The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-06-04
AN OFFICIAL CONVENTION !
The Ferry Company, The Rock Island Nation
al, The Whisky Inspectors, and the
Blonde Little Sheet In Council

Seeing notice in the Union, from Law
yer Olson, for convention of Republicans
at the Court House, Wednesday evening,
to choose delegates to their State Conven-
ton, reporter for HE ARGUS hied him.
self to the spot to see and report the do
lngs of the great Republican party. Ar
irving at the court house he found Sheriff
Payne, ex-Clerk j. NJ. Beardsley, ex- Clerk
Hodges, ex-Sheriff Peetz, Whisky Inspec
tor Burgh, Lawyer Olsen, and strange
lad, sitting on the steps, Payne expressed
his opinion that the reporter had made a
mistake as it was to be Republican con-
vention, but when informed that the re-
porter was present in his capacity as a
newspaper man, he said: 30, that's all
right" The reporter inquired for the con-
ventioE, and Payne said, Here's all there
is of it, and then he said, Come Jim,
let's coup town"-and they went. Whisky
Inspector Burgh also left.
The reporter went up to the court room,
and there found Deputy Clerk Harson
waiting for the convention. After weary
pause, at $50, the convention marched in,
as follows, all told Committee man OF
sen, Levi Michael, kicked out P. NJ, and
his man Friday, dirty creature of the
name of johnson ex-Clerk Hodges ex-
Sheriff Peetz I. j. Robinson, custodian
of revenue stamps, one of the poor heirs,
and representative of the Rock Island Ma
tional; the strange boy who sat on the
steps-and that is all. Levi Michael tried
to be facetious, but an allusion to his indig-
nation post Office meeting, last tall, had
such dampning effect upon him that he
lapsed into silence, and gave his attention
mostly to his sore eyes.
After some whispering, Olsen said, This
meeting is called to order,-please to nom
mate chairman" Robinson nominated
Hodges, and he was chosen. No allusion
was made to the purpose of the meeting
by anybody, and no call was read Hodges
took the chair and said, please to nominate
a secretary" Harson was nominated and
before Hodges could put the motion Peetz
was nominated There was a lively handy
ing about of the names Of Harson and Peetz
lOl a lulu lllllO, uHIAA CiO SHdlA SOO II
through his head that Maj. Peetz had been
showing signs of independence of the par
ty collar, and then he put the nomination
of PeetZ in order to pin him. Peet2
was elected, and said, mo, l can't serve, !
have to go"-but by a good deal of coax
ing he was induced to sit down alongside Of
Hodges.
Then, without any allusion to the object
Of the meeting, Hodges said, well, how Il
we choose the delegates ?" Robinson said
by the chair. just then Elmer Hurst
Robinson bookkeeper, and Marcus Hen
derson, Robinson terTyman, came in and
took seats in the jury chairs with the
strange boy.
Olsen didn't like Robinson's way Of
choosing delegates and he moved fora com
mittee of three Carried. The chair APP
pointed Olsen, Robinson and Levi Michael
and the committee moved over to the wa
ter pail and commenced to whisper.
just then Deputy Sheriff Beal and Dep
uty Sheriff Sherwood came in, smoking
their pipes, and took chairs inside the rail
! ing. Very soon Beal went over and wits
pered to Hodges, and then went back t.
Sherwood. Others whispered. Hodge.
moved his chair over to Olsen and they
whispered. Pretty soon Peetz moved hi:
chair up to Hodges aud Olsen and the
three whispered.
Whisky Inspector Halves came in, look
ing sort o wild, and took seat near the
| two deputy sheriffs. Not word was said
Deputy Sheriff Sherwood hemmed anC
hawed and knocked the ashes out of hi.
pipe. Whisky Inspector Halves left the
room without a word, aud didn't return
Two printers from Levi Michaels office
came in. The dirty creature, johnson
went over to Hodges, Peetz and Olsen anC
gave them a smell of his foul whisky anC
tobacco breath-and then Olsen reported
for delegates as follows: Thomas Camp
bell, David Sears, Hugh Warnock lex
Steel, NJ. r Wiser, Henry Dart, Rober
| Kehler, f. ID. Sweeney, August Schmitt
f. NJ Sinnet. Geo Schneider, W. G
Welch.
Harson moved to adopt the report
Carried
The chair said, Anything further?" NJ
reply-but there was a good deal of low
mumbling, over in the water pail corner
HarsOn moved to adjourn. Beal seconded
the motion Carried. And that is al
there was of the g-r-e-a-t rally of Rocl
Island Republicans, and the business of tn,
meeting was precisely as here set down
At the opening there were present onl,
Seren persons.-Hodges ex-circuit clerk
Peetz, ex-sheriff Harson, deputy circui
lclerk Olsen, committee Robinson
keeper of u. S. Stamps: Haverstick, ex
postmaster, and his dirty creature, John
son. Afterwards Robinson's book keepe
and ferryman came in. Later, two deput
sheriffs, Beal and Sherwood, came up fror
the sheriff Office, Later still, HAYES
whisky inspector, came in, and went RICH
out and staid out, Later still two of Ley
MichaePs printers came ;n-and that, wit
the strange boy, and another stranger, in
cludes every soul which came to the cour
house that night a little squad of Office
holders, ex-otfice holders, and ofice-h
tiers. No response from the people-a reg
ular desertion of the party by every ma
in town who doesn't live by office, COZ
tracts or jobs or ism t in the employ of sue
people. Who says the Republican part
ism a g-r-e-a-t party?
Poor Washington.
At the foot of Union square stand tw
statues, of whose artistic merits and do
: merits we forbear to speak. One is of hir
who used to be called THE Father of h
Enuntr1,''-Abo Niro;,;n ss~ol ~ Il -