The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-01-14
compelled to run a separate ticket and ex-
pose its weakness.

compelled to run a separate ticket and ex
pose its weakness.
The National party, as party could
not to day, on square issue. elect o town
constable in this county. and for this little
squad of place hunters to dictate to the
Democrats of this county who fhall be
nominated is outrageous and preposterous.
THE ARGUS predicted this result some
time ago. 1t was mistake to withdraw
the Democratic call-it never should have
been withdrawn. Now, Democrats. you
see the result, it is National chicken
which has cen hatched, and worse yet
Hamburg, "a man who ran for sheriff last
fall, specially antagonistic to Democrats.
Even this nomination would have been
cheerfully acquiescsd in. but there is no
use 10 denying that the basis OF represent
alton was unfair-in fact was not repre-
| sentative at all.
Had Jarvis or Henry been nominated
or any other Democrat there would have
been kick from the Nationals. lt was
clean case of buldoxiug aud nothing
less.
The manner of voting was unfair. The
original call was for peoples convention,
and had the Nationals been able to cast
| IN aiority of the vote in the mass conVen-
ton, the delegate" plan woaid have been
yiaientlv opfosed by j. B. D4ntorth. chief
maniuulator of the little squad. But it
was the other way, the Democrats out
voting them. the Nationals threatened to
withdraw. one of their men going to
prominent Democrat aud saying as much,
charging. too. that the hall was packed
The Democrats acted honorably at once.
They told the Nationals they were there
10 good faith. wanted fair play aud moth
ing else. The Nationals said, We want a
! delegate convention" Very we'll, said the
Dem ocrats. if you will play far-if you
will give US fair ratio. W. are satisfied
and 20 il happened that a committee was
appointed to select a set Of delegates
Than, what followed? Was the agree
ment of the Nationals kept? Does any
one pretend TO say that the basis of rep
resentation agreed upon is fair one?
Let us examine this matter closely and see
] how it worked. There were IS delegates, Is
of these from Rock Island, 10 from Moline,
and from each township outside. 1t was
agreed that these should consist equally of
Democrats, Republicans aud Nationals,
and, as Dr. McKinnie stated in N aking
| the report, If there were three of one
party from any township, then the vote
was to be equally divided. This ap~
peared fair and would have been fair, If it
had been lived up to. but it wasn't, When
the voting began, it was evident that the
Greenbackers meant to take advantage of
the situation Drary had three Green
hackers, and instead Of casting one vote
each for a candidate of each party or a
fair division between the two, she whole
vote was given to Greeubacker. The
Democrats were ready to accept this with
out grumblc, If the same rule was al
lowed to work both ways. This was NOT
the case, for the second ward had only
one delegate. and when that delegate
wanted to cast three votes, the same as
Drury, the Nationals said mol Mol" and
sent out and got man not resident oil
th- ward brought him in aud he voted for
lthe-Nationals. This is how the
nomination of Hauberg was effected
Democrats. aud you can draw your
own conclusions, There is no use
Of trying to cover up this matter-the
plain facts are just as We state them, 1t
was regular trick. and it has eventuatsd
just as The ARGUS thought it would.
Dauforth and his squad" would not have
supported Democrat ii nominated Ia
mass convention, and yet it was a n ass
convention which was called. was what
Danforth IN his circulars said he would
stand by-and yet the mass convention
had not concluded the informal ballot
before the nationals were ready to bolt in
q body. The charge OF uufairness was
u ct in a manly manner by the Democrats
and the pledges of the Nationals to play
fair If a delegate basis was agreed upon
received 10 good faith. only to be violated
by tho Nationals after the Democrats had
con sented.
When J. B. Danforth. as the leader of
Nationals said Il warn you gentlemen.
that you must play fair, that man romi
mated By Rock Island will not be support
ed" he practically said-nomiuate &
National or we won't stand it.
The result of this convention should
teach Democrats the folly of going into
fusion arrangements The only manly,
outspoken, courageous way to succeed
is to stand squarely by your principles.
The ARGUS favored straight convention
and still believes that, had such a con
veDtion been held, ths nominee would have
had fair chance of election The straight
Democratic convention was not held and
the result of the 'amalgsmation process"
lis, as was predicted by The ARGUS
u So re- -