The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-05
IN THE RACE FOR CONGRESS.
HON. ALFRED HARRINGTON TO Run
AGAINST col. LESTER.

He l. Not Exactly Satisfied With the
Early Date for the Convention.
Mr.. Harrington Came 10 Savannah
Yesterday 10 See Chairman what
ley About Another Meeting of the
Executive Committee 40 Arrange
some other PIan-He Says He VIII
Insist on Primary.
Hon Alfred Harrington VIII be in the
race for congress against Col. Rufus Z.
Lester in the First congressional dis
triet. Air. Harrington came down from
swainsboro yesterday for the purpose Of
comforting with Chairman q. 3. What
ley Of the democratic executive COM
m-ttee of the First congressional district.
and while here announced positively that
he would be a candidate
Mr.. Herrington's visit 10 the city was
due TO the fact that the district conven-
ton was called to meet June 10 a date
much earlier than he expected IT, Mr..
Harrington has not announced MS can
di1acy heretofore for reasons which he
himself states, and he Is now anxious that
the convention be postponed until a later
date, or that the committee change the
plan and order a primary for congress
Il shall be a candidate for congress"
Mr.. Harrington said TO a representative
Of the Morning News, "but not before
the convention as 1t now exists. 1 am
open to propositions in this direction.
however, and am willing to abide by
whatever is fair and reasonable.
In talking with Chairman Whatley of
the executive committee to-day about
.f
change the date of holding the conven-
ton, he expressed himself as favoring
that position, but seemed to think that he
was poWereless to act. 1 think, however,
that Mr.. Whatley has as much right to
can the committee together now as at
any other time, since, in my opinion,
there has been no legal action Of the com
mlttee. The committee was pOwerless to
act without a quorum present. accord
ing 10 my construction of the rules gov
erntng such meetings, as there must be
at least quorum present before there
is any organization authorized to take
any action, and unless specifically pro-
Nlded for majority Of any organized
BODY IS necessary to constitute quorum.
mere being only two of the. committee
present, they could not legally act but
Lhey did act and accepted seven proxies.
The chairman of the committee passed
upon three Of the proxies in his own
FAVOR, thereby making himself a judge
IN his own case All of this l consider
lIegal' ana convention predicated upon
eAEll dElADu Is also Illegal ana NOlu.
Then, too, consider the action Of the
committee premature. The emergency
ala not require anything of the kind, in
dSmuch as there were no announced can
didates in the field. In a correspondence
some time since between Col. Lester and
myself, l told him l would not declare
my candidacy until he returned from
Washington. I have a letter from him
stating that he did not know that ne
would become candidate at all
In consequence of all this l have here
tofore evaded all questions considering
the probability Of my entering the race
for congress. AS / esteem Mr.. Testers
friendship very highly l wanted to carry
out my promise to him and let us take
an even start. l was not aware of the
action OF the executive committee in call
ing the convention for June 10 until a
rev days ago. shall still insist upon the
executive committee of the district COM
ing together and taking such action as
VIII guarantee an impartial hearing be-
fore the people of Mr. Lester and myself.
If / had an opportunity of presenting
my cause before the committee ! would
shall still insist"
This was all Mr. Harrington had to say
on the subject, but there is no doubt of
the fact that he is going to be in the
race. Some time ago in conversation with
a representative of the Morning News he
would say nothing one way or the other
as to whether he intended to become q
candidate. He would only say then that
whenever he decided to enter the race he
had promised to let Col Lester know be-
fore he made any announcement. He no
titled Col. Lester some time ago that he
intended to be a candidate but he did
not make any public announcement of
that fact until some days after the execu-
tive committee called the convention for
June 10. Mr.. Harrington wants a pri-
mary, and prefers to go before the peo-
pie in that way rather than to go before
a convention.