The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-23
NOT THE ACT OF THE CLUB.
PRESIDENT IGELLER'S COMING DIN
NER TO MIR. RRYAN.

Members of the Democratic Club
Write Him Letter Asking for "A
DiscIaimer-rhey Want At Under
stood That the Dinner Is MIR. KcI-
ler's Personal Anair-The Bryan
Belmont Correspondence Recalled
and differences Drawn.
New York Jan. 22.-The following letter.
signed by John Fox, a former president
of the Democratic club, and now mem
Der of the Board of Governors; Robert b.
Roosevelt and John Il. Doyle. was sent
tonight to John W. Keller president of
the Democratic Club:
1T is with the most kindly feeling. and
certainly with no desire to criticise your
acts, that We take the liberty, as mem-
bers of the Democratic Club to address
You. We are credibly informed that you
have invited William J. Bryan TO become
your guest at the Democratic Club and
take dinner with you and a party of
friends. In other words, Mr. Bryan is to
be entertained by you, and the place of
such entertainment is at the Democratic
Club. While it is your unquestioned right,
or the right of any other member to in
vite any gentleman whom he may choose
to become his guest at the club, yet un-
der existing conditions we greatly fear
that your act will become construed by
the public as the act of the club, should
you give such dinner to this distinguished
guest without aiirmatively dlselalming
such intention on the part of the club.
I'VE ourselves can fully distinguish be-
tween an official act and individual opin-
ions We want it understood too that
we have no personal objections to Mr..
Bryan,no do we object In the slightest de-
gree to your giving him a dinner at the
club in your individual capacity as one
of its members. We should much regret,
however, if what you propose to do should
be construed throughout the country as
a political Endorsement by the Democratic
club of the presidential candidacy at this
time of Mr.. Bryan.
A Disclaimer wanted.
THE Democratic Club. Is, essentially a
Democratic political organization, and of
its 5000 members none but Democrats be-
long to 1t. You are now Its president,
and in the absence of a disclaimer on your
part TO the contrary, your course In any
thing that pertains 10 the club or its af-
sonably so, as the act of the club. 10 will
not do to say THAI such a construction
would be placed upon your acts by the
ignorant or misinformed because Mr.. Bry-
an himself has established a precedent
which is applicable to the case now in
point. We desire to call your attention
to a portion of the correspondence which
took place between your immediate pred
ecessor, as president of the club, and The
distinguished gentleman whom you have
invited TO be your guest at the club. You
viii remember that Mr. Bryan now stands
before the nation as an avowed aspirant
seeking the Democratic presidential nomi-
nation"
Here the letter cites the acrimonious
spondence between Mr. Bryan and
Perry Belmont, growing out of Mr.. Bry-
ans decl;nation of the Democratic Clubs
invitation to the jefferson Day banquet
last APRIL in which he condemned "polit-
ical communion between Jeffersonian
Democrats who stand upon the Chicago
platform and the Republican allies who
masquerade as Democrats between cam
pagns in order to give more potency 10
their betrayal of Democratic principles on
election day"
The Inference Drawn.
The letter continues:
''It may be fairly inferred from all Of
the foregoing that if you were not consid
cred BY MI. Ffydu as an dNOWfu btiltFbI
in his doctrine of free and unlimited sill
ver coinage. at the ratio Of i6 to !, he
would also have declined your invitation
on the ground that no party advantage IN
to be derived from political communion
with you al the Democratic Club.
"We do know, however, that we are
Democrats and are Interested in the sue
cess of the Democratic party, in the state
and in the nation. This being true, we
sincerely but respectfully urge upon you,
occupying as you do the position of pres
ident of the club, not to do anything
which would tend to forestall the action
of the next Democratic National Conven-
ton.
LAS individuals we insist upon the right
to express our opinions in regard to the
future policy of our party and the selec-
ton of its nominees. We believe 1t un-
wise to permit the opinion to go broad
cast throughout the land that the Demo-
cratic Club of this city, or the Democratic
party of this state, 50 far in advance of
the convention, are irrevocably committed
to the indorsement of the principles Of
the last national platform, or of the views
of the last presidential nominee.
1--WE are painfully aware of the fact
that in 1896 we lost the state of New York
by 268469 and the city by more than 90
000 il is our desire, If possible, 10 pre-
vent repetition of another such Demo-
cratic political disappointment.
In conclusion, let us again repeat that
we take this course in good feeling and
to prevent, II possible, a misconstruction
of your individual act as being the act
of the Democratic Club"