The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-19
REBUKE OF ALTGELD
1T IS ADMINISTERED BY DEMO
CRATIC NATIONAL COMMIT
TEEMAN GAHAN
MAJORITY MUST EVER RULE

hevtng That Harmony Is Aimed
At-Fuu Text of Mr.. Gahan's
DecI1nat1on of Invitation to At
tend Auditorium Meeting.
CHICAGO, July 1S.-The fight between
the regular Democratic organization Of
Cook county and the state of Illinois rep
resented by Mayor Harrison and Nation
al Committeeman Gahan on the one side
and the Altgeld wing of the Democracy,
which supported ex-Gov. Altgeld as an
Independent candidate for mayoralty at
the last election, on the other, has reach
ed an acute stage today, and threatens to
involve the national committee, in spite
of the strenuous efforts being made to
keep local quarrels out of the proceedings
of next Thursdays meeting of the nation
al committee in this city.
Hon. Thomas Gahan, national commit
teeman from Illinois, in an open letter
today to the leaders of the Altgeld eIe-
ment Of the party, explains his reason for
declining to attend the auditorium meet
ing OF Thursday night and by indirection
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 Gov. Altgeld' 8
friends that Mr.. Bryan, some days ago,
accepted an invitation to address the
meeting. The letter of National Commit
teeman Gahan follows in full:
Chicago, July 18-The Ccmmittee on
Adrraangements Al Of the Auditorium Meeting
fy EI July ~, Clty-Gentlemen: am just
III receipt OF VOnr 1eftaT Of T,,Iv
ing me box 81 for Auditorium meeting of
JuIy ~. The published statements of
c1iaIffIan 1Cff OF your committee has made it
manifest that this invitation is not ten
uered IN good faith, and not one which
any oeneVer in the integrity of Demo
cratlc organizations could be expected to
accept and, ordinarily, a mere decIina-
Ion OF the box rendered me would suffice
put since l am informed by the daiIv
press press mat large number of invitations
nave been sent by your COMMITTEES tc
members of the national COMMITTEE y
feel 1t my duty as a Democratic national
committeeman from the state of Illinois
that make it impossible for me to accant
this invitation without stultifvinp The
Demtocratc party Of this state, and com
nntI niiutIns an injustice to the Democratic
party or this county.
Inc membership of your committee on
it1s a. elis sehienls on whose behalf this in
nltauon Is rendered me shows that in its
| personnel this committee is entirely com
posed of gentlemen who, in April last
! opposed the regular Democratic candi-
| cate Tor mayor, and other charter officers
| OF the city OF Chicago, and did Ali ir
| thelr power to bring about the defeat ~
| the regular Democratic ticket and +bt
| e!ectlon OF the regular Republican tickei
| at that election. '-Nf0
Strange as it may appear tn +bose
from ABROAD an examination of the mem.
pers OF the other committees arranrina
the proposed meeting at the Auditoriur1
| shows that every member of the SeHLaIl I'll
| auxiliary committees likewise onnoseG
the regular Democratic ticket ana its
IoniIiiees k11.iI IN the chicago election of last
| april, and Hkewse sought to defeat the
| regular Democratic ticket and elect fhf
| republican ticket at that election.
RULE OF MAJORITY.
II am believer in the rule of majority
| L-and When the Democratic party chooses
| 10 believe in the rule of majorities it viii
pTaii7 pTaHe 10 De the party of the people. The
| prenmlnarles and the convention of Iast
| spring were held under a law the prin-
Dtples ,oto6 oI Wnlch were approved and the
mendegS pass5ge b Oh which was publicly recon-
| nenued py your factional leader Not
Wllnstand1ng this, and repudiating in ad-
vance the work of that convention and
me VIII OF the majority, you sounded the
Datle cry, Anything to beat the regu1aT
| Democra1e nominee and maintained' q
| guerilla warfare against the Democra tic
party and It's regular organization until
you were rebuked at the polls by such an
! overwhelming defeat as to effectiveII ai ei
!ence your pretensions of party orea 1iza-
! tlon until you saw In this demonstra tion
OF July 20 an opportunity to temporariIv
galvanize the lifeless seeds of party sedf. dt +
ton which you there so zeaIousIy sowed
Il would be recreant to my trust as tho
representative of the Illinois Democrat
| national committee If I did not franISiH
view these. facts that are within fhs
memory of all and which should he
brought to the attention of the entire ne-
tlonal committee as the reason whv the
national committee of Illinois cannot 81
tend your demonstration 90
In the three years that it has been mv
honor to represent the Democracv ~ ~
| Illinois on the national committee / havf
| considered 1t my duty to labor for nartS
harmony in the state of Illinois, and foy
| the conciliation of all elements in orde1
that we might in 1900 redeem It tn tbf
Democracy by sending twenty-four votes
| to the electoral college for William r
Bryan. and sharing in the triumph Of Of
| that platform of principles for Whjcl
| the Democratic national COMMITTEES e.
| faithfully labored. against Overwhelming
| odds. in the dark days Of 1896. If saw
| in your proposed meeting. or in the mem.
bership OF your several committees 8
single indication to a hope of party
unity, II you had held out for a mo.
ment the hand Of goodfeIiowship: il yo,
! had for a moment In your asseverations