St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-11-03
sMistrllanu.
CLAYTON COUNTY.

| 1t has been matter of surprise to
every one that Clayton county, a strong
Republican county, should elect sevc.
raj Democrats for District and County
officers at the recent election. The
first and only explanation of this sim
gular event, that we have seen, is Civ.
en- in circular issued by the Repub-
liban Central Committee of that coun-
ty, which we copy below :-ED. INTEL.
| To he Republicans # Clayton County,
We deem it proper, now that the
election is over and the result known,
to apprsc the Republicans of the coun
ty and State of the causes which re.
suited in the defeat of a part of our
Legislative and county ticket at the
late election. 1t is known to all, that
for several years past the Republicans
of Clayton county have been divided
to some extent, in consequence of GER
tain disturbing causes of Il local and
! personal nature.
At the Convention held last June,
for the purpose Of choosing delegates
to the State Convention, an attempt
was made to unite the whole party,
which was supposed at the time to be
entirely suscesstul. The then existing
County Central Committee was recon
structcd, so as to give all sections and
parties their appropriate influence.
That committee subsequently called a
/ County Convention, for the nomination
of candidates for the October election,
on the first day of September. Their
action was satisfactory to all parts of
the county, and to all Republicans, 50
far as we are informed, except Elipha-
let Price, formerly a prominent mem
Der Of the Republican party, and still
claiming to be such. lie used his in
tluencc in the southeastern portion of
the county, to induce the Republicans
to keep aloof from the Convention,
upon the preteXt that the Republicans
in the northern part of the county,
would not act in good faith towards
them. His arguments, however, failed
of their intended effect; and he was
forced to yield his opposition to a reg
ular Convention, and to abandon his
idea of a peoples Convention. The
Convention was held, and was the
largest and best attended Convention
ever held in Clayton county. Almost
every township was represented by a
full delegation. There was no pre-
tence Of fraud or packing A full
ticket was nominated, taken from all
parts of the county, and from the best
men in the party. Mr.. Price was Il
delegate from Jefferson township, and
voted upon every ballot was him
self a candidate before the Conven-
ton for Senator, and received on the
final ballot, twenty-three votes to his
successful competitors thirty-onc. At
no time during the proceedings of the
Convention, did he protest against
any of its proceedings or in any way
manifest dissatisfaction. After the
Convention adjourned, and up to about
two days before the election, he gave
Republicans to understand that he
was satisfied with the whole ticket ex-
cept the nominee for Sheriff. The
great mass of Republicans through
out the entire county supposed that
the last element of discord in the par
ty was removed, and that their whole
ticket would stand or fall together
But in this they were disappointed. A
day or two before the election, he Sc
cretly printed and circulated fraudu-
lent tickets, headed Republican, with
the State Republican, and part of