Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1906-06-28
To the Republican Voters
of Audubon County

man and then to Mr.. Elliott to divide
the delegation. If this was not fair 1
do not know what would be- but the
propositions were curtly refused.
| AS an indication of what was coming
and what we We're to expect, there was
read at the Perkins meeting in this
town and at Extra, telegram that the
Scott county convention had instruct
ed for Perkins.
Now every person who knows any
thing about Scott county knows that 1T
is strong for Cummins as is Polk coun-
ty, and the next day after these meet
ings the Council Bluffs Nonpareil, a
paper that's strongly against Cummins,
in its news columns reported, with
large head lines, that Scott county had
gone solid for Cummins; that few
delegates had bolted after attempting
to run the convention, organized a
rump convention for Perkins, and in
the list of delegates showed that Cum
minis had a clean majority of the UNI
contested delegates.
This weeks Nonpareil in its state
ment of the votes of the state gives
Scott to Cummins uncontested, but the
Perkins managers say they will take it
anyhow.
Well, we carried the county, carried
it fairly, completely and entirely, so a
large majority of the Perkins men ad-
mitted, but it soon became evident that
instead of the fight being over as it
ought to have been, the Perkins
leaders had no intention of submitting
to what the people had voted. [ was
informed by one of the county officials
Perkins man, that a party had come
here from Cedar Rapids to organize a
contest. Mr.. Joe Toulouse also appear
ed upon the scene, and if anyone asks
who he is, / will say he is from Bur-
lington, the home of Mr.. Blythe. He
was here before the primaries distrib-
uting money, and will give the names
OF the parties who received the money
on application. He and the Cedar
Rapids man We're known to be in con-
ference with Elliott.
1t was then announced that there
that orders had come from Des Moines
that one should be made. What would
be contested we did not know, but the
Des Moines Capital, the Perkins organ,
said that Lincoln, Hamlin and LEROY
townships would be contested, and
Perkins would have majority in the
convention.
The climax of all was reached when
we sent a man to confer with BRENNAN
in the interest of harmony, and he in
formed us that he proposed to appoint
Elliott, the Perkins manager, as chair
man, although he was not even dele
gate to the convention. Being in the
majority we We're clearly entitled to
have the chairman, and Mr.. BRENNAN
might have selected any one of us, or
some conservative tstand-patter," but
we informed him that with contest
on hand, we would not accept Mr.. FL
lott.
Yet at ten O'Clock of convention day,
when we tried again to harmonic mat
tiers, he repeated that he would call
Elliott to the chair.
With this clear evidence that an at
tempt would be made by the ruling
powers to take from us the control of
the convention, we went to the court
house at the appointed hour. Let me
say right here that | was not afraid
that the majority of "stand- patters"
would Intentionally countenance any
thing unfair; but | had good reason to
fear what committee consisting of
Toulouse, Elliott and BRENNAN might
do when in control of the convention.
Ii the majority of their own party could
not control them out of the convention,s
surely they could not in the conven-
ton.
Mr. BRENNAN came into the conven-
ton after one O'clock and went out
again, then came in again and was re-
quested by gentleman near me to call
the convention to order; but he instead
of doing SO, went out again. He was
evidently making some arrangements;
but there was nothing to arrange if he
wanted to give US fair play, and not
practice some trick or scheme.
At fifteen minutes after one o'clock
l concluded to exercise my right as a
member of the convention to call it to
order.
No person well versed in parliament
airy law will deny the authority of
member of convention to call it to or
der after the time of converting has ar
rived, and the right of convention to
convene itself.
If this was not the rule county
chairman could prevent convention
being held at all.
Ordinarily Mr.. BRENNAN would have
been entitled as a matter of courtesy,
but not of right, to recommend chair
man to the convention; but he had no
right to force upon it, as chairman a
man opposed to everything the majority
wanted even if he had been a member
of the convention; and l believe now
that my action prevented there being
two chairmen on the trying to carry on
rival conventions at the same time.
The best evidence of this is that a
number of honest and excellent men in
the end permitted themselves to be
formed into another convention under
the leadership OF Elliott and Brent
man; and the further fact that in the
Carroll county convention, where, ac-
cording to the Nonpareil, Perkins only
had 8 delegates out of 1877, contest
was got up, rival convention formed,
and an attempt made to put the county
in the Perkins column.
In conclusion / would ask every fair
minded Stand-Patter: Is it not a fact
that Cummins carried the county? /
know they will answer eyes"
Then were not the Cummins men en-
titled to the chairman? Yes.
And were they not entitled to the
State delegation? Yes.
Then what did they take but that
to which in all ia acS thav xyara an