Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-16
New Committee Appointed to
Conduct Election Here
ANNOUNCED TODAY
READY NOW FOB REPUBLICAN
LOCAL CONTEST.
Well Known Citizens Named on the
Committee Will Have
Wide Authority.

A committee to conduct primaries in the
District of Columbia to elect delegates to
the national republican convention at Chi
cago June q was today officially announced
by the subcommittee of the national COM
mittee as follows:
Mr.. Chaplin Brown, General George H
Harries and Mr.. John F. Cook.
This committee will have authority to
formulate a plan for the holding of the
primary elections in the District and tt
see that the election is carried out fairly
The names of the committee were today
sent by Senator McComas. chairman OF the
subcommittee of the national republican
committee appointed for that purpose. ard
consisting of himself. Mr.. Yerkes and Rep
resentative Brownlow. to Chairman Hanna
The committee will not be able to take
any active step in its arrangements for the
primaries until the call of the national re-
publican committee has been issued by
Chairman Hanna, which will be within q
day or two
Several weeks ago unofficially it was an
nounced that the subcommittee had Sc
lected MeSSrs. Chaplin Brown, Leonard F.
Bradshaw and w. Calvin Chase as men,
bers of the committee to supervise the cleo
tions in the District. Objection was raised
to this committee on several grounds. 1t
was declared that Mr.. BradshaWS selection
was not advisable, as he was holding a
position under the District government.
Mr.. ChaSeS selection was not regarded
favorably by many republicans for several
reasons. Mr.. Chase was a delegate to the
convention four years ago and was a men,
Der of the committee to supervise the pri-
mary election. 1t was supposed he would
probably again be candidate for tho po-
sition of delegate. Mr.. Chase was also
Objectionable to many republicans because
of his opposition to President Roosevelt,
which was at one time outSpoken. The
subcommittee after carefully going over
new committee.
The selection of Mr.. Brown, General Har-
ries and Mr.. Cook was based solely on the
idea OF securing the services of men to
whose selection there could be no objection
and whose regulations in the community
were such as to insure fair primary cleo
tons conducted in the best possible way.
The election of delegates to the conven-
ton from states and territories is pre-
scribed In the call of the chairman of the
national committee in provision that they
shall conform to the methods in the election
of senators and representatives in states
and of delegates in territories. But in the
case of the District of Columbia it has been
customary to provide that they shall be
elected as the committee appointed to take
charge of the primaries shall determine.
This provision will give the local commit
tee the widest scope in seeing that every
precaution Is taken in order to as far as
possible prevent any fraudulent practices
at the polls.
All Well Known.
The members of the committee selected by
Senator McComas are all we'll known here.
Mr. Chaplin Brown has several times been
prominently mentioned for the District COM
missionership. He has long been identified
with various interests in the District. Gen.
Harries Is known by every one. Mr.. Cook
is one of the leading representatives of the
colored people in the District, a business
man and man of large real estate inter
eSts
The selection of this committee is the
last act on which Chairman Hanna was
waiting in order to issue his call for the
convention. The names of the commit
tee must be announced in the call, and
had 1t been issued without them it would
have been necessary to issue a second
call for the District.
The approach of the primary election
and the appointment of a committee to
conduct it is calling forth much talk
about candidates. Many names are men,
toned for delegates to the national con-
vention. and the prospect is that there
will be a lively contest.
1t is understood that Mr.. Myron NJ
Parker, having declared his legal residence
to be in the state of Maine, will not again
be a candidate for the position of national
committeeman for the District of Columbia.
Mr.. Chaplin Brown has gone to North
Carolina for his health. He has recently
had an attack of grip. He Is expected back
in the city by the middle of next week.