Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-10-14
AWAIT A DECISION
Court FNpec to DeI' rhine ON IN
Merits of the Democratic
Contest Tomorrow.
AN Adjournment is TAKEN
County Clerk Hubbard Having Bust
ness Engagement Out of the City
Closing Arguments.


for place for it's county ticket on the
ballot for the November election will
30 rendered tomorrow probably. The
court, composed of County Judge E.
+. Parmenter, County Clerk II. B. Hub
bard and States Attorney II. A. Weld,
held a session last evening. after the
conclusion of the final arguments, and
partially reviewed the evidence sub
United.
Mr.. Hubbard. having an engagement
that necessitated his absence from. the
city today, an adjournment was taken
until tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock.
County Judge Parmenter stated today
that it was hoped to be able TO dis
pose of the matter after another days
review of the questions at issue be-
tween the cOntending parties. The in
tcrest that is felt in the outcome of
the contest was made manifest in the
many inquiries as TO the result that
nave been made today. not only
throughout the city, but in telephone
messages from the county outside.
In the final arguments yesterday af-
ternOon the Looney side was present
cd first, Attorney Adair Peasants hav-
ing the opening. His statement be-
gun in the morning was devoted
chiefly to an attack on the
method of procedure adopted by the
regular democrats at the committee
meetings and convention, charging that
the whole was tainted with fraud" and
making other imputations on those
identified with them. Tracing the his
tory of the part LOoney and his CO.
horts played during the various stages.
he COntended that the law was entirely
on their side. The committee meet
ings and convention of the regular
democrats were packed" he charged.
S. II. KenwOrthy, c. b. Marshall and
G. J. Searle followed for the regular
democracy. Mr. Kenworthy, at the be-
ginning, said that he had failed TO
understand that gentleman'S relation
to the case until he heard Mr. Pleas
ants statement to the court just con
Cluded. pointedly referring TO the fact
that the men who employed him mani
testify did not have sufficient confidence
in him to permit him TO conduct the
examination of witnesses. The re-
Elections that had been cast by Mr..
Peasants upon the character of the
committee meetings and conventions @
the democratic party of the county
were refuted by displaying the roster
of the committeeman that had attend
ed the meeting at the Rock Island
house on the morning of May 26, and
that OF those who attended as dele
gates to the county convention of the
afternoon of the same day at the Tur-
ner hall. and the second convention at
the court house June so. in sup
port of Mr.. Kcnworthy's represen-
tation that they were the sub
stantial men of the county. men who
loved their party and were demanding
just recognition for il over the claims
that had been put forth by a banditti
that were attempting to gain control
of the machinery of both parties to
attain selfish aims
Does Not Produce Names.
Where were the names of the men
that were said to have sat as delegates
in the convention that nominated the
Looney ticket? They were not in evil
dCnCc before the court He reiter-
ated that the other side dared not pro-
ducC their names. There was no fac
tional strife in the democratic party in
Rock Island county. The democratic
party was united. There was a So
called faction that was responsible for
the prcscn, contest. and the body. soul
and brooches of that faction was J.
=. LoOney. The democratic party to
rid itself of this control was forced
TO resort 10 the methods that were en-
ployed, the calling of primaries in the
city of Rock Island in order to secure
fair expression of the party. and the
ratification of this action by the second
meeting of the county committee. The
disgraceful scenes enacted at the city
township convention OF last spring by
Looney and his followers at Turner
hall united the democrats as they had
probably never had been cemented be-
fore to the end that their affairs might
he placed in the hands of trustworthy
leaders-men who were guided by the
will of the party and who were not
constantly employing trickery to pro-
mote their personal ambitions. Mr.
Kenworthy concluded with a logical
argument from a legal point, showing
that there was no law in the land that
would sustain the opposition.
where Real Fraud Lies.
Mr.. Marshall in his speech resented
the reflections of Mr.. Peasants on
the personnel of the democratic CON
vention as one of the men who com
posed that body. He denied that
there was fraud at any stage of the
proceedings of the county democracy
However. he was content 10 have
the reflections emanate from one who
stood alone on the high moral plane
that had been constructed for him
for this particular occasion. II should
not take long for one who had heard
the testimony that had been offered to
the court to determine where the real
fraud was The evidence was there
for the court 10 peruse. The demCc-
racy had nothing TO conceal. either in
documentary proof or in the names of