Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-07-24
RIGHTS And DUTIES
OF THE COMMITTEE
Continued from Page Two.)

Continued from Page T,wo.)
when delegate convention is as
sembled it is always necessary TO
know who are the legal members and
entitled to voice and a vote. To de-
termine this a temporary organization
Is proper. Anyone claiming to be a
member can name and move the APP
pointment of a temporary chairman,
and the chairman of the campaign
committee having called the conven-
ton to order would be proper person
to put the question to vote. He has,
however, no right to decide any guess
tons of order that may arise, for he
is not the presiding officer of the cons
vention. If there is reason to appre-
bend that there are persons present
claiming to be delegates who are not
entitled to be so recognized, proper
motion would be to have call Of the
counties for the purpose of ascertaining
how many are represented by accredit-
ed delegates. AS this call proceeds 1t
will develop whether or not there are
contesting, or rival, delegations from
any of the counties. Certified creden-
tials from a county convention regu-
lar upon their face and signed by the
proper officers Of the convention is
prina facia evidence of the right of the
delegates named therein to participate
in the deliberations of the convention.
but If there are two sets of delegates
from the same county, each holding
credentials so apparently regular upon
their face then it is clear that one Of
them is not entitled to be seated, and
as there is no authority to determine
that question until after the temporary
organization has been completed and a
committee on credentials appointed to
whom the question will be referred, it
must be that both those delegations
stand aside until the convention has
determined the question between them.
If there is but one delegation from
county holding credentials, 1t goes
without saying that the members OF
that delegation will have right to
vote in the temporary organization. "A
protest or notice of contest by persons
not themselves holding some kind Of
accredited credentials and claiming to
be the legal delegation, would not af-
feet the right to the prima facia dele.
cation to participation"
Hon. q. A. Church, of Greene county,
wrote:
.'The proper test by. which it may be
known whether contest is genuine or
spurious cannot be given by me. The
cases in conventions for individual
counties differ so much that no rule
can be given except to treat all con-
Nd c,,1,, fho,, fa
the committee on credentials, and If
they do not give satisfactory report,
let the convention approve or reject it.
I go upon the superstition that the voice
of the majority is the voice to be fol-
lowed. / know of no other rule to take
its place. The contests should be set
tied by the vote of the uncontested
delegations This is the rule that has
been followed at all times in the past
in this state, and / know of no reason
for changing it now"
Hon. Marsh w. Bailey, of Washing
ton county, in an extended letter. de-
clares for having the state committee
make up temporary roll of delegates
to the convention, and suggesting that
the district caucuses should not select
the new committee until after the con-
tests had been decided in the conven-
ton. AS to whether contest is gem
uine or spurious, would suggest that
certainly" he wrote, ga contest is not a
genuine one where the friends or forces
of the contesting delegation do not
have, after conceding to them all they
claim, a majority of the delegates to
the county convention which selected
the delegation"
Hon. c. G. Saunders, of Pottawatta>
miey also in a long letter discussing
various phases of the question, de-
clared for temporary roll to be made
by the committee, and stating his be-
lief that the temporary organization
thus made up will have the right to
vote upon all contests except that no
will have the right to vote
in the contest that involves its own
seat"
A number of other letters from re-
publicans of the state, written not for
publication, discuss various points of
the controversy which has become
state wide since the original query was
written. The views of republicans of
widely different factional preferences
was sought. so as to develop all phases
of the question.
Saved His Comrades Life.