Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-07-07
The Washington County Mass Meet
ing.


ing.
An attache of the REGISTER attended
the Democratic mass meeting at Potosi
last Saturday, and is free to say that as
an illustration of how the bull-dozing,
filibustering and trickery of the poll
tician can override the will of the hon
est majority in such gatherings, this
assembly would be hard to excel. 1t
was contest from start to finish aS to
| who should secure the Congressional
legatiOn-whether Mr.. Byrns could
carry his own county or whether the
delegation would be instructed for Mr..
| Edgar, of this county. Mr.. Edgar, be-
yOnd question. had a majority of the
vast assemblage, but the bull-dozing,
| tilibustering tactics of the courthouse
clique and PotOsi polite. ans, wore out
| the patience OF the crowd, and instruc-
tions for Mr.. Byrns were finally secured
| Early in the day it became apparent
that the meeting was going to be an
interesting one, for every train brought
large delegations from different parts
| of the county, and the arrivals by wag-
on and horseback poured steadily into
town all during the morning. Along
| toward noon there was heavy rain,
| but it dampened not the enthusiasm.
and the masses still surged into town.
w. S. Anthony and Louis F. Dining.
the leaders of the Byrns faction, were
on hand early, and, to the most casual
observer, it soon became apparent, that
these two, at least. were much disturb
ed lest their worthy Sam. should fail
to secure the delegation from his own
county. They met every delegation as
fast as they arrived, impOrtuned, but
ton-hOled and threatened; and, It's even
sad, were spending money in order
that Mr.. Byrns might secure the vote
OF Ibis friends and neighbors." And
thus the morning passed; each succeed
ing hour found the Byrns forces more
detected, more discouraged, and finally
almost ready to despair. They were
demoralizcd; they evidenced this in
their every move; the situation was
desperate and would have TO be met by
desperate methods.
The chairman of the County Central
Committee, II. Wallace, had called the
meeting for one o'clock, but when the
hour arrived, the Central Committee
was closeted in one OF the Offices of the
courthouse and it was half-past one be-
fore they put in appearance. Then
they proceeded up stairs, whore Dr..
James, a Byrns man. instead OF Mr..
Wallace, the chairman, called the
mass meeting to order, at the same
time nominating DR.. GoodykoOntz, a
pronounced Byrns man, of Caledonia,
for permanent chairman. This advant-
age taken by the temporary chairman
to name the permanent chairman,
brought forth no little disprOval, and
was the first evidence of the methods to
which they We're willing to resort to
carry their end; the opposition prompt
~ placed Mr.. Clancy, an Edgar man,
in nomination for chairman, and the
Byrns men, named as tellers to count
the vote, declared Mr.. Clancy elected.
The gentleman took the chair and ii.
{. Bell was chosen secretary by accla-
nation.
Mr.. b. F. Marbury, one of the Byrns
leaders. then took the floor, and offer
ed the resolution, as the order of bust
ness: first, to choose the delegates to
the State Convention by ballot; to the
ST. Louis Judicial, Circuit and Con-
gressiOnal Conventions by division of
the house. Mr.. Thos. WEIGH, one of
the leaders of the Edgar forces, offered
an amendment to elect the Congress
sional delegates by ballot also. The
resolution, with this amendment, was
promptly carried. DIR. GOodykoontz
then moved a nsideration, which
was lost by an overwhelming vote.
Then followed scene of disorder and
confusion which beggars description;
the Byrns men were badly frightened;
they had seen their fayorite for chair
man defeated: thei-' rules for the order
Of business hal been amended in ac-
cOrdance with the desires of the Edgar
men, The situation was indeed excit-
ing; the crowd could barely find stand
ing room; every nook and corner was
filed with surg.ng humanity, The
chair was naming the tellers and call
ing for vote by ballot to name the
delegates to the State Convention, when
Henry Bell. the secretary Of the mee,-
ing. jumped on the table and declared
the convention irregr ar, saying it
should have been raped to order by
Mr. Wallace. the chairman of the CEN
trail committee. who had issued the call
for the meeting. Qt may be inse ted,
ny way OF parenthesis, right here, that
this seems To have been FreeQnGerted
arrangement on the part of the byrns
men: fearing they would be outvoted
in the mass meeting, they wanted a
flaw in the proceedings so that they
could declare them irregular. 1t is
also little singular that the fact OF
ibis irregularity did not occur to Mr..
Bell someWh hat earlier, far the Central
Committee OF which he was also seer6.
tary. had, as stated, just been in ses-
sion, and it would be but natural that
they should have fully determined who
should call the mass meeting to order.