Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-10-15
REGULAR DEMOCRACY IS
SUSTAINED BY THE COURT

thereof, have reached the following
| conclusion.
l. We find that the democratic
| county central committee met at Rock
| Island on May u. 1904, and lawfully
| by resolution, provided for two demo
| cratic county conventions, one conven-
/ ton to be held on May &c for the pur-
pose of selecting delegates to the state
| democratic convention and one con-
vention to be held on Aug. >, for the
| purpose of nominating county officers.
| selecting delegates to the legislative
and congressional conventions and
| electing a chairman of the county cen
trail committee, and directed that the
time. place and manner of holding the
caucuses or primary assemblies for
said conventions be fixed in each vot-
| ing precinct by the county committee
men residing therein.
Convention IL Actually Held.
2. We find that pursuant to said
resolution delegates were selected to
attend such county convention of May
26. and that a meeting of delegates
was held at the time and place fixed
by said committee for such conven-
ton.
II is cOntended that the delegates
lawfully selected from the city of Rock
Island to represent the democratic vOt-
ers of said city in said convention
were, by fraud or force or both. eX-
Guided from participating in that meet
ing and that other socalled delegates
uh calantnd nt hnrHIiCa than in
accordance with the direction of the
county committee were permitted to
participate in its action. AS to the
merit or these contentious we express
no opinion. Whatever irregularities
attended the holding of that cOnven-
ton. it was actually held. We are not
called upon to decide whether that
convention or some other convention
was the real representative of the
democratic electorate OF the county.
Either that was the democratic con-
ventiOn or there was no convention
held on that date We find that the
meeting OF May PC. being the only con
vention held. must be considered to be
the democratic county convention held
pursuant to the resolution of the coun-
ty committee of May ~. 1904.
Authority of Convention UnIImited.
,. The said resolution of May u.
providing for the convention of May
&c directed that the convention should
meet for the purpose of selecting II
delegates 10 the state democratic con
vention. No other purpose was speci-
fed in the resolution. 1t is cOntended
..1iH convention tT1nCopn6p1 tlP
authority conferred upon it by the res
olution first, by changing the date of
the second convention from Aug. to
June 80: second. by fixing another
manner of holding the primaries from
that provided by the resolution of May
u. and that by reason thereof the
action of the convention in those re-
spects was void.
The question is therefore presented
to what extent a convention is limited
by the call of the county committee.
In our opinion a convention is not
absolutely bound by such call. neither
has il unlimited authority. We think
the test is whether under all the cir
cumstances its action outside such
call is reasonable or not; that is
whether II Is 1alr 10 the electorate DIT
large in view of the circumstances at
tending the selection of the delegates.
or whether it is substantially fraud
on the electorate.
Convention Highest Organization.
\ convention is fresh from the peO-
pie 1t is the highest organization
known to the party in the political
subdivision for which it is held, and
is the creator and not the creature of
the County committee. The action of
the convention Within Its reasonable
authority is of the greatest weight in
questions of this kind.
We do not see that il was an unrea-
sCuabIe exercise % aU' hOrity by the
convention TO change the time of hold
in- the second convention from Aug.
t. June 90. The latter appears to have
been . reasonable time. Neither do
We find trat the manner prescribed for
holding the primaries therefor was I'M
far or adapted 10 deprive any demo
.C~atiC clcCtor from exercising his fran
.chise. nor was it unreasonable in any
respect.
We therefore find that tEc resOlU-
.tfon of the county convection OF May