The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-19
Will Have Nothing to Do With the
Altgeld Clan.
THEY ARE NOT DEMOCRATS
so SAYS THE ILLINOIS NATION
AL COMMITTEEMAN.
He Follows In the Footsteps of May
or Carter Harrison and Declines
An Invitation to Attend the Free
Silver Demonstration In Chicago
Tomorrow Night.

Chicago, July 1S.-The fight between
the regular Democratic organization OF
Cook county and the state of Illinois
J represented by Mayor Harrison and
National Committeeman Gahan on the
one side, and the Altgeld wing of the
| Democracy, which supported ex-Gov-
ernor Altgeld as an Independent candi-
date for mayor at the last election on
the other, reached an acute stage today
| and threatens to involve the national
! committee, in spite Of the strenuous
attempts being made to keep local
quarrels out OF the proceedings at next
Thursdays meeting Of the national
committee in this city. Thomas Gahan,
national committeeman from Illinois,
in an open letter today to the leaders
| of the Altgeld element of the party, eX-
plains his reasons Tor declining to at
| tend the Auditorium meeting of Thurs
| day night, and appeals to his colleagues
| OF the national committee to refrain
from attending the Altgeld meeting.
! Interest is added to the occasion by the
report of Governor Altgeld's friends
that Bryan, some days ago, accepted
| the invitation TO address the meeting.
The letter of National Committeeman
Gahan follows:
| Chicago, July IS. 1S99.-The Commit
tee on Arrangements, Auditorium
| Meeting of July 20: Gent1emen-I am
| just in receipt OF your letter of July II,
| rendering me box 81 for the Auditorium
meeting OF july 90
Why He VIII Not Attend.
THE published statements of the
! chairman of your committee has made
1t manifest that this invitation is not
rendered in good faith, and not one
! which any believer in the integrity of
Democratic organizations could be eX-
pected to accept, and, ordinarily, a mere
declination of the box rendered me
would suffice; but since ! am informed
by the daily press that large num-
Der of invitations have been sent by
your committee to members of the ma
tional committee, / feel ii my duty as a
Democratic national committeeman
from the state of Illinois TO give you
and the public the reasons which make
II impossible that l could accept this
invitation without stultifying the DEM
ocratic party of the state of Illinois,
and committing an injustice TO the
Democratic party of Chicago.
The membership of your committee
on arrangements, in whose behalf this
invitation is rendered me- shows that
its personnel is entirely composed of
gentlemen who in April last, opposed
the regular Democratic candidate for
mayor and other charter offices Of the
city of Chicago, and did all in their
power to bring about the defeat of the
regular Democratic ticket and the cleo
ton of the regular Republican ticket at
that election. Strange as it may ap-
pear TO those from abroad, an exami-
nation of the members of the other
committees arranging the proposed
meeting at the Auditorium, shows that
every member Of the several auxiliary
committees likewise opposed the regu-
lar Democratic ticket and its nominees
in the Chicago election of last April,
and likewise sought to defeat the regu-
lar Democratic ticket and elect the Re-
publican ticket at that election
Says They Are Traitors.
Il am a believer in the rule of ma
jority, and when the Democratic party
ceases to believe in the rule of MAORI
ties it will cease to be the party of the
people. The primaries and the conven-
ton of last spring We're held under a
law, the principles of which were APP
proved and the passage of which was
publicly recommended by your factional
leader. Notwithstanding this and re- |
pudiating in advance the work of that !
convention and will of the majority, |
you sounded the battle cry of Anything !
to beat the regular Democratic nomi- J
nee, and maintained a guerrilla war |
against the Democratic party and its |
regular organization until you were re- |
buked at the polls by such an over !
defeat as to effectively 81 |
lence your pretensions of party organi |
cation, until you saw in this demon |
stration of July 20 an opportunity to |
galvanize the lifeless seeds !
of party sedition which you there so |
zealously sowed.
I would be recreant to my trust as
the representative Of the Illinois Dem
Ocracy on the national committee if I |
did not frankly review these facts,
which are within the m emory of all, and
which should be brought to the atten-
ton of the entire Democratic national
as the reason why the ma
-ional committeeman of Illinois cannot
attend your Transportation.
In the three years that it has been
my honor to represent the Democracy
IF Illinois on the national committee 1
nave considered it my duty to labor for
party harmony in the state of Illinois
and for the Cancellation of all elements,
n order that we might in 1900 redeem
illinois to Democracy by sending TWEEN
.y-four votes to the electoral college
or William J. BRYAN and sharing in the
triumph of that platform of principles
or which the Democratic national COM
nittee so faithfully labored against
odds in the dark days of
S26.
Not In Good Faith.
IF l saw in your proposed meeting,
" in the membership of your several
a single indication to a
1opP of marty unity if VOn had hold