Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-03-30
WHAT'S BACK OF IT.
Continued from Page Five.

primaries in the central wards at
least, in both parties, and if it was
found that either party got beyond
control. il was the plan to either seize
control by force or to precipitate
rump convention. The first show
down came in the republican county
The Looney-McConochie
Miller Kennedy-Thomas push could
not run things with high hand, and
so the other alternative was adopt
ed-the rump convention at the Hi
nois theatre over which Mayor Viii
liam McConochie presided and in
which NJ NJ. Sturgeon and William
Kennedy, of Rock Island and w. y.
Meese. of Moline, were the moving
spirits. MiIIer's police guarded the
doors of the theatre until all was in
readiness to run the convention.
The Disgrace at Turner Hall.
The next move came in the demo-
cratic city-township convention. The
regular democrats of Rock Island. as
the convention proceedings show had
control of the convention by the pres
ence of over seventy out of % dele
gates in the temporary organization.
Mayor McConochie was on hand. So
were the police. At the signal from
Looney the police followed him to the
stage and in the ensuing riot kept him
in position where he could preside, the
minute order was restored. despite the
protests of the ma ority of democrats
there as represented by the
officers of the organization on the
stage and by the delegates on the
floor of the convention. The mayor
left the hall, when the riot began in |
stead of remaining to restore order. |
He was begged to return and order |
the police to do their duty but he re-
fused. Looney and the police broke |
up the convention. The regular demo- |
Gratis adjourned to another hall and |
held an orderly convention and nOmi- |
mated a representative ticket. Looney |
and his hoodlums remained in the hall |
and nominated a ticket, from which |
all but one or two members have since /
formally withdrawn.
Looney next undertook by threat to
prevent City Clerk Schaffer from put
ting the regular democrat ticket on
the official ballot. He could not bluff
and then he ran a bluff on the
returning board provided by law to
pass upon the merits of the anti
democratic ticket and the
ticket. He served notice that
his ticket would go on the ballot or
there would be no democratic ticket
to vote for. He had a few days be-
fore declared that he would preside
over the democratic convention or
here would be no democratic conven-
ton. The Looney ticket did not go
on the official ballot, however. and
the regular democratic did, just as it /
had happened that Looney did not
preside over the democratic conven-
ton, but the democratic convention
was held nevertheless.
The Last DlIapidated Spectacle.
Thereupon was set upon foot n
scheme to stop the regular democrat
&c ticket by means of master-in-chan-
Gerry injunction proceedings. This de-
sign was exploded and there was but
one thing left - to apply to Judge
Graves at Geneseo. 1t was unneces-
sary to argue the side opposed to
Looney there. Looney alone Was
heard. He was told that in the face
Of his own statements he had no case.
So that the regular democratic tickle. /
went on the official ballot to the dis |
of what is left of the |
Looney Miller Kennedy republican.
push.
The regular democratic ticket being |
On the ballot in spite of Looney's riot |
)us efforts to prevent the convention |
acting that nominated it. and in the |
face of his undertaking to stop it by |
law. where may it reasonably be ex-
pectcd TO find Looney in the present |
status of the proceedings?