Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-09-18
WILLIE is BEATEN.
Goth the Votes and the Com.
mittee Against Him.
NO HOPE OF SUCCESSFUL CONTEST.

One Of His Friends on the Committee Re-
fuses to Go Behind the Returns and
Ties the Returning REHABILITATION I'm
the Illinois Populist Nomination Case
Puts Populists, Republicans and Pro-
htbitionists in the Same Boat-Politics
in General.
LEXINGTON, Ky. Sept 1S-Everything
Is quiet now, the nomination of Owens be-
ing conceded. But the quiet was preceded
by "A more exciting day than any Of the
preceding week. When the Owens men
Claimed the nomination by decisive
plurality Saturday night the Breckenridge
men stood pat. Sunday they worked
harder than ever. and yesterday it became
known that their representatives had been
dispatche into the different parts of the
district to get all evidences of iyreyulari-
Is III voting or counting, with IA view to
rontcstinS the nomination before the Dem
ocratic congressional committee, which
meets at Frankfort Saturday, and which
is the returning board that makes the Off
cial count and declaration as to who is the
nominee.
Composition of ;ila Committee.
This committee IS composed of one men,
Der from each Legislative. district. Fay
cite county, the home OF Breckenridge, has
two legislative districts and hence two
members of this committee, each of the
other seven counties having one. The
members of the state D -mocratic commit
tee for the Seventh district are the other
members of The committee, which was
known to stand six for Ereckinrdge and
four nti-Brcchinridge As this commit
tee has done everything in its power for
breckenridge in fixing late date for the
primaries, adopting the challenge rule
and everything else he wanted, the Owens
men were alarmed on finding out that the
Breckenridge agents were at work with
view to presenting evidence for n contest
before this committee next Saturday.
Meant a Finish Fight in November
They learned Of letters sent TO the COM
mIitee. of the agencies at work in different
counties working up the case and believed
there was n well-planned purpose to throw
out the vote of certain precincts on the
ground OF irregularities and declare
Breckenridge the nominee. 1t was
promptly ANNOUNCED that four members
of the district committee would make
minority report Saturday and appeal TO
the Democrats. This meant that Owens
and Breckenridge wonld both be canui-
dates and fight to finish in November
Meantime the Repu blicans, who hold
their convention here Sept. %, began to
regard their unnamed nominee as the
favorite and there was much excitement.
viii Not Go Behind the I:eturns.
Tie tide was turned in the afternoon
when b. J. Welsh, the committeeman
from Breckirridse's home and one of his
strongest supporters. announced that he
would never vote to go behind the returns
when the committee met at Frankfort.
As this would have the committee tie
OF five to five IN any event, and rs other
breckenridge msa on the district com
mittee who had stood by him to the last
We're not disposed o go behind the returns,
the old guard of the ''silver-tongued ora
tor" gave up she struggle. They will not,
however, concede the plurality Of 52i
which the Owens men claim from com
plete returns.
VIII Serve His Term Ont.
Among Breckinridge's strongest friends
nre the nominees here on the county
ticket, and they, Us well as other county
candidates, were not disposed TO hazard
their interests by assisting in throwing
out any of the Owens precincts at Frank
fort next Saturday. 1t is not likely that
there Will be any more az tation. Colonel
Breckenridge will serve till next March.