Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-09-21

absenting delegates had been waitet
upon but refused to return, an,
stated that they recognized no fur
Their authority Of the convention
over them. Whereupon the chair
man called the convention to order
and business was proceeded with
by the adoption of the reports OF
the committees on credentials and
permanent organization; after which
convention adjourned to 1880 Satur-
day morning.
The boiling delegates, after sup
per, organized a separate convention,
admitting the Reyes contestants from
Lafayette county to secure quorum,
elected a chairman and secretary,
appointed committees, ETC., and ad-
journed to meet in the Court House
at 1880 Saturday morning.
Pursuant to adjournment, the reg
ular convention met Saturday morn
ing in the usual place, and the bolt
ers in the Court House. The latter's
first business was to appoint com
mittee to wait on the former body,
and notify them that they were
ready to meet them, provided they
desired, for the purpose of harmon
izing on third man. This the reg
ular convention refused to do, and
each proceeded to nominate its fav-
orite-IIazelton and Reyes. Each
adopted platform, appointed dis
lrict committee, and adjourned sine
die.
Upon the merits of the contestants
from Lafayette county, rests the
solution Of the difficulty. An I'M
preiudiced consideration of the
facts presented impresses upon us a
conviction that the Reyes contes-
tants had only technical claim, and,
that defective, through the secret
and clandestine manner in which
they were elected, while the Hazel
ton delegates-whie the manner Of
their election was in degree tech
nically more irregular-were chosen
in accordance with the usages of
the party for the last 20 years, in
open convention, of which the OPP
position was fully advised, and had
all the equities and justice on their
side.
Suppose the II opposition dele
gates from the Eastern district of
Iowa county, at Dodgeville, had,
on the noon recess, got
together, without the lIazelton men
of the district knowing anything
about it, and admitting a set of del
egates from Ridgeway who pretend
ed to be elected to an assembly dis
trict convention, but not to the
county convention, had gone on and
elected two anti-Hazelton delegates
to Monroe. 1t would have been
technically regular, of course, but
would it have been regarded as equit
able and just, by the people of the
district? We think not; and the
Reyes claimants from Lafayette
having by their own admission, been
elected in precisely such manner as
we have here supposed, we are fore
ed to the conclusion that HazeI,on
had a majority of the delegates
elected to the Monroe convention;
that his nomination was as fair and
regular AZ nominations usually are,
and hence his name is raised as the
Republican standard bearer of the
district.
What may be termed the early
desertion Of SUckacy from Keyes
was a feature of the convention to
which we shall refer freely hereafter.
But that there could have been not
even shadow of excuse for the
bolt, and but for that no consider
able number of Republicans would
attempt to Justify the desperate step
taken by the opponents of llazelton
The bad blood il engendered, was to
have been expected, and the course
pursued was adopted as the only
means of revenge.