Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-10-31
IRONTON NO. THURSDAY. OCTOBER 81. 4 9O1.

Nine days previously he entertained
such a high ideal of what a Congress
man should be that he was going to
stick to his post of duty in Washington
even though some one now IN me
BACKGROUND" should be nominated in
his stead. Now he is slipping steal
th1ly away from that post of duty to
De Soto to attend tie committee meet
ing, having stated that everything
will be arranged so that there will be
no embarrassment" What did he
meanP We did not know, nor could
we find out until we saw Mr.. Robb.
On Thursday morning, March 22,
1900, the day appointed for the COM
mittee meeting we were on hand at
De Soto. intending to urge the selec-
ton of Piedmont for the convention.
When the Belmont train came in that
morning at about ten o'clock Mr.. Robb
and Mr.. Bell, chairman of the Com
mittee. alighted. We all went down
to the hotel and sometime afterward
while sitting in the parlor Mr.. Bell
said to Mr.. Robb, s'Have you shown
to DIR. Holmes your plan9"
Mr.. Robb replied:
| s.No; I'll do so now"
As he said this he drew from his in
side coat pocket a typewriter docu-
ment. saying it was plan for pri-
mary election. One of them Il have
forgotten which one) began to read it
aloud, but was interrupted by a noise
at the door. The paper was secreted
until the man departed and then the
paper was handed to US with the re-
quest that we examine it. The an
nouncement of the primary plan came
to me as such a surprise that we did
not know what to say, SO said nothing.
Mr.. Robb urged that il was similar to
the method adopted by Champ Clark
and other congressman north OF the
river, and that il we should adopt the
plan he believed he could win out.
We demanded some time for consider
: alton and took our departure from the
room. We had run square up against
} the surprise party, and began to have
a faint conception of what was in store
for us. We had gone there for con
> vention, never having heard the prl
, mary plan spoken of until this hour
1.-The only man present from Wayn'
county was Capt. W. T. Leeper and t.
; him we unfolded Mr.. Robb's plan ant
D asked his advice. He urged that with
q out instructions from Wayne count.
: voters We had no right to depart fron
4 the tims-honored convention plan. w
! returned and begged the members
i the committee to not take snap judge
9 ment on the voters of the district-tha
Q If they desired primary let the peopl
d have an opportunity to say whether o
!, not they wanted it. But Mr.. Bell
o who was regarded by all as Mr.. Robo'
l. personal representative. stood pat TO
g the primary, and when it came tim
n to vote pulled from his pocket nun
= Der of proxies, some of them illegal
and by bare majority of one ordere
a primary. This demonstration OF ga
rule was such a fall from the hig
;, plane maintained in his letter onl
"a seventeen days before that we coul
- not maintain our own self respect an
% still be a well wisher OF Mr.. Robs
= We determined then that we would oil
a. pose his political advancement wit
all the energy we possessed, and
"a this day have had no occasion
change our mind.
IN The central committee of this coul
ID ty officially endorsed our stand in tt
ar De Soto meeting, and afterwards Il
# voters of the entire county added the
,e endorsement by giving majori
tn against Mr.. Robb and by electing
congressional committeeman who is
=. favor of q convention as against
n