Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-06-17

cai'ed a meeting of the committee at
Springfield, March - last. 1t was
the intention of Palmer and his coad-
tutors to have the committee call an
early state convention and put ND a
mlddle-of-theroad ticket; but. when
the committee assembled. by a safe
majority it resolved to continue the
lco-operative movement of 1896. and,
with view to honorable cooperation
with democrats and silver republic
cans, directed Palmer to call the state
convention ut the same time and
place designated for the democratic
state convention. As the time for
the democratic convention was not
oiilcially known. no precise date for
the populist convention was fixed by
our central committee. Palmer was
simply directed to call our convention
LAT the same time and place as the
democratic convention. Palmer
learned that the democrats had post
poned their convention from Nav Il
to July II. and. thereupon. he hastily
published call for a populist state
convention MAY II. feeling sure that
if the populists should meet there.
with no opportunity to confer with
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Il middle
of-thc-road ticket would be the result.
a majority of the pOpulist executive
committee demanded of Palmer that
he postpone the call to July II in ac-
cordance with the original resolution
of the central committee-which he
refused to do: and although ma
Jority of the state central committee
concurrcd in the demand for Il post
Ponemcnt. Palmer persisted in his
purpose.
The result was that on MAY II a
handful of delegates met in Spring
field in a so-called convention. By
actual count. twice verified by relia-
BILE men. there were. all told. only 2O3
persons in the convention hall when
organization was effected. OF these
l2O walked out of the convention.
having been refused hearing on ere
dentials by the man whom Palmer
| had put into the chair for that pur-
pose. Previous to organizing the
convention the Palmer gang had OBJ
| tanned control Of the committee hv q
procedure so outrageouslv unfair that
one or two of their own people felt
impeIlcd to protest. Genuine proxies
were rejected and forged proxies adj
mitted. until the ~amg had al appar-
ent majority and were enabled to put
Il chairman over the convention who
was willing to carry out. under the
gavel Palmer's scheme for unseatinr
enough delegates to give the middle
oi-the-road programme success. Moth
ing remained for the majority but to
forcibly obtain control or withdraw.
They chose the latter aud 30 accre,l-
tied delegates out of 2O3 persons re-
tired To Il ncighboring hall and organ
lied with john A. Crawford. of Spring
field, chairman. and Ii. Nj. Miller.
OF WaverIy, secretary. New central
and executive committees were cons
tituted and the executive committee
was directed to call a convention of
the peoples party of Illinois. at
Springfield. on July II next. Eel
low citizens, the so-called populist
ticket. nominated by less than 100.
persons. ut Springfield. on Nav II.
can make no Just claim upon the peo-
pies party which the party is bound
to respect. The call for the conven-
ton was unauthorized was. in fact.
contrary to the expressed will of the
state committee. and the convention
itself was So unfairly conducted that
protest becomes Il duty; and your
committee calls upon every true popu-
list IN the state to cooperate with us
in assembling fair and truly repre-
sentative convention AT Springfield on
July II. That our proposed con-
vention will he success is already
assured. Correspondents from all
over the state promise Us large at
tendance. Mr.. BRYAN will be present
and address the convention. and it is
hoped that General Weaver will also
attend and deliver 4 speech Once as
semhled. we will he able to determine
what To do and how. and we can at
least efrectually protest against Palmer
and his coadIutors handing the peo-
pies party of Illinois over to the Han
M and Tanner machine.
Therefore. in accordance with the
action of the state central committee.
March 80. 1898. state convention of
the peoples party of Illinois i here
by called to meet in the city of
Springfield, ILL.,. at 10 O'Clock a. H..
Tuesday, July II 1898 for the trans
action of such business AS NAV prop
crlv come before it. Basis of repre-
seniation shall he three delegates-at-
large for each county and one addi-
tional delegate for each 100 votes or |
majority fraction thereof cast for
Randolph in 1894.
j. A. CRAWFORD. Chairman.
II. NJ. MILLER. Secretary.
:. p. V. ARNOLD.
HOWARD :. TAYLOR.
WILLIAM BRYANT.
W. {. BLAIR.