Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-03-25
j. P. LOONEY
REPUD|ATED
Town Board Recognizes
the MediIl-Sexton
Convention.
NOMINATIONS TO STICK
The Other Side Declines
to Submit Evidence
at Hearing.
NOMINATIONS TO STICK

ne ROCK lSldnt TOWN. bOdEu III
400 o'clock this afternoon announced
that it had decided by unanimous vote
to recognize the candidates of the
convention at Odd Fellows hall last
Saturday evening as the regular nom
inees of the democratic party and to
print their names on the official bal
lot at the coming city-township cleo
| ton. The board otherwise sustains
and recognizes all that was done by
the Medill-SeXton convention as the
proceedings of the regular democrat
ic organization.
Boards JurisdIct lon Questioned.
The board met at 1920 o'clock this
morning in the council chamber at
the city hail. On roll call full at
tendance was shown-Superviso Da-
vid Don, Clerk Henry {. Schaffer and
Justices of the Peace W. +. Schroeder.
j. III. Cleland, ii. NJ. Schriver. j. F. Wit
ter and d. II. McFarlane. A commune
cation signed by q. p. Stauduhar
QUESTIONING the jurisdiction of the
board in the determination of the con-
| test was read, after which {. y. Mar
shall. who was present with c. J.
Searle and 5. II. Kenworthy. the coun-
sci retained by the democratic city
township committee. asked TO be
heard. He stated that the nomination
certificates bearing the signatures of
Chairman T. j. Mcdill and Secretary
j. II. Sexton. the officers of the regu-
lar democratic convention that was
held at Odd Fellows hall last Saturday
evening. were filed with the clerk. and
that objections to the placing of the
same on the official ballot at the
forthcoming election had been enter
ed by George =. Stauduhar. whom ne
assumed represented the so-caIIed,
convention presided over by Loonev.
The nominees of the regular demo-
cratic convention had filed protest
against the consideration of the Ger
tificatcs returned by the Turner hall
convention. If the board had any
doubt ~ to its jurisdiction in deter
mining the controversy before it he
would be pleased TO present the law.
which vested the authority in the
town clerk to say whom he should
call in to sit with him in hearing the
contest. The clerk had called meet
ing of the town board, according to
law
John u. Looney followed with a
statement of his side of the case. He
wanted il understood from the outset
that he was not representing anyone
involved in the controversy excepting
Mr.. Stauduhar. whose objection to
the board passing on the questions at
issue had just been read. He was at
a loss to know where the clerk found
his authority in such an instance.
Looney had failed TO find any law to
sustain the clerk in his action. The
proper tribunal, Looney contended.
was the mayor. city clerk and an aid
erman TO be selected by lot.
Law shows Authority.
Mr.. KenworthH. for the cnlighten-
ment of the board. read from the
statutes governing such cases. in
which it was plainly provided that the
town board WAS the legally cOnstitut-
ed body 10 determine township con-
tests. Every nomination figuring in
the present controversy was for a
township office and there could be no
question as to where the jurisdiction
rested. LoCney had simply misinter-
preted the meaning of the law. He
sought To apply To towns the law gov
erning incorporated villages. where
the mayor or president of the board
of trustees. the clerk and member
of the board of aldermen or trustees
drawn by lot were empowered TO de-
termine election contests. II was q
duty that the Rock Island town board
could not evade. 1t was manifest that
the objection filed by Stauduhar was
to play on the desires of the board to
dispense with an unpleasant respon-
sibility.
Looney Makes a Threat.
LooneY. in replying, gave an inter
probation of the law "a he understood.
it. He wanted to see democratic
ticket I'm the field this spring. he said
He was democrat and wanted to
support the democratic ticket. But
ne feared If the board persisted in
its course there would be no demo
cratic ticket for him to vote for.
Mr.. Marshall closed the arguments
before the board He referred to
Looney's apparent soIicitude for the
democratic party. but il meant sim
ply if he had his way there would be
a ticket and if the decision was
against him there would not be a
ticket. Mr.. Marshall took occasion to
assure Looney that there would be a
democratic ticket whether he desired