Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-24
MERCER TURNS his TRICK
Denies Other Congressional Candidates Fair
Play at Primaries.
WANTS TO CONTROL JUDGES AND CLERKS
scheme Goes Through COunty Com
mittee by Votes of County Pre-
cincts and seventh and
Ninth Wards.

The republican county central commit
tee yesterday, by a close vote, surrendered
to the congressional committee It's rights
and powers to conduct the Forthcoming
primary election at which delegates to the
county and congressional conventions are
to be chosen. Furthermore the commit
tee resolved to require republican voters,
including those regularly registered as re-
publicans, to make oath that they voted
for the republican electoral ticket at the
last presidential election before they can
vote at the primary IN vase they are chal-
lenged.
After the county committee adjourned
the congressional committee met at the
ONCE Of Mr.. MERGERS campaign manager,
called the congressional convention for the
forenoon of Saturday, September 30, de-
cided to admit the delegates already Sc
leeted by the county conventions Of Wash
ington and sarpy, denied to Douglas county
the right to select It's delegation In the same
way, and fixed an apportionment giving the
Omaha wards, where Mercer is weakest,
only seven delegates each, the South
Omaha wards three delegates each and the
county precincts, where Mercer is supposed
to be strongest, three delegates each. Cam
didates Cornish and Breen were called in
to address the congressional committee be-
| AOEt IL dCIeuy buN thOh aA6OmNheo ANU bAoUo
for fair play were answered by Mr.. Black
burn telling them that the action of the
committee had been arbitrarily decided
upon in advance.
County Committee Proceedings.
TIL county Committee met at Washing
ton hail at 1870 in the afternoon, with
Chairman Goss presiding and hfty-nine
members present or represented by proxy.
AS soon as order had been called the chair
man recognized w. r. Gurley, as proxy
for Harry Morrill, OF the Fourth ward, who
introduced the following resolution:
Resolved. That the chairman of this
COMMITTEES be authorized and directed to
call a primary election of Douglas county
republicans for Friday. September 10. 1902.
county in the county convention to be
called to meet at Omaha, september ~
1902.
ten for each ward in the city of Omaha,
five for each country precinct and three
for each ward in the city Of South Omaha:
election the boundaries of the voting dis
tricts be for the cities OF Omaha. and
Of the various wards respectively; for the
country precincts, the same as the bounda-
ries Of the precincts respectively.
That the filing of names to be placed
on the Official ballots and the conduct OF
the primary election be governed by the
rules adopted by this. committee In so far
as they are appropriate.
That the chairman of this committee 10
hereby authorized and empowered to APP
point a committee of FIVE, of which the
with the congressional, city and judicial
committees, and to make arrangements
above set forth, and for the naming Of
election officers and the selection Of poll
ing places. And 81 said simultaneous pri-
maries be agreed upon by the representa-
tives of this committee, and either or any
of the others, then the chairman and sec
rotary are hereby. authorized and empow-
cred to include the call Of the same in
the notice to be posted and published.
That no petitions for names to be placed
quired for or on behalf of any candidates
for delegates from any of the country
precincts.
COnneH Calls for Fair Play.
W.. }. Connell objected to that part Of
the resolution which sought to give into
the hands Of a committee known to be an
tagonistic to three OF the four congress
sionai candidates the power to name the
judges and clerks and select the polling
places for the primaries. He questioned
the right OF the committee, as representa-
tive OF the republicans Of the county. thus
to surrender its prerogatIve, and argued
that the resolution was drawn for the pur-
pose OF giving one Of the congressional
candidates an unfair and undeserved ad-
vantage over the other three.
Mr.. Gurley made a long speech, in which
ne declared that the purpose Of the reso-
luton was to secure q vote on the con-
gressional proposition separately from the
vote on candidates for county ofaces. He
avowed hat the congressional COMMITTEES,
OF which he is a member, was disposed to
treat all candidates for the congressional |
n0m1naffan fofrIO Enk a. |
why he desired the judges and clerks ana |
polling places for the primaries to be Sc
lected by a committee controlled abso-
lutely by Mr.. Mercer.
Charles Unit, R. w. Breckenridge. A. II.
and O. G. Thompson spoke in ia
vor OF the resolution, and Joseph Koutsky
and H. Q. Murphy Of South Omaha and
Olsen, members OF the commit
tee, and e. J. Cornish and John p. Breen.
candidates for congress argued In opposi- |
ton. The congressional candidates said
that all they wanted was fair play, which
they felt sure Of getting in the event the
committee did not give over it's
right to conduct the primaries to the con-
gressional committee. which is known 70
be antagonistic to all but one OF the con-
Eressional candidates.
Mr.. COrnish Appeals 20 Reason.
MI Cornish said in part:
Il am willing to let the congressional |
COMMITTEES make the apportionment OF con-
gressional delegates for this county and to
have the county committee endorse such an
apporttonment II 1t is any thing like a fair
enc. 1 am willing to have delegates to the
county and congressional conventions voted
for separately at the primaries, so as not
10 complicate the congressional contest with
tnat between candidates for county ohhces.
But l want the selection Of the judges and
clerks and the polling places for the pri-
maries TO be determined by the county COM
mhtee' whose members were chosen without
any reference to their choice for congress-
man, instead OF by the Congressional COM |
mittee. all OF whom are for Mercer. and a
special committee to be appointed BY Chair
man Goss. who has expressed himself for
Mercer. The resolution presented by Mr..
Gurley establishes a precedent that d~estroys
the county as a political unit. Under such a
precedent the state committee could make
one apportionment OF delegates to a state
convention for all the counties IN the state
excepting Douglas county, and then make A
different apportionmsnt for this county.
thereby destroying all opportunity for united
action by the republican party"
The hrst vote on the question Of surrend-
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