The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-05-08
THE REPUBLICAN MOB.


Republican convention that met in this city on
Tuesday. The convention was ful-we don
mean, rs might well have been suspected, OF
beer or whisky, but that every town was rep
resented by It's prescribed quota Of delegates
They came all apparently under intense excite
mcnt over the great issue of Bushnell or Cul
len for congress, and all rs apparently pervad.
ed by n profound conviction that the delegates
on one side were full bent on circumventing
hornswoggling, bamboozlng and cheating the
delegates on the other side. In particular
were the bucolc members, who were mostly
on the Cullen side impressed with this con
vicuon, and that nothing but the most jealous
and intense watchiuncss would prevent their
being sold out by the city chaps" who were
largely on the Bushnell side. The court room,
which at its utmost holds less than $50 people,
was jammcd to sutfocaton, about half and
half delegates aud outsiders Upon Mr.. +. f.
Bull, chairman Of the county committee and
who happened unfortunately to be both "A
Bushnell man and city chap" deyOlved the
unpleasant duty Of resolving the seethlng mob
into something like an organized, working
body Instead of holding the rens in his own
hands until the delegates had presented their
credentials and were duly admitted to seats
he was willing that they should appoint
temporary chairman, and several names being
at once yelled at him, he put the question,
whether Intentionally or not is Indifferent, on
the name of a Bushnell man, and as there was
an equally tumultuous yell of AYE" and mo"
declared the Bushnell man chosen, refusing to
put the same question, which could have re.
suited only in the same tumultuous yell Of
aye and no" as to the other names. But
here the row began. The suspicious bu-
COLES were sure they were cheated, and amid
the lntensest excitement such figures as that of
the burly Hart of Earlvlle, the venerable Bald.
win Of Farm Ridge, the IrasCible C0rbus OF
La Sale and dozens of others were instantly
on their feet gesticuating violently, yelling
infamous fraud" "knavcryw "buldozing,"
well bust up the whole concern in a row be.
fore we submit to such glaring scoundrclsm,"
&c, &c.
multuous and dlsgraceful scene in the court
house and explain how and why the mob ad.
journed from the court house to Turner Hall
and how Bowen was induced to surrender the
temporary craftsmanship and give the reins
back to Mr.. Bull. 1t is sufficient to say that
the election Of Mr.. Bowen had been perfect
y square and regular and the violent rumpus
kicked up about it childish and contempt Bile
But Hart Baldwin and the La Sale Corbus,
the authors OF the row, were not children, and
it is but fair to say that on their part it was
not only sharp maneuvre, but piece of
strategy actually deviish in its cunning as
the subsequent proceedings developed The
convention having finally been organized by
the election of DIR. Corbus of Mendoza, Bush.
nell man, as permanent chairman the first
test question that arose was on the appoint
ment Of the comMlttee to select the delegates
to the congressional convention the Bushnell
men proposing a committee Of 8 to be selected
by the chair while the Cullen men proposed
II committee of one from each town, all the
small towns being for Cullen. On this ques.
ton the vote stood rs to 72, indicating ma.
jority of for Bushnell. The committee hav
ing been appointed, however, the anti Bush
nell men insisted on another test vote, and that
was that the delegates to be appointed be in.
structcd to vote for Cullen, Bushnell or Hayes,
each delegate, on his name being called, 10
name the candidate he preferred On this call
Y voted for Cullen, "a for Bushnell and . for
Hayes. 1t was strange vote, At least doz.
en- of delegates had come to the convention as
Hayes men, all of these but two voting for
Cullen and of the delegates that had come
instructed for Bushnell four from the town of
Groveland and five from Mendoza voted for
Cullen! The strategy of the bucoic leaders
thus stood revealed BY their fierce hubbub
and cutlery against the chicancry, fraud and
chaps" they had actually bamboozlcd and
scared eight or ten of the verdant unsophs,i
Gated bushwhaCkers that had been sent in rs
Bushnell men to abandon HIM and vote for the
guilelcss, pious, high-tone brother Cullen! A
more notable and conspicuous case of the
wolves being shorn by the lambs is not on
record.
The complaint of the Blaine men of a snap
judgment having been taken on them in the
instructions in the evening for Grant Is pucr
lie. At least two,thlrds of the delegates in
the convention were Grant men, besides, after
having shamelessly struggled through in.
structions IN favor of IA Grant man for con
gress the convention would only have com.
mtted an act of double qualification to have
instructed the Springfield delegates for Blaine
David Davis voted with the Democracy in
favor of passing the Army appropriation bill
with political rider" attached. This action