Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-03-06
HAVING HARD FIGHT
Lively Things Doing Politically
Down in Bond
County,
LIEUT.. GOV. NORTHCOTTs HOME
And Who Is Making Struggle
for State Machine
There.
LIEUT.. GOV. NoRTHOoTTs HOME

lGOV. William \. Mort hcOtt * making
the most desperate fight of his life.
His political existence depends ON the
issue in Bond county. After Il strong
declaration at Springfield i'm favor of
giving the people Il chance TO send
ldele"ateS 10 conventions direct. he
took the first train TO his home and
organized 4 meeting of the Bond
county republican committee and
with practically no notice had this
committee name every delegate to
every convention this year. The state
delegates heretofore always have
been chosen by the republicans in
convention. The senatorial delcga-
ton is hea led by Joseph Watts, who
is bitterly hostile to +. p. Morey.
lanti-rin" candidate for The legisla-
turc. and the entire delegation is
made up Of the same kind of ma
Itcrial. Should Murcv carry the coun-
/ " ia the primaries next Tuesday he
will have machine delegation pledg-
ed To hamper him by Hopkins in
structions ar veN him in other ways.
Mercy was elected to the legislature
Il few years ago in defiance Of North
cot and has Eeen a thorn in the side
of the Lieutenant governor cor years.
These things have brought about a
great mdtiny i'm Bond county against
/ Mr.. Northcott. 1t j. not certain that
he will win in his attempt To foist
! Cicero !. LindlcN as the Bond candi-
| daIc for the house. Mr.. LiudleN has
not always been IN touch with North
colt. there have been times when
Lindlev WAS ready 10 declare against
his partner. but mutual interests have
usually brought them together in
/ general proposition.
Last summer LindIey hoped To hold
on q his job of railroad commissioner
given him by Tanner. But Yates
thought differently and then Lindley
began to rebel. lie was for Dawes
for senator then. but somehow OF
other Northcott won him over and
now ne is beating the brush as the
Hopkins candidate for the house.
circumstances In the Case.
The circumstances that have lately
set the Bond county republicans by
the ears are a. follows: Some weeks
ago 4. i. Morey. who j. for Mason
for senator. induced majority Of
the committee to sign a circular per-
lature To choose the delegates to the
senatorial convention. y, majority of
the committc signed the notice. Mr..
Northcott did not hear of this until
recently. and he Immediately induced
one of the committeeman to recaut.
Then he had secret notices sent out
to the committeeman to meet last
Friday evening in Greenyille. This
was after the republican weekly pa
pers had all gone To press for the
week. the democratic Item alone
being able to squeeze a brief para
graph in its columns TO the effect
that the committee had fixed pri-
marieS. Great was the surprise of
the committee when Mr.. Northcott
made his appearance. boldly assumed !
the chair. with the statement that |
Chairman Sutton was i'll and had |
given his proxy to him. One of the !
members presented the circular |
agreement above and Mr.. Northcott |
Immediately resigned the chair, took |
the floor and. under pretense that it /
was faulty and not specific enough. |
offered Il substitute calling the pri- |
maries for March II. closing the list /
of nominations on March { and nam |
ing Il lot of delegates to all the con |
veEtiuns. Mr.. NCrthcott's experience |
in the senate made him the superior |
of the farmer members as parlia- |
mentafian and he carried every point. |
Z. p. Morey was in st. Louis and !
did not learn of the action of the com |
mfttee until all was over. lie imme-
diately announced his candidacy for |
- I NJ
began an active campaign.
Ignore the Primaries.
There are Il number of republicans
who will not attend the primaries ut
all They propose to hole themselves
in position To kick next November if
occasion makes IL necessary. Mr..
Northcott has issued statement i'm
which he claims the call for the conn
~ committee was issued Feb. 26 for
a meeting on Feb. 2S and that there
were only two points at issue i'm the
committee meeting. viz. the date of
the primary and the selection of the
delegates. On both Il roll was called
and a ma iority decided them. All the
demanded an early pri-
mary except one. He gives list of
dates when the delegates 10 conven-
tions were selected by mass and dele
gate conventions and asserts that in
1896 the same procedure was held as
this year in selecting the delegates To
the senatorial convention.
..The issue as to United States sena-
tor" said Mr.. Northcott. lis fairly
presented i'm the primaries and every
republican i'm Bond county will have
n fair opportunity to express his sen
timents ut that time"
He does not defend the naming of
the state delegation. He said he
wanted it out of the way so he
could get out in the state and do
come n,nrI. for his friends Ii will