The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-01-19
DEMOCRATIC
ROW TOLD BY.
TWO LEADERS
Secretary Henry Holt of State
Committee Declares His
Call Will Stand
WOOLEDGE INDIGNANT
Will BE No State Committee
Meeting Feb. Is Called
BY Him. He Says
WOOLEDGE INDIGNANT

rotary of the Democratic state COM
mittcc. who issued Il call for Stal'
committee meeting at Valley Guy
-, Jonuary % after, he said. Chair
man G.. s. Woolcdge Of Minot has re-
fuscd to call i meeting though II
had been demanded by members OF
the committee. declares in state
ment that the meeting will be held.
Chairman Woolcdpc, on the othef
hand. in Il statement, declares no
meeting called By him a. state char
man Will be held on January 70.
Mr.. Holt. in statement ISSUED III
Grand Forks says:
"A majority Of the Democratic stat"
central committee have expressed
desire for meeting OF the commit
toe TO determine the policies OF the
marty. endorse candidate for the
presidency, select presidential cleo
tors and recommend national dele
oates and national committeemen.
"Immcdiately upon receiving these
requests wrote to Chairman Wool
edge on January I, 1924, ana re-
nuested him to call meeting ana
received a reply from Mr.. Woolrdge
in which he agreed that we ought
to have a meeting but gave no detl-
mite date The time is getting short
AS all petitions must be filed by
March /, and | again wrote to Mr.
Wooledpc and asked him to TX Il
date for the meeting on january ~
and receiving no reply to TINS lettef
called Mr.. Wooledgc on the long
distance telephone at Minot, on Jan
nary Is. and told him that the com
mitteemen were insisting on II meet
ing not later than January 20, and
asked him to call such meeting
and that II he would not call such
meeting that the committeeman re
auested me, us secretary, to call such
a meeting. told Mr. Wooledgc
that | would rather he would call
the meeting in the interests OF mar
mony. but that if he refused to calt
it | felt that it was my duty to q"
so. He said he would call NE tn"
following day. He also told me that
if | attempted to call Il meeting that
there would be two meetings called.
waited until ! O'Clock the follow
ing day and then ! wired Mr.. Wool
edge and received the reply that he
would definitely decide the next day.
1t was difficult to understand why 1t
required nearly two weeks Tor Mr..
Woolcdge to decide whether he would
call meeting or not, especially III
view Of the fact that he had given
an interview to the newspapers stat
inc that he would call such Il meet
ing.
Then and Now
''In answer to Mr. Wooledge's state
mcnt that have been imposed upon
and misled by few persons who are
moro interested i'm framing a hand
picked state than in the success of
the Democratic party, | want to state
positively that this is not correct
Four years ago Mr.. Wooledgc was
chairman of the Democratic state
central committee and he called q
meeting at Fargo, at which time
names were recommended as dele
gates to the national convention and
presidential electors selected. Mr.
Wooledgc did not think four years
ago that the Democratic party
would be disrupted by calling ;
meeting Of the state central commit
tee but seems to think so today. Al
that meeting Mr. Wooledgc resigned
AS chairman and was succeeded by
Svcinbjorn Johnson. He then be
came candidate for judge of the
supreme court. A meeting OF thu
safe central committeeman will bt
held at Valley City, commencing "a
o'clock in the afternoon of Friday
January 25, 1924. 1t is my under
standing of the law that the sscre
tary is the proper person to call the
meeting and the law nowhere pro
vides that the chairman shall call it
Mr.. Woodledge's statement was Il!
follows:
WOoledge's View
"No call for meeting of til,
Democratic committee has been au
thorized by me. If the secretary o
the committee, Henry Holt, has is
sued a call for meeting at Vale!
City, January 25, it is wholly unau
thorized an illegal and has not beer
made in the interest of the Demo
cratic party.
''Mr. Holt has been imposed upol
and misled by few persons that art
more interested in framing a hand
picked slate of candidates for thu
March primary election than the.
are in the success and principles o
the Democratic party l am oppose'
to any attempt to nullify or violat
the principles OF our primary election
laws. These laws provide that peti
lions Of candidates can be filed will
the secretary Of state on or befor
March l. The state committee shout,
not attempt to curtai or abridge tn
right or desire of any Democrat t,
become candidate in the Marcel
primary.
May Call Conference
~ am comforting with Democrat
in all parts of the state and l ma.
call state conference of Democrats
and Of all voters who are interested
in the defect of the present reac
tionary Republican national admin
istration and in the substitute there
for of q. progressive Democratic ad
ministration, inviting all such to b,
present and to participate in the con
ference and discussion, and for tn,
same day call a meeting Of the stat,
committee, at the same time an,
+. plce as part Of the conference.
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