Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-09-28
"Reorganizers" of United Chris
tan Party Gall State
Convention
At CHICAGO DEC. 20, 80, 81
Take Several Crimps in Auth Jrity of
w. r. Benkert the National
Chairman.

kert, OF davenport, ana MS supporters
from the control of the organization.
In connection with the call a sta.N-
ment is made in which it is stated that
the reorganization" of the national
affairs of the party has been followed
by like shaking up in the Illinois
state central committee which is now
composed of the following:
Ralph J. Caveriy. Moline. chairman;
Dr. J. e. Assay. Rock Island. vice chair
man: Wallace r. Struble. Chicago. sec
rotary; A. ID. Martin. Rock Island. treas
urer; Cora Elite Struble. Chicago; Orlan-
do Edgar Miller Chicago; Henry Clarke
Davis. Chicago; Gen. John Cordingly,
Chicago; Harry A. TOllman. Franklin
Grove; Mrs. Ida Caverly, Moline;
John Chester Cook. Rock Island; Rev.
Martin Humphreys, Rock Island: Her
bert Raymond, HOopeston.
Meetings Held.
Several meetings of the committee
have been held recently at state head
quarters. 1919 Second avenue. Rock
Island. the statement continues. in
which the needs of the party were
quite fully discussed. AS result OF
these deliberations the committee yes
terday issued an address setting forth
its ideas and a call for a state con-
vention. The address is substantially
as follows:
The Illinois state central commit
tee of the united christian party sends
greetings to the thousands of christian
electors of Illinois. of whatever polti
cal name or religious denomination.
and would urge upon them. in the
name and spirit of our Common Mas
ter. the advisabilty of a closer union
for practical effort in the publication
OF American politics and the selection
of honest. capable men for public of
flee.
THE committee believes that the
ties of a common christianity consti
tute a sufficient bond of union for such
electors and that the welfare of our
great nation and the promotion of the
material interests of humanity provide
a sufficient motive for unity of action
along political lines. such action. in the
judgment of this committee, need not
involve immediate abrogation of pres
ent party political ties any more than
it need involve the severing of present
UNCONVENTIONAL religious ties. 1t may
mean, for the present. simply the union
of christian electors in the existing po
litical parties-the republican Chris
tions. the democratic Christians, the
populist Christians. the prohibition
Christians the socialist Christians, etc.
each voting together as a unit in their
several parties for the control of the
primary conventions of the parties,
which would involve the oversight OF
the nominating bodies of the parties,
such united action as Christian parti
sans would lead, we believe, to broad
er lines of concerted effort until, event
ually. the Christian electors of the
state might come TO recognize the prac-
ticability of cooperative action outside
the lines 10 strict political partisan
chip. si1 II YLE s-u50 .9Uifa
II . y Duty fn PoIisIcs..
l. We believe il to be the province and
duty of the Christian churches. in deed
of all religious organizations, to take
note, through their electorate member
ship. of matters political, and in this
sense. we deem it not out of place for
each local Christian church to promote
Christian citizenship clubs for the
quickening of the interest of Christian
electors in the vital questions of gov
eminent.
I'VE hold to the view that the times
are ripe for the triumph, socially and
politically. of the principles of the man
of GaliIee.
We pledge the hearty support of the
Illinois state central committee and the
rank and file of the party of the great
state of Illinois to the program for ma
tional reorganization of the party on
lines of practical Christian citizenship
as outlined by the conference.
I'm pursuance of this task, we de
clare for the complete elimination from
our national platforms of all reference
TO the $4,000. and the erasure of all
other literal quotations from scripture
the adoption of which. we believe.
can only be conducive to disagreement
and strife an dthe tendency of which
is 10 create a religious sect rather than
a union of Christian electors. In this
connection. we hold that the declara-
ton of principles of the party, adopted
in its first national convention May 2,
1900 wherein the bible was acknowl-
edged as the standard by which TO de-
eide moral issues in our political life,
is a sufficiently clear Endorsement OF
the holy scriptures and needs no elabo-
ration in order TO make the position OF
the party understood
I'VE advocate the delegate rather
than the mass system in our national
and state conventions, and declare for
a basis of representation I'm such con-
ventions from all Christian oTganiZa-
lions or organizations in sympathy
with the application of the principles
of Christ in government
we disapproye of the adoption OF