Omaha daily bee., 1899-07-19
HARSH WORDS FROM CAHAN
D. mocratic Party in Illinois Involved in a
Hopeless Wrangle.
MANY VACANT CHAIRS IN THE AUDITORIUM
Faction Headed by Harrison and
Gnhnn Believes the Meeting to BE
in Interest of Disloyal
Members OF Party.

CHICAGO, July 1s.-The fight between
the regular democratic organization Of
Cook county and the state OF Illinois, rep
resented by Mayor Harrison and National
Committeeman Gahan on the one side and
the Altgeld wing OF democracy, which sup
ported Ex-Governor Altgeld, an independent
candidate for the mayoralty at the last
election, on the other has reached an acute
stage today and threatens to involve the
national committee in spite of the strenuous
attempts beng made to keep local ~quarrels
out OF the proceedings of next Tuesdays
meeting of the national committee in this
city. Hon. Thomas Gahan, national com
mitteeman from Illinois, in an open letter
today to the leaders of the Altgeld element
Of the party, explains his reason for declin-
ing to attend the Auditorium meeting OF
Thursday night and indirectly appeals to his
colleagues OF the national committee to re-
frain from attending the Altgeld meeting.
Interest is added to the occasion by the re-
port Of Ex-Governor Altgeld's friends that
Bryan, some days ago, accepted an invita-
ton to address the meeting. The letter of
National Committeeman Gahan follows in
full:
CHICAGO, July IS, 1S99.-The Commit
- ~ EhuuANoi lulh Vtfh
of July 20: Gentlemen-I am Just in re-
ceipt Of your letter of July II. rendering
me box No. 81 for the Auditorium meeting
of jury 90.
The published statements of the chairman
OF your committee have made 1t manifest
that this invitation is not rendered in good
faith and is not one in which a believer
of the integrity of the democratic organ
ization could be expected to accept and or
dinarily a declination of a box rendered me
u-Ou1I hl,N at-nA 49,, 49,, hu
the daily press that a large number of
invitations have been sent by your COM
mittee to members of the national commit
tee | feel it my duty as a national demo-
cratic committeeman from the state of 1lli-
nois to give you and the public the reasons
which make 1t impossible that l could ac-
cept this invitation without stuftifying the
democratic party Of the state of Illinois and
committing an injustice to the democratic
party Of the nation.
The membership of your committee on
arrangements, on whose behalf this invita-
tion Is rendered me, shows that In its per-
sonnet this committee 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 election Of the regular republican
ticket at that election. Strange as 1t may
appear to those from abroad, an eNamina-
ton of the members OF the other commit
tees arranging the proposed meeting at the
Auditorium shows that every member of the
several auxiliary committees likewise OPP
posed the regular democratic ticket and its
nominees last April and sought to defeat
the regular democratic ticket and elect the
republican ticket at that election.
VIII of Majority Shall Rule.
am a believer in the rule of the ma
jority and when the democratic party ceases
- T. L., tL~ -,,f, n rpn Nrittnc l. will
cease to be the party Of the people. The
primaries and the convention of last spring
were held under the law and the principles
were approved by your factional leader.
Notwithstanding this and repudiating In ad-
vance the work Of that convention and the
will of the majority, you sounded the battle
cry of anything to beat the regular dem
ocratic nominee and maintained a guerrilla
warfare against the democratic party ana
it's regular nomination until you were re-
pulsed at the polls by such an overwhelm-
ing defeat as to effectually silence your
pretensions of party organization until you
saw in this demonstration of July 70 an
opportunity to temporarily galvanize the
lifeless seeds of party sedition which you
there so zealously sowed.
would be recreant to my trust as the
representative of the Illinois democracy on
the national committee If l did not frankly
review these facts. which are within the
memory OF all and which should be brought
TO the attention OF l0e ullTe ellio atiS
national committed as the reason why the
national committeeman of Illinois cannot
attend your demonstration.
In the three years that 1t has been my
honor to represent the democracy OF llli-
nois on the national committee l have con-
sidered it my duty to labor for party mar
mony in the state of Illinois and for the
Cancellation of all elements in order that
we might in 1900 redeem Illinois to
democracy by sending twenty-four votes TO
the electoral college for William j.. Bryan
and sharing in the triumph of that platform
of principles for which the national dem
ocratic committee SO faithfully labored
against overwhelming odds in the dark days
of 1896.
No Hope for Unity.
II | saw in your proposed meeting OF
in the membership of your several com.
mittees a single indication to a nope Oh
party unity, IL you had held out for a mo-
ment the hand of good fellowship; II you
had for a moment in your reservations Oh
democracy indicated that you would nave
accepted the olive branch on any condition
short of a surrender of party organization
and party principles to the within and ca
prices and exactions Of a hopeless minority,
would have been the first to make an
overture in the belief that the hrst duty
Of a committeeman Is to harmonic the
elements OF his party.
Rut yorr action and your declarations
and the public announcement of your pres
ent intentions have proved that you are
not an element of the democratic party
that its constituent principles cannot sur
vive in your atmosphere and that to ac-
cept your dictation is to surrender that
fundamental doctrine which finds In the rule
OF a majority the success OF the demo-
cratic party.
For these reasons and for the further
reason that a sense of duty must make
IL impossible for any loyal democrat OF
Illinois who believes in party organizations
and the rule of majorities to attend a pub
lie meeting under your auspices, | must re-
spectfurly decline your invitation. Very
trnly voi,rs THOMAS GAHAN,
Democratic National Committeeman from
Illinois.