Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-03-22

CONVENTION
To Be Held at the Court House Sat.
urday Evening, With Primaries
Next Friday Night.
ELECTION ON PARTY LINES
This Course 10 Decided Upon by a
Practically Unanimous Vote-vic.
tory Looked Upon as Certain.

The issue has been joined, and the
coming municipal election in Lewis
town is to be upon straight party lines
This was the conclusion reached at
the caucus of Republicans held at the
district court room Friday evening
The details for the campaign were dis.
posed of, and the primaries are to be
held next Friday evening, when can.
didates for aldermen will be nominat-
ed and nine delegates from each ward
to the city convention will be chosen.
The convention is to be held at the
court house next Saturday evening at
8 o'clock.
Sentiment Practically Unanimous.
The attendance at the caucus was
large, and all present manifested the
keenest interest in the proceedings.
Frank E. Smith, of tn. city commit.
tee, presided, with Halsey r. Watson
as secretary. In calling the meeting
to order, Mr.. Smith stated that the OBJ.
5ect was to decide on what action the
party was to take with regard to the
coming election. At the committee
meeting a few nights previous, a res
olution favoring citizens ticket was
adopted, but since then the situation
had undergone change, and he asked
for a full expression of opinion as to
the course to be pursued.
Mr.. Brassey asked what the change
was to which the chairman had re.
ferred, and Mr.. Smith replied that
some Democratic members of the
present administration, who had been
counted upon as being in sympathy
with the plan for a citizens move
ment, had since, he understood, de-
clared themselves as being with the
Democracy in favor of partisan tick
ct.
Rudolf Won Tobel was the first
speaker to respond to the chairman's s
invitation for an expression of opin-
ion. He declared himself in favor of
citizens ticket, saying that he did
not believe that the Democratic men,
bers of the city government were COM
mitted to a partisan campaign.
Edmund Wright was the first to
speak in opposition to this view, and
he was followed by others in rapid
succession, all taking the view that
as the Democrats had determined to
run party ticket, there was nothing
for the Republicans to do but take
the same action. Among those who
expressed this view were Messrs.
Brassey, Eldridge, Cook, Brown, Par
rott, Wiedeman, Kelly, Vrooman,
Symmes, Bebb, Pfaus, Chandler, Chea-
die, Wright and Chairman Smith.
For a Republican Ticket.
E. P. Chandler, at the conclusion of
his remarks along this line, moved
that it be declared the sense of the
meeting that straight Republican
ticket be nominated. This motion pre-
vailed without dissenting vote, and
most of the members of the city COM
mittee being present, the details were
quickly arranged.
Both the primaries and the conven.
tion will be held at p. m. The poll.
ing places for the primaries will be
as follows:
First ward, court house; Second
ward, telephone building; Third ward,
city hall.
The Republicans will go into this
contest confident of victory Every
man who attended the caucus felt his
enthusiasm kindle at the sentiments
expressed. While the democrats are
expected to stand for wide open
town." the Republicans will ask for
support in an effort to keep Lewis
town a decent town. as Mr. PfauS ex.
pressed it, without drawing the lines
so tight as to revert to Puritanical
strictness.
Early this week, several leading
Democrats. believing mistake had
been made by their party in abandon
ing the citizens movement and fore
ing fight on party lines. made an
effort to begin all over again, with
view to having both parties unite
on ticket, but the general opinion
was that the matter had gone too far
to be stopped now.