Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-25
Some Misapprehension Over Local
Representation at Chicago.
TILE REAL FACTS IN TEE Case
Interesting Story Of the Long Strug.
gle Tor Recognition.
HOW Glory Me

sued by Chairman Harrity of the demo-
cratic national committee, in which it is
stated that each territory and the District
of Columbia shall have two delegates. The
impression had been that the District was
to have six delegates in the Chicago con-
vention the democratic national committee
at its recent meeting here, having passed a
resolution recommending that sucn a num-
Ter be admitted from each of the territories
and the District of Columbia. 1t will be re-
membered that Mr.. Nesbit of Oklahoma in
troduced a resolution asking that Ills ter
ritory be accorded six votes in the national
convention. and that Mr.. James L. Norris
the member of the national committee from
the District of Columbia, secured the adop-
ton of amendment to this procuring the
same privilege for the District. 1t was a
mistaken idea, however, that the adoption
of such resolution finally fixed the repre-
sentation of the District in the conventions
MIR. Norris is Confident.
Mr.. James L. Norris, the District mem
Der of the national committee, when his
attention was called to the statement in
Chairman Harrity's call that the District
of Columbia would be entitled to two
delegates in the convention, said to Star
reporter:
THAT is in accordance with the rule and
practice. At present un Ter the rule made
by the national convention itself the Dis
trict of Columbia is entitled to but tMo
delegates. The resolution adopted by the
national committee just at the close of the
session recommended to the convention
that six delegates be admitted from the
District. So We will elect six delegate les
end they will go to the convention and
apply for admission. When the matter
comes up before the committee on ere
dentials the resolutions OF the national
committee will be presented together with
the credentials Of the District delegates,
and there is no doubt whatever that the
recommendation of the national committee
will prevail. There was no opposition prac-
tically to the proposal in the committee
and there will be none in the committee
en- credentials or the convention. l wish
you were sure of Sett!n, to heaven IS
am that the six delegates who will go
f1om the District will admitted to the
national convention.
A Long, Hard Struggle.
In view Of the interest occasoned by
the forthcoming renewal of activity in the
democratic circles of the District and the
campaign which is about to open for the
selection of delegates to the national con-
vention, ii may not be un.nteresting to
note the history of the persistent and he
roic efforts which the District democracy
made for actual representation in the
tional conventions OF the party before it
succeeded in securing that object.
always represented at the national conven-
ton, but was never accorded the right
to vote, as it was held that the District
having no electoral votes to deliver was
rot entitled to have voice in selecting
the nominees. In the call for the republi-
can convention in 1856, which nominated
Mr.. Fremont, the territories were included
in the representa- ton, and on that ground
the District of Columbia was accorded two
votes in the convention. The democratic
national gathering, however, steadily de-
clined to permit the District to have a voice
in the deliberations. The delegates who
were sent to democratic conventions from
the District were for a long number of
years appointed elected by the jackson
Democratic Association.
In 1872 however, determined move was
made in the directio of securing for the
democratic party of the District of Colum
bia some proper recognition of its rights.
The delegates to the convention in Bal
timore, which nominated Horace Greeley,
from this District were Richard T. Merrick
and William Dickson. Mr.. Merrick made
a strong argument in favor of the District
and the territories, but the committee on
credentials, by large VOTE refused to
admit them. At the next convention, held
at St Louis in 1876, which nominated Sam
uel J. Tilden, the delegates from the Dis
trict were Robert Ball and Columbus AL
exander. They presented their case to
the committee and were politely accorded
seats on the platform, but the convention
refused to give them the right to vote.
Conference Compels n Change.
The next move was made in 1880. A
number of gentlemen who were interested
in the matter examined the arguments
made in the previous conventions, to find
out the cause of the difficulty and try, if
possible, to secure recognition. The gen
tlemen in the original conference were
Messrs: William Dickson, John E. Norris,
C. P. Culver, Duncan S. Walker, Thomas
B. Ka1bfus, Lawrence Gardner and A. A.
Wilson. They saw that the main trouble
in the past had resulted from the fact
been elected by the old Jackson Democratic
Association, and with no intention of being
antagonistic to that old association, but
from the fact that all the delegates in the
national convention were elected at pri-
mary meetings, the conference held that
delegates coming from the District Of Co.
lumbia should be elected in the same way,
and not appointed from club or assocla-
ton.
The plan Of a central democratic COM
mittee was devised, and a call issued under
the authority Of the Jackson Association
for tine election Of three delegates from
each Of the twenty-five legislative districts
in the city to meet in convention and to
elect two delegates and two alternates
The convention was held in the old Cos
mopolitan Hall, at the corner Of Sth and d
streets, with Mr.. John F. Ennis of the Dis
trict bar as chairman and Mr.. Lawrence
Gardner as secretary. This convention
elected as delegates A. A. Wilson, now
marshal, and William Dickson, and, as
alternates, Robert Ball and Lawrence
Gardner. The convention also adopted a
resolution asking each Of the twenty-five
districts to name one member of a central
democratic committee, this committee to
have charge Of all political matters pertain
ing to the democracy in the District of
Columbia.
Recognition Almost Assured.
Tho delegates elected attended the Gin
cinnati convention, and there Delegate
Martin McGinniss OF Montana presented
their case to the committee on credentials,
and received a favorable report, the prin-
cipal argument used being that as each
of the territories were some day to become
states. it would be a good plan to encour-
age democratic organization in the terri
tories and the District of Columbia by
granting them two votes each in the ma
tional convention, one member on the ma
tional committee and membership on all
committees. As, the report from the COM
mittee was being presented to the conven-
ton, Mr.. Joseph Pulitzer, now of the New
York World. but then delegate from st.
Louis, at the instigation Of some men with
selfish interests to serve, objected to the