Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-03-09
DEMOCRACY'SDUTY
Party Can Easily Rid Itself of
Looneyism if it
Will.
SHOULD ATTEND cAUCUsEs
And if the Majority Controls There
Will be no Diff
Guilty.

| In days gone by II was not an in
frequent occurrence for various demo
Gratis to come to The Argus Office to
protest against the Looney methods
in politics, and many a good demo
crat did not hesitate to point out
what he believed TO be the papers
duty in the premises. 1t was insisted
by all so inclined that by packing the
| caucHses and by intimidation, Mr..
Looney was able to thWart the actu-
al expression of the democracy in the
ward. In reply to contentious such
as these, The Argus. while not hest
tating TO denounce the packing of
caucuses, always held that if the dem
ocratic party did not approve of Mr..
| Looney's way OF conducting politics
the democrats should turn out and
run things to suit themselves. This
they were on all occasions urged to do.
| The Argus while always standing for
clean politics, nevertheless believed
that it was largely with the party
itself 70 remedy the evils that existed
in its system Of conducting caucuses
and conventions, and if BY default on
its part Mr.. LOoney was enabled to Sc
cure control of the organization no one
could be held res pOnsible but the party
itself. 1t was the belief Of The Argus
that Mr.. Looney could not be blamed
for aspiring TO leadership. and. obi
Gus as may have been his ways of at
tanning his political ends. ii was the
fault Of the party if through its in
difference to its duty he succeeded.
The Argus did not seek or desire to
dictate to the party rs to its leader
ship or its nominees. The paper was
willing to stand by whatever the par
~ did to the best Of its ability and
make the best fight possible in its in
terests.
Opportunity is With Democrats.
The Argus still believes thoroughly
in the province and the opportunity
Of the party to rid itself of objection
able political practices and dictatorial
leaders Of the Looney stripe. but it is
no longer inclined to submit meckly to
leadership that has been tried and
found not only wanting. but 50 disas- |
trous to every hope OF success as to |
have become intolerable. Through |
apathy on the part of democrats all |
over the city. Mr.. Looney succeeded in |
gaining Il leadership. To that he had !
a right, inasmuch as the party was not |
disposed to take sufficient interest in |
its own welfare to decree otherwise. !
The party has fer years possess !
ed the power TO assert Itself, and tri- |
umph over the LoCney methods. 1t |
had seen him repeatedly conspirc to |
defcat the interests of the par |
~. but il had likewise had |
the satisfaction of triumphing at the |
polls in the face of Mr.. Looney's OPP |
position, and Yet a. time grew on the |
party became weary of continually |
fighting an element in its own ranks. |
and finally many of the more repre-
sentative demOcrats-not all of them !
by any meanS-lOSt interest in the |
primaries. This was just exactly what !
Mr.. Looney was waiting for. With |
the majority away from the caucuscs |
he experienced little difficulty in con-
trolling the minority.
And thus he rode into place of |
leadership. Having the fulfiIlment of
his ambition, it was his privilege to
exercise it. But instead of using il !
for the best interests Of the party, in |
stead of demonstrating that he was :.
leader worthy the party. he abused il
and misuscd it. He sought 10 be abSo-
ute dictator. He undertook to read
every democrat who had not support
ed him out If the party. and to rule
with high hand regardless of the.
consequences To the party or to him
self
1t * now up to the democrats of
Rock Island to say whether repetI-
ticn Of what has been done is to occur
or not. In the majority of the eau
cuses and in the convention OF year
ago. Mr.. Looney was rcpudiated by
the democratic party. lie was made
to step down and out-and was driven
actually into the ranks Of the re
publican party with which he has been
since allied. But now adopting his
old familiar tactics Of breaking in by
proxy To where he was barred by the
party's expression. he is again seek
ing to catch the party asleep and he
come its self chosen leader.
Looney a FIz1ie as Leader.
In view Of the fizzle Mr.. Looucy has
made in the role in which he delights
to pose. The Argus has determined TO
no longer submit to this farce as far
n IL IS concerned. II is for the demo
Gratis who have the best interests of
the party at heart to say whether
they want their party To 20 into decay
IN Rock Island. or whether they are
willing To get out TO the primaries
and run things. as they are fully capa
bic of doing. despite Loorey. II they
do this all viii be well. If they fail.
Looney with the aid of the same ele-
ment with which he X now training
for use in his fractional leadership in
the republican party. viii once more
assume the leadership Of the demo
cratic party. a state of affairs that
no self respecting democrat could OF
would countenance. or lend support
10.