The leader., 1903-10-07
DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE MEETING.

Cnalfman McNalr has called q
meeting of the County Democratic
Committee at his Office in Brook
haven next Saturday. The object
of this meeting is not specifically
stated, but it will no doubt take
cognizance of the bolters' move
ment lately launched and consider
steps for bringing it to naught and
electing the entire County Demo
cratic ticket. As one member of
the committee SO far ignored his
official and party obligations as to
participate in the bolters' mass
meeting and allow his name to be
used before it as a candidate for
county treasurer, it seems to us
the committee could not do less,
out of respect for its own integ-
rity and proper regard for party
discipline, than to call for the
resignation of this member and of
any other who is known to be Civ
ing aid OF encouragement to the
boilers party.
A few words here, in reference
to the two opposing candidates S
for county treasurer-the Demo-
cratic nominee and the nominee of
the bolters' meeting g-will not be
amiss. They are both personally
excellent and deserving young
men. They are both members Of
honorable and worthy families of
the county. They are both ply
sically afflicted in way that
makes them hopeless life long
crirples, and the condition of
each, in this respect, appeals elo-
quently and pathetically to every
one who knows them and has a
spark of human tenderness oil
sympathy in his heart. The
Leader would not, could not make
a personal fight on either one of
the two candidates, were there any
grounds for doing SO, on account
of the high esteem in which we
hold them and the strong sympa-
thy we entertain for both in their
affiiction. Therefore, as they
both occupy common ground from
the merely personal point of view,
and each appeals alike to the sym
pathies of the people, we and
others must, or should decide the
contest presented between them
on altogether different grounds.
There is a principle involved in
the contest, and to this we wish to
briefly address ourselves in the
light of few we'll known facts.
First Of all, the issueis presented,
whether men who have entered
into solemn party and political
obligation to abide the results of a
primary election where every legal
white voter had a right to register
his will under the forms of law,
will be honest enough with them
selves and their fellow voters, to
abide by the result of that contest,
whether it suited their individual
preferences or not. We hold to
the old-fashioned notion that men
ought to have an honest regard for
their political obligations as we'll
as THEN individual debts.
As no candidate for county
treasurer received the majority Of
all the votes cast in the first pri-
mary, as the law provides, the
ECounty Democratic Executive
COMMITTEE declared the two lead
ling candi dates should run over in
the second, as the law also pro-
lvides. The committee and no one
else could foresee that the leading
candidate for treasurer, for rea-
sons satisfactory to himself and
(which he has explained, would
withdraw from the race and leave
the nomination uncontested, to his
remaining combpetitora If he
had remained in the race until the
second primary b nominee
would necessarily have been either
Keenan, or Summersn not any of
the other candidates who ran
against them--and Keenan, was SO
]strongly convinced it would be
Summers, he withdrew from the
trace. in preference to risking a
further expense Of time and money
in the canvass. Does anyone sup
pose he would have been foolish
enough te Setltre from the race
bsnd sacrifice the pay Of the treas
Hurer's office for four years, if be
Thad not been sure of his de.
feat! Is the precedent to be
established that a man shall
be denied the right to Withdraw
from political race. if It becomes
his wish or interest to do SOL