The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-09-02
NM. .HARR|TY HEARD FROM
ATTEMPT TO GUST H,,
FROM THE DEMOCRATIC IA.
TioNAL COMMITTEE.
4 LETTER DEFINING HIS POSITION
SUITE Chairman Garmau
only the National Commit
lee Has Authority to Re-
.,f. move Him.

III plhniilladelphia, Aug. 2o.-wiuiom F
Fl Goy, oSnlght sent a letter to John
state no, nn, chairman of the democratic
on the movement agitated nv certa;n
!tactions OF the party to GUST him from rom,
the national committee. iioli
AFTER referring to the col, ;ssr.a h.,
thurman Garman for a meeting of Thy
s.ate committee at Reading pa tomnr.
NV NV haisht-the eve of the state conyen.
omns., LOT tne purpose of considering the
Iuestloh OF the vacancy in the member.
slid from Pennsylvania in the demo
tratlc national committee, and of filing
me vacancy if the same be found to
eAist' MIR. Harrty continues:
me language of your call practically
the ne mat there is no vacancy in
1ns pennsylvania membership of the
u mott national committee, and, as
matter of fact, there is none. | was
elected to that position by the demo.
cratic national convention upon the
unanimous recommendation of the Penn
SsNaHla delegation to that convention.
Noee proceedings of the democratic ma.
Iiohal convention of 1896, pages 1877 to
I1i.l L nave not resigned, and | have
NOT been removed; nor is it in the power
vi any convention, committee or person
Nofe NE eApecept the democratic
national committee itself.
IN the campaign of 1896 the demo-
cratic national committee delegated to
ATS campaign committee the power to
Ileciare vacancies. In pursuance of that
authority, Chairman James X. Jones.
on Dehalf of the campaign committee.
on October 10, 1896, raised the question
OF my attitude toward the democratic
party, and | made reply to him, under
date of October 20, 1896 My answer
was accepted as entirely satisfactory by
Chairman Jones, and he so declared and
so decided. He declined to make a va
cancy or assent that one should be
made. Enclosed you will find copies of
the letters which passed at the time,
which will, | trust, with this commu-
nication, be submitted for the consider
alton of the members of the democratic
state committee"
MIR. Harrity then refers to the reso-
luton defeated at the state convention
of September 10. 1896, requesting Chair
man Jones to declare Harrity's place
on the national committee vacant.
Proceeding, he says:
1t will thus be seen as the Droper
time for the consideration of the mat
ter in controversy. if there was any rea-
son for raising the question at all. name
ly, in the presidential campaign of 1896,
the democracy of Pennsylvania express
ed it's opinion in my favor and the dem
ocratic national committee. through it's
chairman, decided that there was not
sufficient reason for my removal from
membership in the democratic national
committee. Even within the past few
weeks. namely, on July 80, 1897. Chair
man Jones has written me that your
letter to me last fall impressed me as
straightforward. candid and manly. and
! accepted it as being entirely salts
factory to me-
"In pursuance of the public declara-
Ation made by me over a year ago that
did not thereafter actively participate
in politics, as | had previously done.
have not desired to have much to say
concerning political management or or
ganiZation. | have no candidates to
suggest. and | have no disposition to
interfere with the legitimate work of
the state convention. | have, however,
ventured to suggest that | hoped that
wise counsels would prevail at the
Reading convention and that the out
come would be of such character that
it would be an invitation to all demo-
Gratis to take an active and aggressive
part in the coming campaign. which may
be regarded as the preliminary skirmish
of the gubernatorial and senatorial con-
tests of 1898. regret to notice. how
ever that the indications are that some
of the democratic leaders, among them
some who are officially connected with
the organization of the party, are bent
upon a course which they mistakenly
think will benefit themselves, regardless
of it's effects upon the party itself or
it's future.
'The attack made upon ME by some
of those within the democratic party in
Pennsylvania is unjustifiable and in the
main it is prompted by selfish. unworthy
and malign motives. By their wilful
and malicious Misrepresentation they
have misled some others into the belief
that in some way have been inimical
to the democratic party and its inter-
ests. But such is not the fact. nave
never voted any other than the demo,
cratic ticket and have never supported
any other than democratic Candidates.
That has been my habit. l have no
desire to change it., and do not Intend
to do so. 1t is my hope and eXpecta-
ton to vote for the nominees ol lhe
Reading convention.
"Allow me to add that do not De-
lieve that success ought to, or can, at
tend the efforts of those who are so
narrow and bigotted as to insist that
the declara tions of a political conven-
ton are so binding upon the. polltical
consciences of the members OF a party
as to drive from its membership all OF
those who do not accept implicitly every
line and every letter of its very dogma.
\r doctrine. Chairman Jones himself
MAS broad enough to express this same
belief when he declared my letter to
him was a straightforward. manly let
ter which seemed to cover the case COM
pletely.' .,,o Low,
ocratic national committee, the only
body now having jurisdiction of the
unaiifcations of it's members, since the