Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-10-13
IS IT FORT OR IS IT WEAR.
A Double-Barreled Convention.
Poplar Bluff Citizen.)

Poplar Bluff Citizen.)
A Democratic judicial convention
was held in the City of Poplar Bluff
yesterday Tuesdays convention the
parallel of which never was before
held in this city not excepting the sui
try period of 1876. We then occas-
sionally had some warm conventions.
or mass meetings but in comparison
with one held yesterday they pale into
ten. In accordance with the actions OF
of the judicial committee, which met
convention was held for the nomination
of a Judge for the twenty-second judi
cial district of Missouri which is COM
posed of the counties of Butler, Carter.
Dunklin, Ripley and Stoddard. The
two candidates seeking the nomination
are Judge Wear, of this county, and
j. L. Fort of Stoddard county. The
contest for the nomination had been
spirited from the start but it became
hotter and hotter as the day drew near
for the counties of Dunklin and Stod-
dard to speak. The counties of Carter
and Ripley which were the first to hold
conventions, instructed for Mr.. Fort.
Then came Butler which instructed for
Judge Wear. Neither of the candi-
dates made fight tor this county.
1t was after the convention was held
in Butler county that the judicial com
mittee met in this city and ruled that
the basis of representation should be
the Francis vote of 1888, and that each
county in the circuit should have as
many votes in the nominating conven-
tion as they gave to Francis in 1888. 1t
has been charged against the committee
that this was an unprecedented ruling
ina smuch as in one or two of the coun-
ties, notably Stoddard. Francis was I'M
mercifully scratched by democrats and
consequently did not give them the
representation that they thought they
deserved, or would have received had
the CAN'T vote been adopted, or any
other state democratic candidate. Ry
adopting this vote the two counties of
Butler and Dunklin would WELD the
power of naming the candidates for
judge by majority of two or three
votes!
Whether this was just Or not it is not
our province to decide for it is said
that everything is fair in love, war and
politics. But the adoption of this rule
was big card in favor of Judge Wear,
for the county of Stoddard, Mr.. Forts
home, cut and slashed Erancis unmerci-
.ully and this ruling of the committee
may be a wrathful visitation of Provi-
lence, or somebody else, upon the
heads of those democrats in Stoddard
md other counties who did this scratch
ng, and now want to be counted! Be |
hat as it may the Francis vote was
adopted and accepted as the inevitable, |
which certainly was not a correct rep |
of the democracy as COM
pared with the vote of other years.
After the Butler county primary,
hen came the Stoddard county prima-
", which instructed for Mr.. Fort, who
hen had instructions from all the coun-
les composing the district excepting
Butler, Dunklin yet to speak. Had
he CAN'T vote been adopted as basis
If representation this would have given
Sort the nomination.
The contest was then in Dunklin.
The friends of both candidates worked
or their respective favorite; as they
lad not worked before. The problem
n Dunklin was to have been settled
~ mass meetings, which was changed
o a primary, and then there was a
plit in the Central Committee, and a
,hange back to mass meetings by a
plit in the County Central Committee.
t is not the province of the Citizen to
lecide the straightness of the grain
where these rents occurred. Suffice
o say, that Dunklin county held both
democratic primary election and
mass conventions on September 10th,
md Mr.. Fort won in the primaries and
Judge Wear was successful in securing
he majority vote at the mass cOnven-
ions. Contested delegations came
rom Dunklin as a result of this doub-
e-jointed affair.
So this is the situation at the open.
ng of the first judicial convention of
he twenty-second district, which open
d on October 5th, at 1 o'clock P. NJ,
n this city.
It was five minutes past one o'clock
esterday when the court house doors
7ere opened to large crowd. which
lied the stairway, clamoring for ad-
littance. Probably half of those who
ought admittance were delegates of L
ne or the other of the factions. Del i
gates representing the counties of But t
,r and Dunklin, and favorable to the '
omination of Judge Wear quickly fill S
d the seats at the right of the judges Y
tand, and the counties of Dunklin, q
arter, Ripley and Stoddard took the t
eats at the left of the judges stand as a
ou enter. The delegates were scarce 5
, seated before 6. A. Standard. chair d
ian of the judicial committee, stepped b
, the judges stand, and called the I
leeting to order, by reading the pro-
eeding of the meeting of the commit
,e giving the basis of representation,
&C., as stated above.