The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-25
REPUBLICANS BADLY SPLIT.
THE HARMONY PROGRAMME FAILS
TO MATERIALIZE.

IN an Agreement to DtSaEree-Ehch
Side Claims to Have the Legal
Chairman and the Genuine Com
mittee-The Pleasant Convention
Called for Feb. II.
The Republicans of the First congress
sional district will hold two district con-
ventons 10 select delegates to the national
and state conventions and pass upon other
party matters. The efforts TO harmonic
the opposing factions and bring the two
rival executive committees together have
resulted in naught The factions will
hold separate conventions, and the fight
which has been in progress for four years
will become warmer than ever.
The efforts 10 bring the two factions to-
gether terminated yesterday afternoon,
after two hours conference at the office
of Col J. II. Deveaux, collector of the
port a the end of which both sides agreed
in saying that there was no hope of bring
ing about a union, and that each would
continue independent of the other. Those
present at the conference were Capt. NJ.
J. Doyle, Mr.. J. F. Doyle, j. r. Delegal,
Rev. f. X. Love, Rev r n NJ. Smith,
JOhli IL W diAtll anu y II. TlilNhiC, ltP-
resentiug the Doyle-Love faction, and Col.
j. H. Deveaux, Capt Harry Blum, l.. NJ.
Pleasant and ]. c. Simmons, represent
ing the Pleasant-Deveaux faction. Mr..
w. r. Leaken, who has been endeavoring
to harmonic the two factions, was not
present being out of the city.
Each side held to the position which it
had assumed in the previous conferences.
The Pleasant leaders declined to vary
from their former proposition to the eff
feet that joint convention should be
called, over which Pleasant should pre-
side as temporary chairman. They sup
pemented this, however, with the provis-
ion that the convention should be organ
lied only by delegates from uncontested
counties. who should perfect the organiza-
ton and select the temporary chairman.
This the Doyle leaders declined to hear
10. They resumed their former PROPOSE
tons, one being that there should be a
joint call by the two rival chairmen, who
should jointly preside over the temporary
organization of the convention and the
other that the rival chairmen and secre-
taries SHOULD get together and select
fifth man, and that the five together should
make up the roll of delegates to the con-
vention and select a temporary chairman
to preside over the organization of the
convention. Both these propositions were
rejected by the Pleasant side as unsatis-
factory and tending to further confusion.
Finding that no agreement was possible,
the Doyles and their friends withdrew,
stating mat the convention would be call
ed independently of the other faction.
After the members of the opposition had
withdrawn Capt Pleasant, who claims to
be the only legitimate chairman of the
district, announced that he would call the
district convention to meet Feb. IA at Sa-
vannah.
The failure of the two factions to agree
evidently means that there is bitter
fight in store between the Republican
leaders of the district in which the lead
ing office holders appear to be about
equally divided. Collector ]. H. Deveaux
and Supervisor of the Census Harry Blum
are on the Pleasant side of the house
while Postmaster Doyle is the head of the
other faction of which j. r. Delegal is
the nominal head. The postmaster has
able support, including his father Capt.
M. j. Doyle, Rev. e. X. Love and Prof.
r. r. Wright. The minor politicians are
divided between the two sides.
Col DeveauX, in explaining the exist
ence of the two rival chairmen with their
rival committees said that there was
split in the Guyton convention in 1896 one
side electing Peasants as chairman, and
the other electing Delegal. Peasants
committee elected him for four years
while Delegal was only elected for two
De egal having failed to call his com
mittee together in 1885, said Col. De-
VeauX, "a majority of his committee call
issued a call for a meeting, to which Capt
Peasants and his committee was invit-
ed. and Peasants made chairman of the
joint meeting. He was instructed by the
meeting to call district convention
which was done. He presided at the con-
Vention in 1898, but Delegal and his friends
tow cd int tIa 4
anything from being accomplished. The
result was that no organization was per
fected, and the convention adjourned
leaving Pleasant as chairman. Delegals
term as chairman expired two years ago.
and he has no claim whatever"
Rev. r. K. Love submitted a statement
of the other side of the controversy:
The situation is briefly this" said he
The Republican District Committee OF
the First district is regularly organized,
with j. r. Delegal of Liberty county as
chairman, and John e. Warren of Burke
county as secretary. 1t has been recog-
niZed by the National Republican Com
mittee and by the State Republican Com
mittee, under which 1t made the memoir
able campaign for Mckinley in this dis
trict. l.. NJ Pleasant, representing the
minority, the principal members of which
were accorded places on the District Com
mittee for harmonys sake, as he himself
chairman of the District Committee, which
claim has been repudiated by the Repub-
hcan National and State Committees, and
by the Republicans of the First district
and by nine-tenths of the present District
Committee. In spite of these facts Pleas
ant again having bobbed up with his
claim and succeeded in securing a small
following, it was thought proper to en-
deavor TO come to some reasonable agree
ment with the minority, which would
avoid the appearance of division in the
party ranks. this not only being the wish
of the State and National Republican
Committees, but the desire of the Republi-
cans representing the party organiza ton.
To this end, at a conference at which
the regular organization and the Pleasant
contingent were represented, in a spirit
of harmony, l suggested two methods, by
either Of which an amicable and an har-
monous, as well as decidedly fair conduct
Of the future district convention could and
would have conducted, with reference to
the rights of the majority and minority
members of the organization, both of