Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-08-11

July q, IOQQ WllIIuHy SURPRISES 1iO
only pertinent fact connected with the
Convention that assembled at Wood
on Iune Fl, 1905, because the mere
statement of the fact could effeCtually
explode any claim made by the Miley
Committee, as 10 any authority II might
have had to act for the party even be-
fore the action of the April Convention
1896.
The legality Of the election of the
Rhodes Committee in the first place,
depended solely and alone upon the
right of the Convention of June Fl, '9o,
TO elect a County Committee.
The right of that Convention to elect
a County Committee depended upon the
right of the Convention TO meet at all.
ANY County Convention duly called,
has the absolute tight, in the exercise OF
the sovereign authority vested in IT as
the representative Of the party, TO elect
a County Chairman and County Com
mittee. and the election Of such COM
mittee is the termination OF any conf
mittee heretofore elected.
If the call for the County Convention
that assembled June 81, 1865, and which
elected the Rhodes Committee as II
stood at the time of the assembling OF
that convention was the expression OF
the will of a legal meeting of the Coun-
tv Committee, il cannot be denied that
County Convention was a legally con-
stitutcd convention and the election by
il of the Rhodes Committee was a due
exercise of proper authority and termi-
mated the existence Of the old Commit
tee.
1t therefore remains only 10 refer to
the facts as TO the actions of the old
committee in connection with the call
for the Convention Of June p, 1893.
The communication of the "Milcy'
Committee of July 81, 1900, rchearses at
great length the proceedings OF the
Committee of the afternoon OF June ] g.,
1905, and entirely suppresses and with
held from the people the fact that there
was any subsequent meeting of the
Committee with reference to the Con-
vention of June 81, 1905, and the sup
preston of which can alone give any
form Of legality TO the pretentions Of
the Milcv Committee, OF which IT could
RELY TO base any authority exercised by
il from lunc n. 1895, 10 AgTil l. 1899.
As matter of fact the County Com
mittee met a second time. before the
meeting of the County Convention OF
Tuue 81. 1905. AT which meeting major
itv of the County Committee were pre-
sent. uotice OF the call having been du-
~ given by the Secretary 20 all mcm-
bers of the Committed and al its second
meeting duly accepted, endorsed ana
made its own. the action and call OF the
Court Day meeting for the County Con
vention. thereby Kidding the call 81
every objection urged against it by the
Nlilev Committee i'm its communication
of July 81, 1900.
This second Committee meeting con-
vcncd. pursuant 10 call made by the
committee itself over the signatures OF
l. of the 90 members of the Committee
the following members of the committee
having signed the call. VIZ. NJ. Bush
ong. y. VI. Rhodes G.. VI. Councr. W.
J.. Wisman. VI. W Magruder, Joel W.
Ritenour, T. J. Adams, J.. j. Fadeley,
:. p. Foglc. T. /. Mitchell, J. W. Hep
ner, Sainl. Coverstone. {. Townes, J.
II. Snarr. J. W. Newman, Chas >. her-
lin and mo. \. Williams
There can therefore be no question OF
the legality either of the call for the
second meeting Of the committee nor OF
the consequent legality OF the conven-
ton of July 81. 1905 1t necessarily tol-
lows that the Rhodes Committee then
elected. became the sole County Com
mittec. until the Convention OF April I,
1900. rehabilitatcd the old committee, or
what was left of it, (all but 2 OF It's
members having become members OF
the new committee, and most OF them
having since acted with III and set itup
along side of the Rhodes Committee,
and thereby committed joint authority
TO the two Committees 10 act together
but not separately.
THIRDLY. The Miley Committee per
ceiving the weakness of its own posi-
ton as stated above, falls back on the
old thread bare argument deduced
from the seating at the Charlottesville
Convention of the delegation elected
bv bv the District Conventions, called
the committee at its first meeting,
on June 10 1895.
10 impartial lawyer nor disinterest-
ed man. will undertake to seriously
claim that there ever was or could have
been submitted to the committee OF
credentials al Charlottesville. any ques-
ton which involved a decision bv
that committee or the Convention IL
self. as TO which committee in Shenan-
doah county was the proper or legal
committee.
The chairman of the committee on
credentials so stated himself in the con-
vention Hall, but few minutes after
the report Of his committee had been