Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-10-06

|
charges. and unless the charges are
paid by a subscription. the body will
become a charge on the county.
calls without realizing the abuses con-
templated, Chairman Section and Sec
letary Stauduhar issued call for pri-
marieS in the city of Rock Island. and
in the call for the county convention
| gave that body. truly representative
of the party in the county. authority
| tC do what it might deem best in all
questions vitality affecting the welfare
of the party In both these instances
the chairman and secretary relied
upon the county committee for con
frmation. prior TO the convention. The
primaries were held in Rock Island in
yell governed orderly fashion and
were attended by the democrats of
Rock Island The cauCuSes called by
| Looney, through the Union were, as
was expected, lightly attended, and
without the semblance of regularity
III any form, being in many instances
! conducted and attended in certain
wards by the same crowds that had
run them in other wards.
Meeting of Committee.
On the morning of the day of the
county cOnvention-May 2G-the coun-
~ committee assembled again at the
! Rock Island house. Chairman Sexton
and Secretary Stauduhar submitted
/ the calls they had issued, the one for
primaries in the city of Rock Island
and the other broadening the scope
of the conventions action in the after
noon. On the question as to whether
! the officers of the committee should
| be sustained in the manner and form
/ il which these calls were issued. the
committee was overwhelmingly in the
affirmative. This action seated the
delegates in the afternoon convention
selected under the primary call ana
| likewise gave the convention author.
ity to discharge any business it might
see fit in the afternoon. The result
was, the convention. OF which body the
| committeeman, who attended the morn
ling meeting were members. after Sc
Letting delegates TO the state cOnvCn-
ton changed the date Of the succeed
ing nominating county convention. Sc
lected new committeeman and dis
! charged such other business as seemed
proper in the interests of the party.
The second convention met June 30
under the call of the preceding con-
NentiOn, nominated a county ticket. Sc
! lected delegates to the congressional;
convention. etc, and ratified the pro
ceedings of the preceding convention.
Notwithstanding all this, notwith
/ ct hn la
thority of the county committee the
day the first convention was held
Looney, for the sheer purpose of CON
tlnuing strife and turmoil in the demo
cratic party held a little convention
Aug 3, nominated himself for states
attorney, stating at the time, that it
was not with the idea of being elected.
and now through this procedure he
seeks TO have the regular nominees of
the party kept off the ballot, and the
party disrupted for years to come.
Intent is Apparent.
The intent of the mass of the demo
cratic party in all these matters and
proceedings involving Looney's con
troll is too apparent to need comment.
The only other points are first whether
where the officials of a committee that
has inadvertently made a mistake by
providing for brace caucuses and a
sewed up convention. are to be upheld
in declining TO subscribe to manifest
scheme that has been foistered upon
the committee, second whether a com
mittee can ever undo a mistake of
this kind, and uphold its officers for re
fusing to be mislead after the discov-
cry has been made, and third if any
convention is not greater than the com
mittee. or any party not greater than
the convention.
The delegates to the democratic con
vention of May % came direct from
the people. They found that there
were elements in the party that had
sought by means of sham Caucuses TO
.disfranchise the real democratic voters
of Rock Island and to deny them rep
resentation in the convention. and that
furthermore these sane elements had
planned TO gag this very convention.
The county committee. realizing the
possibilities for humbuggery under the
original call had met on the day of the
convention. upheld its chairman and
secretary in their stand for fair repre-
sentation and in licensing the conven-
ton 10 act as it might see fit for the
party
The committee had in a word placed
the question that had been agiJating
the party in the hands of the party
chosen representatives in convention
assembled.
The issue above all Others at stake
in the entire controversy is clean poll
tics. subject in which one party pre-
tends to be as much interested as the
other, The democratic party has made
q noble fight TO attain this end
Shall it be returned 10 the hands Of
those whom il has struggled TO rid It
self of?