Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-13
LOCAL De M0CRACY
Committee Listens to Claims
of Rival Factions.
DECISION POSTPONED
SENATOR BLACKBURN ARGUES
CASE FOR MR. NORRIS.
Mr.. Slater to File Papers Later-Claims
Fraud in Primaries-Matter
Goes Over.
DECISION POSTPONED

The subcommittee of the national demo-
cratic committee appointed yesterday by
Chairman Jones to investigate and re-
port on the matters under dispute in re-
gard to the representation of the District
of Columbia on the national committee
and to formulate a plan for the holding
of primaries in the District for the cleo
ton Of delegates to the next national
convention met at the Shoreham today.
Last evening the national committee
appointed committee consisting of John
T. McGraw Of West Virginia, ]. Taylor
Ellyson Of Virginia, W.. B. Gourley OF
New Jersey, ]. M. Guffey of Pennsyl-
vania, and Norman E. Mack Of New York,
to hear both sides to the controversy and
to make a report to the national COM
mittee.
This action was taken after Mr.. Edwin
Seton had resigned from the committee
as the representative of the District by
appointment of Senator Jones, chairman,
stating that he did not wish to continue in
that place if he was opposed by any rae
ton of the District; that he would do what
was possible in order to promote har-
mony in the Districts interests, which was
the purpose of his appointment
At the meeting today there were present
Messrs. McGraw, Gourley and Mack,
Messrs. Ellyson and Guffey having been
obliged to return to their homes The full
membership VI the COiHililtcC VIII NC piSS-
ent at meeting to be held in the near
future.
Mr. McGraw called the meeting to order
in room 30 Of the Shoreham. There were
present Messrs. James L.. Norris and Chas
w. Slater, leaders in the rival local factions
of the democratic party. Also senator
Blackburn, who appeared as counse! Tor
Mr.. Norris; Mr.. J. Fred Kelley, Frank T.
Morgan, Michael l. Scanlon, II. b. Martin
and others.
To Hear Both Sides.
In opening the meeting Mr.. McGraW
stated that the committee wished the full
est information and was ready to near
both sides to the controversy. Senator
Blackburn stated that he was prepared to
present the case of Mr. Norris, saying
that he had last evening prepared a brief
on the subject. Mr.. Slater had no brief,
and suggested that the papers in the case
had been filed with Senator Jones. ana
were in Chicago. 1t would take several
days to secure those papers.
Mr. McGraw announced that in view OF
Mr. Seftons action in resigning member
ship on the national committee ne couio
not be considered as being lnVolFeo III tis
case and was present merely because Oh MS
interest in the events 1HVolVed.
The Norris Side.
Senator Blackburn then argued the case
from the Norris standpoint.
Senator BlaCkDuTI CoilChuSU she'>
Norris had been regularly elected a mem
Der of the national committee, and that ho
action had ever been taken by the commit
tee to nullify that action. His point was
practically that Mr.. Norris is today men,
Der of the committee.
He reviewed the primary elections in the
District in 1900, and showed that of the
sixty-six delegates sixty were for MOTIFS,
three were independent, and later declared
for Norris, and three were of the opposition
faction This convention had elected the
six delegates to the national convention
and Mr.. Norris was their unanimous
choice He stated that subcommittee VI
the national committee, passing upon Mr..
Norris credentials, declared unanimously
In favor of him, as did the national com
mittee. that being the only case or uhah-
nous report in any of the contests 1t was
when the case reached the credentials COM
mittee of the national convention that
COMPROMISE was made with the contesung
delegates, by which the vote In the natlonal
convention was divided equally between the
two delegations. He stated that the con-
testing delegation had never elected
chairman of the national committee, nor
had it in any way declared its preference.
This statement was disputed by Mr.. Slater,
who said that he was the choice of that
delegation
ION the 10th day of April, 1900 said Sena-
tor Blackburn referring to the convention
that elected what is known as the Slater
delega ton, without semblance of right or
color of authority, undertook to hold con-
vention under the pretense of representing
the democracy of the District claimed to
elect a central committee for the democracy
of the District and went through the form
of choosing delegates to represent the Dis
trict at their democratic national conven-
ton to be held in Kansas City.
1.-The persons claiming to be delegates
from the District of Columbia and whose
claim was unimously rejected by the demo-
cratic national committee, subsequently
filed their contest before the committee on
credentials appointed by the democratic ma
tional convention. In the hurry, confusion
and lack of time the committee on creden-
tials of the democratic national convention
could not hear the contest with that care
and deliberation exercised by the subcom-
mittee of the democratic national commit
tee and, over the protest of the regular
delegation known as the Norris delegation,
giving to each delegation a half of the vote,
or three to eacl. set of delegates.
"As evidence that the case was not con-
sidered on it's merits by the committee on
credentials it is here stated as a fact that
no evidence whatever concerning the nature
and character Of the claim of the regular
or Norris delegates was considered or read,
but the case was decided entirely ex parte
without hearing any evidence at all.
Attention is specially called to the pro-
fceedings of the committee on credentials of
the democratic national convention report
ed on pages 65. 66 and 81 of the official
vention held at Kansas City, from which it
will be seen that the report of the demo-
cratic national committee upon this case
was not read to the committee creden-
tials.
MI Norris Election.
ION the seating of the regular or Norris
delegates the delegation from the District
of Columbia proceeded to elect member
of the democratic national committee for
the ensuing four years, and James L. Nor
ris was unanimously chosen as member
of the democratic national committee for
the District of Columbia for the ensuing
four years, and his name was reported to
the democratic national convention as the
member of the democratic national COM
mittee for the District of Columbia
''Ths selection of James L. Norris as
member of the democratic national COM
mittee for the District of Columbia was
based upon his election to that position by
the delegates selected at the city conven-
ton of the District of Columbia and had no
relation whatever to any action of Il CEN