The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-06
Secretary Steele Scored Personal Victory. Loyal to Roosevelt's Referees Nineteen Members Responded I to Call of secretary-Ab-
 sent Ones Invited to
 Come Today.

The National administration faction of
 the Alabama Republicans achieved a
 clean cut victory in yesterdays meeting
 of the State Executive Committee. and
 Secretary N. l.. Steele of the Committee
 scored a personal victory over Chairman
 w. l. Wellman
 The meeting yesterday although active
 ly opposed by Chairman Wellman and
 other prominent Republicans was attend
 ed by seventeen members of the com-
 mittee and two other members of the
 committee were present by proxy.
 Secure in their victory and conscious
 of their power to transact business with
 out the presence of Chairman Wellman and his supporters on the committee, the administration majority decided to do
 nothing yesterday and to invite the
 minority to seat on the band wagon.
 which will move this afternoon at
 o'clock when the committee will meet in
 regular session.
 The Committee met in the City. Council,
 Chamber yesterday afternoon at 2:30
 o'clock and after remaining In session a
 few minutes adjourned without taking
 any action beyond instructing Secretary N. l.. Steele to again invite the absent ones by telegraph to attend today's meet ing.
 Was Called by Steele. The meeting yesterday was called by Secretary Steele after Chairman W. l. Wellman had refused to issue the call. It is authoritatively stated that the chair man was requested by more than q ma jority of the members of the Committee to call meeting in Montgomery about the time of the Republican conference, which assemblies today.
 As soon as Chairman Welman had made known his refusal to call the Mont gomery meeting, Secretary Steele issued the call from Birmingham. He made the call. he stated in his letters to the committeeman on the request of more than majority of the members of the committee.
 Meanwhile Chairman Weliman sent out d call for the committee to meet at the Hillman Hotel In Birmingham. May I2. The two calls evidenced the break be- tween the administrati ton and anti-ad- ministration forces.
 Backed up by Referees. SecretarySteele was backed b.s the three Alabama referees of President Roosevelt, J. O. Thompson, William F. Aldrich and
 Charles H. Scott These men have been designated by President Roosevelt as the
 dispensers of Federal patronage in Ala bama. Secretary Steele was also aided by the outspoken Roosevelt men. Chairman Wellman Is aligned with the followers of Vaughan, Bingham and others who are at outs with the admin | istration. His supporters were the lilly | whites who still endorse the action of l the State Convention in barring Tall negroes from the councils of the party and who arc opposed to the extension of any degree of recognition to the negro. This factions is expected to line up for l any Republican likely to prove formida- | ble opponent to Roosevelt.
 | The meeting of the committee yester- 1 day was pregnant with interest. There | are thirty-five members of the Commit 1 tee and the presence of seventeen in per
 son or represented by proxy was neces- | sary for the transaction of busines | The question the meeting was 10 an I swer was. could Steele and, the referees get out quorum of subcommittee?
 How Question Was Answered. | The que stion was answered with the | announcement that seventeen members 1 were present and the proxies of two oth- | CT members were with the committee. | The administration leaders were gratly | pleased with the meeting and they came | out of the Council Chamber yesterday. afternoon with smiling faces. The meet | ing was significant of the administration strength in Alabama, and it portended l-Hrctory all along the line.
 The committee held an executive ses- sion. The meeting was called to order l at 2:30 D. m. in the City Council Cham Der. J. J. Curtis. a lawyer of Cullman, was elected temporary chairman of the committee. It was understood that no attempt was made to displaCe Chairman Welman or to challenge his right to pre-
 side over the committee whenever it
 meets in the future. Mir. Curtis was se- lected to preside over the meetings at which MT. Wellman is not present. MT. Curtis is a clean-shaven, rather
 handsome young man. apparently little over 30 years of age. He was the Re- publican candidate for Secretary of State last year and he was an applicant for Attorney of the Northern District when William Vaughan was removed The meeting was called to order by
 Secretary Steele, who said that he had
 called the meeting because he had been
 requested to do so by majority
 of the committeeman. The object of the
 meeting. he declared, was to confer and
 to consult to what would be to the
 best interest of the party and what
 should be the plans of the committee.
 MT. Curtis was nominated for chair
 man by B. M. Long of Walker County.
 William A. Anderson was named as as-
 sistant secretary of the meeting.
 In accepting the chair. Mir Curtis said
 the purpose of the meeting was to pre-
 pare and get in motion such conciliatory methods as will harmonize the differences
 existing in the party.
 Present or Accounted For"
 Upon the motion of S. A Leonard of
 Mobile. the roll of the committee was called with the following result:
 pre sent; J. H. Bingham. absent; s. A.
 Leonlrd, present; w. X. Starkc. present;
 C. M. Cox, present; E. l.. Dyer absent;
 I. Pollak. absent P. IT. Smith. absent; sent; T. H. Miller, absent; w. W. Sim
 mons. present: J. Q. Hubbard, present;
 1T. F. Irwin. present: w. W. Millikcn, pro sent: H. l.. McElderrv, absent: L. IT.
 Reynolds. absent; w. B. Nichols. ah- differ. present; J. A. Steele. present; !
 w. Hughes, present: J. M. Ragsn. pres ent; IT. F. BurSstrosser. proxy; c. r.
 Lunsford absent; John IHbcll, present; Walter Stephenson absent; J. W. Da- sent; P. NJ. Long. present; J. J. Curtis, present: A. C. Ncgicy. present; William