The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-08-26
MINORITY REPRESENTATION.
A Card From IredeII Meares, Esq,
with n Comparison.

representation may nave DeeH III dSSOid
with the party spirit of democracy and
OF the party plar of organization
Mr.. Bellamy was unfortunate, how
ever, in the selection of some Of his
~exponents of this doctrine from New
Hanover. The identical question arose
in the e Hanover county convention
OF 1900, when the convention over pro-
test suppressed a minority vote and
instructed the entire vote of the county
to be cast for Mr.. Morton in the sena-
toriaI convention of this district.
The question then was: How shall the
vote Of New HarOve county be cast
in the senatorial convention, as a init
or proportionately? The question at
Fayetteville was: How shall the vote OF
Robson and Cumberland be cast in
the congressional convention, as a unit
or prOportiOnately? The party law is
the same for the regulation of all con-
ventiOns, whether state, judicial, con-
gressional or senatorial.
In our county convention of 1900, Mr.
Morton demanded that the hole vote
be cast for him. although he carried
the county only by thirty-nine major
ity- II accorded my minority vote from
this county, with my majority vote
from Brunswick. Mr.. Morton could not
have been nominated in the senatorial
convention. The New Hanover county
convention stifed my minority vote and
cast it's vote as a unit for Mr.. Morton.
There were no men more active than
Sheriff StedTnan and Major Bernard to
induce the delegates to the county
convention to give Mr.. Morton the
whole vote of the county MIR. Junius
r. -r-- e e.. e -,r-
press this minority vote in the county
convention of 1900. to which he was a
delegate.
MIR. w. II. Bernard addressed, before
the recent congressional convention,
this letter to certain of the delegates:
Wilmington, NJ c., Aug. II, 1902.
My Dea Sir: / beg to call your at
tentiOn to the fact that the question
Cf minority representation will come
before the Fayetteville, On. c. con-
VentiOn in the form of a contest from
Cumberland. where the county
ton diSregarded the democratic plan
of organization, and deprived the min
GRITTY of at least 13 1-2 votes to which
they are Justly entitled in h congress
sional convention.
This is q preliminary question which
is to be settled on principles of COM
mon fairness and Justice, and on which
every delegate is entitled to vote ac-
cOrding to his conviction of right. No
endorsement or instruction for a candi-
date by a county convention has the
remOtest connection with this question,
and when a vote is taken by counties
to decide it, Zach delegation may divide
the vote of its county according to the
views of the individual delegates.
L have a letter from State Chairman
Simmons in which he says that each
county is bound by the plan of organi-
cation, and that the only tribunal with
jurisdiction to enforce the plan is the
congressional convention
1 am assisting Mr.. Bellamy in the
management of his campaign and adj
dre-s you as his representative.
Yours truly,
w. H. BERNARD.
M. Davis. as an advocate of Mr..
Bel my, is reported by The Star, to
hav= made at Fayetteville "A stirring
speech in support of the adoption Of
the majority report, holding that it
would be a dangerous precedent to
democracy to establish a denial of the
right of the minority representation"
/ cOlcur in this proposition. This was
the proposition that 1 cOntended for
in our county convention of 1900. In
MY speech before that convention,
Quoting from a stenOgraphic report),
l aid
There is an issue involved in this
discussion which may be far reaching
L believe that we are confronted by a
crisis in the history of the democratic
party of this county. This is not a
matter to be hurriedly considered. 1t
is not . personal matter 1t is of no
Importance whether Mr.. 4. or Mr.. b.
shall represent this county in the legis-
lature of North Carolina at any time:
but it is of profound Importance TO this
county as we'll as to the state, that
in any convention that may assemble to
nominate candidates. every shade of
publ" sentiment. as declared by the
peop',., shall be heard and recognized
in Il - court Of final jurisdiction. Mon
arches have been suppressed and re-
pub.ics have been overthrown, because
of their efforts TO stifle and crush out
minority representation. The very
struggle of the revolution of your fore
fathers, which dyed this land in the
blooL of patriots, was in a cause the
purpose of which was to secure repre-
Sentrtion in the administration of the
government.
w hat now is the issue before you?
W have had in this county a vote
upon the question of who shall be the
state senator from this district. Mr..
George l.. Morton has received LOGS
votes: another candidate has received
]. 029 votes. This convention is not the
AAAo NOO1l ~ 20 II SAioA OO AAOAAAA
This is not the court of last
resort; but it's purpose here today is,
when the court shall assemble the
convention of the district
to select a candidate for senator to rep
resent this county and Brunswick u
ty in the legislature of North Carolina,
it shall nave before it, from this
a certified statement of the
result OF the recent primary n of
the relative strength of the two can
didates- The exceptional and remark
able proposition is made, in direct vio-
lation of your party law and in direct
of the spirit of representative
that the voice of 1,029 men
p" stifed in that senatorial con
vention-"
Again. in the same speech, 1 said:
THE question is, whether you are 60
ing to cast your vote according to the
primar.. or, in violation of the party
plan o. organization. undertake to say
here tina the 1,629 votes cast for me
no right to be heard. 1t is your