believe by
what see and hear that many hundreds
OF votes Will be cast by lifelong demo-
Gratis against Mr.. Willink. Ii is even
claimed that the majority of the party
will adopt that course. Now there Is :
rule that the person Offering to vote az
a primary shall have cast his ballot for
the democratic nominees at the last state
anu national election. When the next
primary is held the present committee
will still be in office. 1t now holds that Mr.
Willink is the nominee of the party. 1t
majority of the party vote against Mr.
Willnk will the committee rule them not
englble to vote at the primary Whas
else can it do? The majority, if it e4-
lists, is either right or 1t is wrong in yvhas
it is doing, and the committee musta take
one position of the other. If right tht.
committee would have to admit 1t ana
thus sanction what II now denomintes a
bolt. If the committee held the majority
to be wrong, it would be called upon to
disfranchise the great body of the partv
and maintain IN power a minority or have
a minority extend a pardon to the ma
jorlty, thing which, in all human prob
ability, the majority would ignore and
resent. Under such circumstances would
the majority of the party stay out Of IT,
SELF until II voted for a minority candi-
date? The situation would be laughable
If 1t were not serious 1t is meant for
comic opera, but unfortunately it is be-
ing played on the political boards here
and now
This seems to me to demonstrate the
position of the committee untenablc If
IT be untenable as TO a majority ii is un-
tenable as to single individual. Its only |
tendency is and can be the disruption of |
the party. The danger is not lessened by |
arrogance of unique democracy by one |
faction and Inscription of republicanism
to the other. / read in the papers that
Mr.. Hartridge recently addressed a mass
meeting of negroes. proclaiming his de- |
mocracy, and asking their votes for him |
i'm that character So far as l can see
he may do this and still be democrat |
The party has appealed to them in every
election since the war and they have been |
assiduously cultivated by every faction |
here in every contest. Persuasion is GER |
tainly better and a cleanlier plan than |
purchase. / also read that Mr. Willink |
voted against democrat and for re- ,
publican. More skilled ref1ners than l |
Will have to settle that he is more of a |
democrat who votes for a republican than |
he who asks republicans to vote for a |
democrat. / confess that the grave mat
ter in the campaign is not this child's |
play of words and epithets, but the dan /
ger to the party in the event Mr. Willink |
wins on a platform involving the hnalitv /
of committee rulings.
Democritus Junior.