The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1912-08-15
MORE ATTEMPTED COMMITTEE
DICTATION.

Republican State Committee, at
which time a resolution was adopted
attempting to read out OF the party
more than a hundred thousand Re-
.publicans in this State, The eau
casian has been flooded with letters
protesting against their action and
asking what position progressive Re-
publicans should take. 1t is not nee
essary for The Caucasian to say to
the more than a hundred thousand
progressive Republicans in North
Carolina what position they should
take at this time. The situation Is
so clear that there will be wonderful
unanimity of opinion and action by
the people, regardless of the attempt
ed dictation CT the committee.
The position that we take, and
which we are satisfied has already
been taken by these militant pro-
gressive Republicans, is that the
State Committee cannot now dictate
to the rank and file of the Republican
party any more than the committee
could dictate last spring, when it went
out of it's way to pass a Taft resolu
ton, forestalling the action of the
convention. The people repudiated
that dictation on the part of the COM
mittee with a tremendous and most
earnest expression.
The committee last spring should
have simply performed its duty of
calling the Republican State Con-
vention and left the people to decide
what their duty was. They should
have done the same thing at their re-
cent meeting. But they have again
attempted to dictate; they attempted
to define who is a Republican, and
they attempted to read out of the
party everybody who would not wear
the label which they prepared. 1t
was not only unnecessary and uncall
editor action, but was most unwise,
to say nothing of it's dictatorial spirit.
To begin with, from the reports of
the meeting which The Caucasian has
received, there was not a quorum of
the committee present and voting
The State Chairman appointed Mr..
Harris, a son of Col C. J. Harris, one
of the members of the committee at
large, who had resigned, to sit in the
committee meeting without authority,
and this young Mr.. Harris sat with
the committee and voted, and it took
his vote to make a quorum.
- We further understand that a num-
Der of the members of the committee
who were reported to be present and
voting, were not present. Among these
absent members of the committee are
Mr.. Parker of the Fourth District,
Mr.. Greene of the Ninth District, Mr.
Cowles of the Seventh District, and
Mr.. Vann and Mr.. Butler of the Third
District. There may be others. But
here are five who are known to be op-
posed to the dictatorial action of the
committee.
1t is reported that the vote in favor
of the reading-out resolution stood
eight to three, and that Mr.. Harris,
who had no right to vote, was one of
the eight. This would leave those
who were attempting to gag the peo-
pie and read them out of the party
reduced to seven. The five named
above, who were absent, if they had
been present, added to those who vot-
ed against the resolution, would have
made eight against the resolution and |
only seven for 1t.
Besides, If we are correctly inform
ed, of the eight members of the State
Committee who voted for the gag res
olution, only three Of them were |!
elected by the people as members of |
the committee, and the others were
appointees of the State Chairman,
who voted with him. Thus we have!
Of the people who elected him. The
Caucasian has contended for this
change in the plan of organization Of |
the party at the last three Republican |
State Conventions, and we were sore
ly disappointed that the State Con-
vention two years ago failed to make |
this change. One thing we feel is |
certain, and that is, that this change
will be made by the people at thel
next State Convention.