Rock Island Argus., 1904-03-05
ARE MAKING READY
Democrats Preparing For the
Local Cam
paign.
HE COMMITTEE MEETIl
Party Should Guard Against Mit
placed Control ofIts
Affairs.

Under call of the democratic city
township committee last evening al
Turner hall, March Il was fixed upoT
as the date of the primaries ano
March Is of the city-township conven
ton. the latter called at Turner hall
in the evening at o'clock, and the
primaries to open at ) o'clock in the
afternoon and close at 1870.
Chairman j. W. Cayanaugh presided
over the meeting. Twenty-three of
the "a ward committeeman answered
the roll call, IL of those present hav-
ing proxies. j. W. Linn offered a mo-
tiOn for the holding of caucuses in
the several wards, but when he was
reminded by the chairman that the
action of the city-township conven-
tion ordered that the primary system
must be followed, he withdrew his
motion.
The ward committeeman were in
structed to select judges and clerks
and places for holding the primaries
and report the same to the city chair
man at as early Il date as possible, in
order that this information be embod-
led in the call for the guidance of the
democratic voters.
The presence of j. p. LoOney in an
effort to dominate the meeting occa-
stoned some surprise, not only because
Mr.. Looney is not a member of the
committee, but owing TO his recent
open affiliation with the Lowden fac
tion of the republican party. Mr..
Looney presented a proxy for himself,
as he did for each of Il number of his
followers who were in attendance
Chairman Cavanaugh was disposed to
dispute the regularity of the proxies
owing to their similarity, and the fact
that some of them were signed by in
dividuals not even members of the
AS an instance, one sought
to convey to the bearer living in one
ward the right to represent Il commit
teeman residing in an entirely differ
ant ward. Still another assumed to
speak for a committeeman now de-
ceased. From the course pursued by
Mr.. Looney's representatives in the
it is presumed to be his pur-
pose to disregard the resolution of the
last city-tOwnship convention provid-
ng for primaries under the election
aw and through brace caucuses to
seek to control the democratic party
in the coming campaign.
In view of these suspicious, The Argus
las but to repeat what it has said and
reiterated heretofore. that it will un-
Ter no circumstances be a party to
he methods that Mr.. LOoney employs
N local politics. How far the repub-
lean party. with which he is now ac-
lively working, is desirous of tolera-
ing this characteristic style of poll
tics, il is for that political organiza
ton to say. The Argus desires no
voice and assumes no position in the
of that organization.
Nor does it seek in any way
20 be heard in a dictatorial sense
n the councils of the democratic par
". As newspaper that has always
;toCi Loyalty for democratic princi-
)leS and democratic candidates. and |
las at all times fought the party's |
Iattles. it has reached Il point where |
I will not submit to boSsism in the |
party under any conditions. 1t
Will not countenancc. much less give |
Is support to candidates named by |
Influences. In the democratic city |
ownship convention last spring the |
Iariy asserted itself against the Loon /
" control. and since that time the |
'nly conspicuous part Mr.. Looney has |
played in the politics of this section
vas found in his vain but determined |
fort last June to defeat the election
# Guy c. Scott. the democratic nomi-
lee for justice cf the supreme court .
If Illinois. and in his Identified tion .
low with republican faCtional rows.
The Argus Position.
I i.e Argus viii! recognize the ofIicia! .
all for the democratic city-township
when it is issued. but its
upport of the ensuing convention
M ward caucus proceedings depends
lpcn how they are conducted and to
What extent they are dominated by
traight line democrats in good stand
ng with their party. The Argus in
ends no threat in this reiteration of
IS position. but it regards il a duty to
Is party and all who may be candi-
ates through that party to let its
'osition be clearly known. 10 the end
hat it be clearly understood