The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-29

] eleven members OF the executive commit
Z tee 60 call a mass meeting He spoke OF
/ tire personnel Of the committee and re-
/ viewed the action OF this meeting called
I a. democratic mass meeting
Mai. Meldrim said De made no charges
Z that his opponents were not democrats
I but be would say hat Mr. ]. y. Iiedemani
I one Of their candidates for the legisla-
ture from Chatham county, had openly
I stated In published interview that ne
would not support Bryan and the demo
| cratic platform. but would vote for Nc
Kiuley. Such statements have been IN
print. ana this g. one 81 the arguments
which the other side did not deal wiki
I Mai. Meldrim said, however. he had no
unklnd word 10 say Of any OF The gentle
men ia question.
lie said the party he represented was a
[ recognized wing Of the democratic party
as the chairman had requested him 20
name man to 20 on the campaig IN COM
mlttee for the state, and no had named
Hon Walter @. Charlton. There were
| thousands. he said. who did not vote IN
the primary. He would not say u they
were turned out they would not support
the nominee Of the convention, but ne
stated they would hardly have the heart
1ir W. F. slater made the argument in
behalf Of the Citizens Club delegation.
Mai. Meldrim, he said. had admitted
frankly that the primary delegates were
the legal delegates. and said that the
other delegates ought 10 be seated simply
because they We're democrats. He said he
did not know whether they were democrats
or not. and only Judged b. their willing
ness TO abide By the will OF the majority.
The trouble he said, dates further back
than this year. IL began with the mass
meetings Of 1884. held in the squares,
which were more like dog fights than any
thing else. The respectable people he
said. went 10 work and ordered primary
Of which he read an account from the
MorninC News.
Mr.. slater said Mai. Meldrim had re-
for To ha. fTHHH of oil dom rrH IN
support the boy orator Of the Platte. II
was equally the duty OF the gold faction
led by Hi TO support him, he said, and
Just as true that the Liberal Club should
abide by the viii Of the majority.
This is "a fractional matter as Maj
Meldrlm has stated" he said, "a con-
test for tho control Of the machinery in
Chatham county and If so who should
control? Why certainly the majority has
the right 70 control"
Speaking Of the Illegal registration fea-
ture, he said It was true some go war
rants had been sworn out against parties
on that ground, all Of whom were support
ers OF the Citizens Club. but only four Of
them had been indicted. These warrants
he said, had been sworn out by hired
henchmen.
Mr.. Slater intimated that the Liberal
Club people intended to bolt when a pri-
mary was decided on by the executive
committee. He called attention to the
personnel Of the referees who were 70
I'VE had the majority on the executive
committee" he said. " and we've got the
majority in Chatham county We are the
regularly constituted delegates from Chat
ham county as you see by our credentials
signed by the chairman of the party"
The executive committee, he said, had
the absolute right to name the election
managers There might have been man
ayers named, he said, who were not only
Objectionable to the Citizens Club. but as
well TO decent people There are any guam
tity Of wardheelers and politicians I'm Sa-
vannah, he said, who live upon Doodle,
and are paid TO fight for their side around
the polls.
"Dr. Duncan" he said, had no more
right to call a democratic mass meeting
than did. Suppose there were 1000 people
there. / was not there. They have no more
right here than any outsider"
They had fair expression of the Vot-
ers Of Chatham county, he said. but not
Of the negro voters, who have been formed
into clubs which are supported by the Lib
eral Club. Mr.. Slater's time was up here
and he yielded.
Maj Meldrim, in conclusion said the
primary he'd two years ago was a fair pri-
mary. as both factions had the right to
name their managers and they
did. The fortunes of war
were against what is now the
Liberal Club faction, he said, but they sub
mitted gracefully. He spoke again of Mr..
Tiedeman's having stated he would vote
for Mckinley
HAS not Capt. Flannery of your COM
mittee said the same thing?" asked Mr..
Slater.
i have never heard that he made any
such statement" Maj. Meldrim replied.
1T Is true the majority rules" he con-
tinued, but might never made right A
thing that is low and mean and contempt
iblei Is low and mean and contemplate
no matter who does IL. II the primary
had been fair we would have yielded to
it, That would have been been an easy
conclusion of the whole matter, and that
| is what we wanted"
Maj Meldrim referred to Capt Henry
kolshorn, who was named as one of the
referees at the primary and who was
afterward made a candidate. He spoke
of Judge Norwood's refusal to act as
referee in the matter of registration be-
| fore the resolution with his name in ii
had been passed. The vote at the primary,
he said was only 600 to LOO out OF a
registration of nearly 400. Mai Meldrim
| said he had never appealed for mercy.
| but came only for right and justice.
| There is no position in your gift, he said,
| that / want. but I shall not allow any
| thirteen men of whom seven are office
holders to take me by the throat. and
tell me what / shall do. l want to see
Mr.. Geiger nominated and elected, but let
us rise above all these little differences
and everything that is low and mean, and
meet on the broad platform OF what is
right. I know that sentiment is echoed
in the hearts of everyone Of these gentle
men"
Mr.. Haskell, when Maj. Meldrim had
concluded asked for expressions from
| the contesting delegations as to whether
| they would abide by the actions and rul-
| ings of the convention Maj. Meldrim and
| Mr.. Slater Wed with each other in the ef-
| fort 70 make the first affirmative answer
| TO this interrogatory. Both stated posi-
| lively that they would certainly do so.
| Everybody but the four delegates with
| out contests then retired from the build
| ing, and for about twenty minutes, while
| the four delegates We're considering the
/ matter. they ate watermelons, which had
| been provided by the dozen.
When the deliberations had been con-
! Guided they returned and the following
| report from the four delegates was read
! Ellabell, Ga. July 2S lS96.-The delegates
! of Dillingham; and Bryan organized and
| elected Mr.. Z. j. Foy as chairman, and
| Mr.. p. 7. Haskell as secretary.
1t was moved and unanimously carried
/ that the delegates elected at the demo
4 cratic primary, held in Chatham county
/ on June 10. and duly attested by the
/ chairman of the democratic executive
committee Of Chatham county, be seat
| ed
The report was signed by E. j Foy
| chairman: Paul T. Haskell, secretary; W
| 7. Greene and A. j Brown.
Both Mai. Meldrim and Mr.. Slater