Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-08-13
THE STATE CONVENTION.
Treatment of Wood County
Republicans by a Majority of
the State Central Committee The
Result. "Where are we at?'

| JlOn Wnlc0 met IN Milwaukee on the
9TH instant. That was her represen-
tatiOn under the call for the State
convention. Her right to such repre-
SentatiOn has never been questioned.
The Republicans Of Wood county
held their regular convention in the
City Of Grand Rapids July 22nd, for
the purpose, among other things, OF
choosing delegates to the State and
Congressional conventions. Delegates
were accordingly chosen. with the
usual power of substitution. The I'M
derSigned were selected to act as such
delegates to the State convention
some Of us having been elected direct
ly by the County convention: the
others as duly appointed substitutes
Of delegates so elected. We attended
the State convention and put forth
our best efforts to perform the trust
committed to us. The right and
power to do so was denied uS-arbitra-
rily and WrOngfully, as we firmly be-
lieye. Under such circumstances we
feel bound to inform you of the ObSta-
CleS which we encountered, and which
finally resulted in our being denied
the right to represent Wood county in
the State convention. In doing so it
will be necessary to refer, inCiden-
tally, to events that occurred prior to
the meeting in Milwaukee, and to
state plainly what took place, calling
men and things by their proper names.
1t will be assumed that most or all
OF you know the truth concerning the
two cOnyentiOns-that held in Grand
Rapids July 22nd, hereinbefOre spoken
Of, and the meeting held somewhere
in Marshtield July 29th, which has
been by its members called ''cOn-
yentiOn." 1t will be sufficient for the
present, therefore, to mention very
few leading facts as to each: The
former was called by majority of
the regular Central committee of the
county, after notice and requests to
join therein given to all members of
the committee. 1t was recognized by
the Republicans of Wood county as
their regular and rightful convention,
and was attended by them us such.
Seventeen OF the twenty-five cities,
towns and villages of the county,
were actually and fully in attendance
by their regularly chosen delegates
being the whole county except Marsh
field city and town, and the three
towns of Lincoln, Rock and RichtieId
Some or all of the towns last named
would have sent delegates but for the
direct interference OF MarShtield par
ties, the particulars of which are we'll
known, but need not be given now.
On the other hand, the SO-called
MarShtield convention was held pur
Suant to a call signed and issued by
one member of the committee only,
without the knowledge or approval of
any one of the four other members Of
the committee, and contrary to the
known wishes Of the majority. The
convention so held was not recognized
nor attended by any cOnSidera BILE
number of the Republicans of Wood
county. A few people in and around
Marshtield attended it. If there
were any delegates in attendance hay
ing credentials showing that they
had been chosen by any caucus or
caucuSeS regularly called, they were
so few in number that the managers
Of the ''COnventiGn"-COle Coon,
COnnOr, GtC.-were ashamed to let
any record be made showing their
names and the localities represented
by them. To have done that would
have exposed the utter emptiness
and thinneSs of their whole ''cOnyen-
tiOn." Their Secretary, President,
and Chairman of Credentials; COM
|
newspaper reporter at the tIme-im-
mediately after the convention ad-
jOurned-for a list Of their deleguteS.
Neither of them had or could pro-
duce any such list. They had none
Their convention was unquestion-
ably made up, in most part, of
persons picked up in the locality
at the time and for the occasion,
who acted without authority of any
Republican caucus whatever. Such
was the Convention" that Cole and
Company constructed and used to elect
, delegates for the Republican pUlty OF
Wood county to the State and Congress
siOnal conventions, 1t went through
with the forms Of electing such dele
gates. When the Congressional con-
VentiOn met at Waupaca on the 3rd
inst, the regular delegates, headed by
Mr.. Gardner, were confronted by a
SO-called 'delegatiOn'' selected by the
MarShfeld convention, who claimed
to represent Wood county. y hearing
of their claim was had before the
proper committee in the presence of
the whole Congressional convention.
The committee and the convention
decided unanimously that Mr.. Gardner
and his colleagues. chosen by the
NOulIly OOiIN SlIlIOu VI 81 ulN --1C, were
the rightful delegates, and they were
given seats accordingly. The State
convention assembled on the 9TH inst
The State Central committee are
made the Credentials committee for
the latter convention. and as such
they determine. in the first instance.
who are entitled to seats therein. In
case of cOnteSting delegates from any
county, they hear the evidence and
arguments for and against the respec-
tive contestants and decide between
them. The committees decision is
usually adopted by the convention.
because State conventions are very
large bodies Of men who are usually
unwilling to give the time to a con-
test for seats of a single county which
would be necessary to full under
standing of its merits. The commit
tee met on the 4th. when the claim
made by the Marshtield representa-
tiyes-COle. COnnOr. c. y. Coon, Cady.
etc.-that they and not we were en-
titled to represent Wood county in
the State convention. was heard.
The hearing lasted several hours.
The only material question involved
was, which County convention, if
either, was legally authorized to speak
for the Republicans Of Wood county
that held in Grand Rapids July 22nd.
or that held at MarShtield July 29th?
}. This was the precise question passed
:. on the 3rd inst, and unanimously de-
L III