Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1900-06-08
RIPPED UP THE BACK
By Vote Of Eight to Six CLARK Manipula-
tors Capture Democratic Central
Committee.
HELL is POPPING NOW
Chairman Mushbach and Six Committee.
men Walked Out in Disgust Victors
Call County Convention.

A scene something after the style Of
the one enacted at the St Louis national
convention of four years ago, yesterday
took place at the court house in this city
during the meeting of the county demo-
cratic central committee, when seven of
the members, including the chairman,
picked up their hats and their honor and
deliberately and dramatically walked out
of the meeting, leaving the Clark repre-
sentatives of democracy to proceed with
their initial labors of yindication
The meeting was held On the call Of
Chairman j. q. Mushbach to take action
on the petition circulated among the
democrats of the county at the instance
of y. p. Mcdonald, manager of the Bird
ger Coal company, which petition had
for its object the resembling Of The for
mer action Of the committee id choosing
delegates to the state convention at
Butte and the calling of precinct pri-
maries and a county convention for the
election Of delegates to said state con
vention. Every precinct in the county
was represented by committeeman ia the
flesh, making total delegation of fifteen,
including the chairman, and it was only
by the bare majority of one vote that
the Clark contigent carried their point.
IN calling the meeting to order Chair
man Mushbach made clear and forcible
presentation of the matter in justitica-
ton of the committee in selecting dele
gates to the state convention. He
characterized as misleading and abso-
lutely untrue that portion Of the petition
which alleged that the action taken by
the central committee was .sillegal and
contrary to the usual established rules
and regulations of the party" in that it
is unusual to allow proxies in commit
tees of this character In substantia-
ton OF his statements, Chairman Mush-
bach read the letters received by him
from J. P. Woolman of Helena, chairman
of the state republican central committee
and David Marks secretary of the state
democratic central committee Mr..
Woolman wrote that it is customary to
allow proxies at all meetings of the re-
publican central committee and that
there is a precedent for proxies being
allowed at meetings of county central
committees. Mr.. Marks gave il as his
opinion that the action taken by the
Carbon county democratic committee
was legal, and stated that the voting by
proxy in the state and county commit
tees has been an established rule in
Montana dating way back into territorial
days.
Mr.. Mushbach then created somewhat
of a sensation by stating that Mr.. Chat
field, who circulated the petition in this
city, had made the assertion that the
object was to defeat certain democratic
county officials for reelection BY fair
means or foul and that if necessary to
accomplish this end they would all vote
the republican ticket next fall He also
referred to the fact that the circuator
of the petition at Carbonate and Gebo
in order to secure signatures claimed
that the petition was being circulated at
the request of the chairman of the cen
tral committee.
Referring to the matter of the appor-
tionmcnt made by the committee in
naming delegates To Butte, Mr. Mush-
bach rccitcd the fact that the outside
precincts We're given the best of it in
that the apportionment for Red Lodge
was reduced from twenty nine to sixteen,
and declared that the basis taken was
cminently fair and Just, lie denied the
statement made by L. p. Mcdonald that
so percent of the democratic voters of
the county had signed the petition, and
said that forty mine of the signcrs were
republicans and twenty nine either min
ors. nOn=citizens or unknown. He stated
that when the petitions were presented
Donald that he could take the same pc
titions. circulate thcnf himself in the
country west of Rock creek and, bv stat
ing the exact facts, could secure the
erasure Of two thirds Of the names and
get these two thirds to sign a counter
petition affirming the action of the cen
tral committee. He contended that the
committee proceedings previously had
were not only entirely regular and legal
and proper, but found recognition and
parallel in party usage and practice and
precedent. He referred to the fact that
like action had recently been taken by
the democratic central committee of
Fergus, Choteau, Teton and Valley
counties, and that the same method of
procedure had obtained in Gallatin