Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-06-23
LACKS THE FACTS.
Miscellaneous Regarding Rock
island County.
TIE DEMOCRATIC SITUATION.

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ssss.gs Misssseeptss.s e What TIE
Coanty Csavsatisn Dsa aaA lts Aetual
sDGainsanee-An Usfeunaed Clasm Rrsu
ths Csnventsoa CITY.
A strange mlsconceptlon of the
facts has been spread at Peoria re-
garding the attitude of the recent
democratic county convention as re-
CARDS Hon. Ben. T. Cable and the
money issue. Some one has greatly
misrepresented the facts to Gov
Altgeld, as witness the following
dispatch from the state convention
city in today's Chicago Chronicle:
Tho silver men are In great glee
over the fact that Ben Cable did not
succeed in capturing the Rock Island
delegation. 1t was announced that
he WAS q sure winner, and that.
while Gov. Altgeld secured an in
dorsement and pledged delegation,
silver was ignored.
"'Let me give you the facts in the
case said Gov. Altgeld. with great
satisfaction. The silver men carried
Rock Island and Mr.. Cables district
BY large majority. By some sharp
practice on the part of one of the
officers the convention was
tricked into passing resolution de-
claring. as they supposed. for the
free coinage Of silver ut the ratio Of
16 to 1. 1t seems, however, that q
clause was added with the words
with the cooperation of the leading
nations Of Europe This made it
practically q declaration for gold.
One of the delegates became suspic-
ious and secured possession Of the
resolution as passed. He obtained
the floor. exposed the trick, aud the
convention by large majority re-
scinded the former resolution and
passed straightout declaration for
free silver at l6 to l. If MIR. Cable
can get any satisfaction out of this
action, he is welcome to it,"
And the Times Herald has the fol-
lowing similar misstatement:
1T. j. Medill, of Rock Island, was
a lion the first day he came here and
no other candidate was talked of for
secretary of state. He had Just won
q victory over Ben T. Cable, and the
leaders of the silver movement
thought they owed him a debt of
gratitude, but tho developments to.
day indicate that Cable is q long way
from being knocked out and that
Mr.. Medill must have gone to sleep
soon after the primaries. Even il
the delegates from the Rock Island
district defeat Cable, Medill's pres
tige has been destroyed, or there is
no excuse, the leaders claim. for let
ting Cable steal away his delegates
after they were selected"
Gross Misrepresentation.
Both these statements are notori.
ously at variance with the facts. 1t
is hardly necessary to correct the
utterances of Gov. Altgeld. they are
50 distinctly contradictory Of the
situation as it actually exists. There
was no reconsideration of any act on
the part of the convention, and the
resolutions speak for themselves.
As far as Gov. Altgeld is
concerned the convention Endorsed
him, and there was no other inclina-
ton or desire on the part Of any
democrat in Rock Island county, the
impression that there might be in
the ante election canvass originating
entirely with Mr.. Medill himself. as
hitherto stated in The ARGUS, and
the convention very emphatically
and properly repudiated such declar-
alton. As to the Times erald's
dispatch, il Mr.. Medill thought he
was winning victory over Mr.. Ca
bic in convention in which he was
himself denied q seat, and which was
conducted from first to last and in
all that it did by Mr.. Cables friends,
he was affected by q arrange halluci-
nation, and the best that can be said
is that in his case hope was father to
the thought. We might borrow for
the time being the governors phrase
aud use it with slight modification
if MIR. Medill can get any satisfaction
out Of this action he is welco me to it.