Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-02-17
OUTCOME IN DOUBT
Re Il Fight is Locked for on Floor
of House i'm Election
ccrtesf.
NAY Re COMMITTEE DIVISION
sIt Chairman Daily Says the Law
Shall Govern in Making
Report.

Members of the legislature who
: guess on the outcome of the Cooke
McCaskrin contest do not agree
!! Those who believe in the majesty of
!! TIE opinions Of the attorney general
I say that the independent candidate
will be unseated, because a recount OF
the votes ON the ruling OF Mr.. Stead
on cumulative voting has shown him
TO have been loser.
! Many Of the members who have be
= come Interested in the Rock Islander
since he has transferred the base oi
his operations To the state capital are
;. Of the opinion that if he carries his
! case. as he declares il is his intention,
! to the floor of the house. he viii over
| throw the report of the elections com
/ mittec, in the event that it is favor
allie TO the seating Of Cooke
/ The impression at the capital is that
/ the committee can not do otherwise
I than report having found that Mr.
! Cooke was the successful candidate.
/ for the reason that it must follow the
/ instructions of the attorney general
while recounting the ballots. Having
done 50. in the city of Rock Island
1 alone the majority that Mr.. McCaskrin
secured in TIE Thirty-third district was
/ overcome.
Talk of Two Reports.
| And then one hears there will be two
| reports, a majority and a minority. but
| there is a question whether the speak
| or will permit this The committee
| is asked to produce only the facts
/ These viii show for themselves If
! the returns are favorable to Cooke
! the question whether he shall be made
a member of the assembly will be
| put to a vote Assuming that this will
| be the course of procedure. at this
! point will begin what Mr. McCaskrin
says Will be the real battle of his life.
! He is sitting up nights down at the
capital preparing the speech that he
| will deliver on that occasion. He will
! burn holes through the dome of the
| historic building with his eloquence
lie viii tell it to the legislators as it
was never told TO them before. Mr.
| McCaskrin will busy himself in ad-
vance in seeing to it that there is
| full attendance in the house on the
day that he unburdens himself of the
story of his political career. for the
members have a habit of not attend
ing regularly, especially during the
cold weather, as SO many of them arr
| from the southern part of the state,
where they do not have weather of the
/ kind that has been prevailing il these
| sections of late. Mr.. McCaskrin says
( if necessary to get the members out
to hear his speech he will send a cab
with a warm brick in the aisle for
each one. and will instruct the driver
to feed them mint juleps enroute.
No Authority for Testimony.
| In the closing arguments to the sub
committee which heard tle testimony
of - Witnesses from Rock Island ana
! Moline, summoned at the request OF
| Mr.. McCaskrin for the purpose of es-
| tablishing the general circulation of
he Hamlin opinion as TO the marking
of the ballot. Mr.. McEniry. counsel fo-
Mt. Cooke, told the committee that
there was no authority in law for the
! procedure that had been followed in
| that instance. There was no law thai
! presumed that the intent of the voter
could be proven by oral testimony I'M
| less every elector who cast a ballot on
dc day of the election in question
we're summoned TO tell how he had
voted The six witnesses subpoenaed
~ Mr. McCaskrin surely could not
peak for the whole of Rock Island
| county. If the testimony were admit
ted Mr. McEniry said he would de
mand the letting down of the bars and
| all for the summoning of the voters
Of the district before the committee.
He did not believe in doing things half
way. II was not fair TO the voters of
| he district to have n few men go to
| Springfield and presume toztell how
| hey voted. The ballots should show
| FOR themselves. according to the law
| IS interpreted by the attorney general.
n else. every man who participated in
| he election of last November should
| Ne summoned to tell how he marked
lis ballot and for whom he intended
| -oting among the candidates for the
| legislature.
No Dispute on This Point.
1 Mr. McCaskrin had sought 10 show
| n the afternoon testimony that there