Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-10-10
HEARING IS ON
Board Reviewing Contest
of the Regular
Democrats
AGAINST ]. P. LO0NEY
For the Right of Place for
County Ticket on No
Vember Ballot.

Consideration of the claims of the
regular democracy to place on the
November ballot for its county ticket
against which there has been insti-
tuted a contest by J. P. Looney, the in.
stigator of the rump convention of
Aug. > at Turner hall. was taken up
by the reviewing boaru. consisting of
County Judge L. +. Parmenter. States
Attorney II. y. Weld and County Clerk
II. Il. Hubbard, in the county court
room at O'Clock this morning. For
the county democratic organization
Searle & Marshall and S. r. Ken
worthy appear, and Mr. Looney is rep
resented by Adair Peasants.
In the opening statements Mr.. Mar
shall reviewed the events of last
spring in the affairs Of the democrat
ic party, with which the public is IA
miliar; the snap action of the county
committee meeting at the Rock Island
house on May II dominated by Looney
through the securing of proxies which
We're placed in the hands of his bench
men, and by which convention there
was adopted a call for two county
conventions. one May 2G for the Sc
lection of state delegates to the state
convention and another Aug. . to nom
mate a county ticket, and the dele
eating of the power TO call ward eau
cuses to the ward committeeman. who
MI bnriynI a1Sn n InGianDtA no
time and place for the holding of the
same, a proceeding unprecedented in
the annals of the party in the county,
and the motive for which was mani
fest on the surface to any person quail
flied to reason politically.
Petition for Primaries.
When the democrats of the county
game to a realizing sense of the in
tent of the LOOney call they drew a
petition addressed to the chairman and
secretary of the county committee ask
ing that primaries be held in the city
for the selection OF delegates to coun-
~ convention. May 20. all wards to
have their primaries on the same day.
On the morning of the day
of the county convention. of
May &c. at which delegates to
the state convention were chosen. the
county committee at a meeting held
at the Rock Island house ratified the
action of the chairman and secretary.
in calling primaries in the city of Rock
Island. in response to the petitions of
the democrats of the city. and re
scinded the call of May y. The com
mittees fixed June 30 at the court
house as the time and place of hold
ing the convention for the selection of
a county ticket
Mr.. Marshall contended that the
committee had acted for the demOc-
racy of the city and of the county
whose servant il was. The voice of
the party was law. Therefore LoOney
had acted without authority or law.
His caucuses were not properly called,
few, if any. of the calls appearing in
any newspaper. when by right, all
should have been printed in the Off
cial organ of the party. They were
posted in obscure places in the wards.
Some of them bore the names of men
posing as committeeman who were not
even residents of the state of Illinois.
1t was a farcical proceeding. this at
tempt of one person to assume TO
speak for the whole democracy and to
attempt to thwart its will.
Holds Law on His side.
Mr.. Peasants referred 10 the call
issued by the committee at the Rock
| Island house May II, on the strength
Of which his client held his convention. :
as emitting him legally to the place
I l.;
Mr.. Peasants was glad To hear the
statement of Mr.. Marshall. he said, for
there We're facts brought out by him
II which he had no previous knowl-
edge He did not know that the pur-
pose OF the hearing was TO review the
case in lis entirety. He understood
that there was simply to be 4 showing
BY the regulars for the necessity for
revolutionary tactics, as he termed II.
Mr. Peasants said he did not care
20 devote much time TO the hearing.
and suggested that there be an agree
ment as To facts by the litigants. Mr..
Searle replied that that would not be
possible His clients had the records
and testimony to Justify their every
act. The other side would be expected
20 make its showing along the same
ines. Objection 10 Offering in evil
ience of a draft of the proceedings of
he committee meeting Of May u. pro
iuced by Looney. was entered. Loon
" admitted that it was not complete
One that was offered by the other side
was accepted.
Looney was the first witness. Judge
Parmenter suggested that each side
-eil its story in its own way. He would
permit the interpositiOn of objections
but no arguments. He would expect
the testimony 10 be according to rec
ognized legal methods. and if there
were errors the side making them