Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-14
THE SAD SEXTET
Differences Among the Democratic
Delegates to Chicago.
WORKING At CIR OSS PURPOSES
Individual Aspirations Said to Be
the Causes.
SOME INSIDE HISTORY

! The tragedy Of the Kilkenny cats may be
| re-enacted right here in the city of Wash
| ington before long. if some power does not
| exert itself to produce harmony in the
| District democratic delegation to the ap-
| preaching national convention at Chicago.
| Political ingenuity of the highest char
| acter has been directed for some time to-
ward attaining this harmony. Readers of
The Evening Star are familiar with the
| campaign which preceded the convention
| that elected the seXtet of delegates, and
are aware that five Of the delegation owed
their exaltation to a combination entered
into by the majority of the members of the
| central democratic committee Of tho Dis
| trict of Columbia.
There Was but One Issue.
| There was but one issue in the campaign.
| SO far as the members Of the combine"
were concerned. The silver and gold Gues-
| ton did not enter into it at all. save, per-
| haps, in the case of one candidate, who
| was Mr.. Robert E. Mattingly. The other
| delegates made no campaign issue of the
| financial problem, and the convention that
| elected them was silent on this subject.
| though 1t is said to be a good sixteen TO
| one bet, judging from the individual prefer
| ences of the delegates, that he majority
| are not administration men when the color
| OF money metal Is the issue.
| However, the sole issue in the campaign,
| SO far the combine was concerned,
! was the selection of a member of the ma
| tonal democratic committee for the next
| four years, and a majority of the delegates
elected were understood by their friends to
| be determined tc place Mr. Lawrence Gard
rer in that position.
Mr. Gardner Managed the Campaign.
| 1t was regarded his just due by the
delegates because he was in reality the
| manager of the campaign.
| He directed it from beginning to end.
| Every day, for weeks, all the candidates
| except Mr.. Killeen and Mr.. Forrest and Mr..
| Morgan met for consultation and advice in
| his office, and there met other leading dem
| ocrats from the various assembly districts.
| He was the life and soul of the movement
that successful. ard the straight-out
| democrats in the District supported the
| combine with the distinct understanding,
| 1t is said, that ii should name Mr.. Gardner
! for national committeeman. The leading
| democrats in Washington assumed that Mr..
| Gardner was slated TO succeed Mr.. Norris
| on the national committee.
| Messrs. Holmead Mattingly Jordan and
| Boyle were thought to be committed in
| advance to Mr.. Gardner. The morning af-
| ter the convention AZ the Academy of Music
| Mr.. George killeen visited Mr.. Gardner
| and formally rendered him his support for
national committeeman. Mr.. Morgan is
understood to have also declared that he
| would support Mr.. Gardner.
|
| Thus there appeared TO be unanimity in
| the delegation over that one question at
| least. but suddenly the impression got
| abroad among the delegates that 1t would
| be good thing to choose a member of the
| delegation itself as national committeeman
| and 1t was not long before all six of the
| delegates were cheriShing national COM
| mittee aspirations.
To add to the complexities of the situa-
| ton the delegation became pretty well
convinced that it would be granted bit
| two votes at the Chicago convention and
| each man naturally determined upon be-
| Ing one Of the two who would do the cast
| ing thereof
| The Metropolitan Hotel Meeting.
1t was at this juncture that some of the
| local democratic leaders erdeavored to
patch up, If only temporarily. the differ
| ences between the delegates, so they might
| present "a respectable sort of a front when
| they reached Chicago.
These efforts led to the secret meeting of
| the delegates held Wednesday night of
last week at the Metropolitan Hotel. The
entire delegation was present and it was
suggested that the war horses of the local
party should be called in and consulted.
and allowed to try their skill a mediation
and arbitration. Motions to invite Messrs
Thomas b. Kalbfus. Lawrence Gardner.
William Dickson, Henry f, Davis and Jas.
l.. Norris to join the delegation were car
red. but motion to include Marshal AL
bert A. Wilson was defeated, whereupon
Mr.. George Killeen expressed a pretty de-
cided opinion of the action, and prepared to
leave the meeting.
He was prevented from doing So how
ever. by the action of his colleagues in lay
ing the entire matter on the table. The
delegates separated without reaching a de-
cison on any Of the important questions.
Another attempt was made to get the del
egation into some sort Of a shape for the
work ahead Of 1t, and this resulted in an
| being nv uhi bar
meeting Is to be held, at which the dele
gates will have the gentlemen selected as
| alternates present.
The delegates really do not know which
way to turn, according to common report
because it is said that nearly every one of
them now desires to be national commit
teeman. while each is determined to have
a seat at Chicago, even if the District is
allowed but one.
| Suggestions of Various Kinds.
Some democrats claim that If only two
delegates are admitted they will be Messrs
Mattingly and Morgan, who received the
| highest votes cast in the convention; others
claim that the two admitted, in such a case
will be the two who named by the ma
| tfonal committee previous to the opening
of the convention members of the COM
mittee on the distribution of seats.
1t is the opinion, however. of the best
| informed democrats in the District that
even If the District is allowed but two
| votes that all six of the delegates will be
given seats and allowed one-third Of vote
each. Indeed, the central democratic com
mittee which was in existence during the
campaign In which the delegation was vir-
tually selected, and which managed com
bnations in the interest of all the six dele
gates unanimously passed resolution al
one of its meetings declaring Il to be the
sense and will of the democracy of the
| District that in six votes were not
allowed the delegation that it should plead
for seats with the understanding that each
| obi h;,.l -,