The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-13

prepared an answer to the protest c
DR.. Robert Reyburn and the Rev. Georg
w. Lee, in the matter of the contest fol
delegates from the District of Columbia Il
the Republican National Convention. B,
way of introduction they say:
I'VE. the undersigned, William Calvin
Chase and John E. Jones, claim to be the
only regularly and duly elected delegate:
to your convention from the District o
Columbia. but as our right to seats il
your body is being contested it become:
necessary, under the rules made by the
National Committee, to lay before you the
facts in the case.
AT meeting of the Republican Ma
tionai Committee held in the city Of Wash.
ington, District of Columbia. in the Ar
lington Hotel. December is, 1899, the fol-
lowing call was adopted and issued by
said. committee. to wit"
Then follows the address to the Repub-
lican electors of the United States issued
from the headquarters OF the Republican
National Committee. The answer contains
the information that In compliance witt
that address. on or about the 2ith of Feb.
rnary, 1860, in the Office Of Hon. John B
Cotton, Chairman of the Board of Election
appointed by subcommittee from the Ma
tional Republican Committee, the election
board, John B. Cotton, l.. NJ. Saunders, and
W. Calvin Chase. discussed plans and
methods for the election of delegates and
alternate delegates in the city of Wash
ington, District of Column ia, to the Ma
tional Republican Convention. The cleo
tion board adopted and published rules and
rery ,lnst f.,w H. a. ILL
and alternate delegates
Messrs. Chase and Jones then recite the
rules which were adopted by the board
for the government of the primary election
An Orderly Election.
Continuing, they say:
1T was no doubt the most orderly cleo
tion that has ever been held in the city of
Washington with but few exceptions, and
a great improvement over the elections
at that time cast over 5000 votes for Col.
L. NJ. Saunders and L. C. Bailey, p. H.
Carson and Andrew Gleeson, who were
candidates for delegates, but at the cleo
ton held March 6, 1900. the same district.
as you Will see by the returns Of the
judges, only cast for the entire nine can
didates-Chase, Jones, Emmons, Peterson,
Reyburn, Lee. Hensey, Perry, and Thorn
as-250 votes. You can see that 5000
votes we're cast in three hours which was
physical impossibility. The same dis
trict March 6 po,led ESQ votes in eight
hours, and these are the same mel who
are now crying fraud. The entire TWEEN
ty-two districts the same year cast over
$4,000 votes, or rather the return of the
judges so showed. whereas, at the election
of March 6, under the supervision of your
election board, few over $4,000 votes
were cast.
This reform is due to the arduous labor
of Hon John b. Cotton, formerly judge OF
the Court OF Claims, whose name was sug-
gested by the Hon. Joseph H. Manley one
of the members of the subcommittee of
the Republican National Committee. The
most surprising spectacle In the election
of March 6, 1900. was the large white Re
publican vote. Never before in the history
of politics in the District of Columbia have
white Republicans taken such an interest
in District politics. This was due to the
strenuous efforts of Judge Cotton, who as
sured the Republicans that the election
should be peaceable and quiet The only
disturbances that were made were by the
Reyburn and Lee faction in the Eighth
election district and the Third district in
West Washington.
In the Eighth election district this ele-
ment attempted TO take forcible possession
of the polls and threatened to do bodily
injury to the judges appointed by the cleo
ton board. Judge Cotton was compelled
to call on the Chief Of Police for aid, who
Immediately despatched an officer to the
polls. In the Third district one of the sup
porters of Mr. Saunders broke into the
back door Of the election booth and smash
hp1n cyf,ry .p Il
William Harnedy Enclosed are the af-
fidavits Of one Of their own men and Will
lam Harnedy. one of the election judges
the stringent rules and
regulations that were adopted by your
election board. the only persons who vio-
lated them were the representatives OF
he Reyburn and Lee party"
Attempted Bribery Charged.
II is charged in the answer to the pro-
test of Messrs. Reyburn and Lee that
Every effort was made to bride the cleo
ton judges by the opposition. and every
effort has been subsequently made TO pur-
chase judges for the purpose of making
false affidarits. but without success.
AT 8 O'Clock the polls in each election
district were closed. and by o'clock the
twenty-five election districts had reported
elections in the twenty-five districts,
together with every ballot box containing
the ballots locked. These boxes were I'M
locked and opened in the presence of the
board, consisting of Mr.. Chaplin
Brown, Chairman of the returning beard,
and president Of the Bar association Of
the District of Columbia; Leo Simmons,
the personal representative OF Mr.. L. NJ.
Saunders, and Messrs. Reyburn and Lee,
Saunders candidates for delegates, and Mr..
Aaron Bradshaw, Chairman of the Repub-
ican Central Committee of the District OF
and the returns of the judges
If elections taken therefrom and tabulated
md reported to the board of election ap-
pointed by the National Committee, Messrs.
John B. Cotton, w. Calvin Chase, and L.
N. Saunders, in the presence Of DIR. Rey-
burn, Rev. George W. Lee. and dozens Of
others. No protest was made on the part
)f anyone OF the candidates for delegates
,r Mr. l.. NJ Saunders.
Mr.. l. NJ. Saunders, who has been
for delegate for twelve years |
and who has spent thousands Of dollars In
MS effort to ride over the will Of the peo-
pie. always enters protest when he is
honestly defeated by the Republicans of
he District OF Columbia He was dissat- |
SIZED with the action of the National Com
nittee and threatened to resign from the
committee after his appointment. Although |
he sent to the committee his resignation
and declared that he would not serve on
he board, he subsequently changed his
mind and acted throughout the meetings
If the board. He submitted names of per-
SONS to act as judges whom he didn't (!
tnow, and entirely ignored, In his list, |
he white Republicans OF the District, |
which majority Of the committee refused |
% do.
We desire to say that every rule and |
'egulation laid down by the National Re- |
publican Committee. at Its meeting in |
December, 1899. have been complied with. |