Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-03-12

The county convention in 1870 was
held in the court house. After the
chairman had caused Captain Barber
to be elected. he appointed resolu-
tons committee, which retired to per |
spire over its labors.
Captain Barber slipped into the COM |
mittee room, and volunteered his serT-
ices as clerk to the committeeman, |
none of whom could write. He was
received with glad acclaim. The reso-
lutions which he drew up, as you may
already have guessed, were entertain
ing. if not exactly dignified.
The committee turned in the reso-
/ lutions, and the secretary of the con-
vention started reading them. A look
OF horror overspread the visage of the
chairman, who reached down from his
/ seat in the judges bench, snatched
/ the paper, and after reading a few
lines, tore the document to bits.
MY God. he has torn up the 18th
amendment" tragically shouted Cap
/ tain Barber, leaping to a table.
A riot followed this supposed as
sault upon the black mans most sa-
cred privilege. While the sheriff and
his deputies held back the crowd with
guns, the Rev. Mr.. Thompson leaped
through a window, and scrambled
frantCally across back lots. Captain
Barber had killed him dead, politically
speaking.
Colored politicians are otherwise
employed under the existing regime.
I'VE have to put a little onion in
the soup explain the federal manipu-
lators, as they name negroes for
places on the county and state COM
mittees, and delegations to the ma
tional conventions.
Onion is offensive to some folks. you
know. If the practice of playing up
the colored brother tends TO keep new
blood out of the republican party in
the state, so much the better There
will be fewer candidates for the jobs
held by the present clique. A healthy
growth in party numbers would be re-
garded as calamity by these patriots
Pope Long, marshal for the northern
].
Prelate d. Barker, postmaster at Mo-
bile, is national committeeman. The
state committee of ~ includes SO Of
ficeholders, three applicants, and FIVE
plain citizens. Four negroes, supply
the onion and one OF the four will
go 10 Chicago.
\ convention TO selert two delegates
. TO go to Chicago was held in the Third
congressional district a few days ago.
} Nine counties sent total of four dele
, gates to this convention, and all four
. were postmasters. They picked two
; Of their number to go TO Chicago.
The Lowndes county republican con-
yention a short time ago was attended
by just two men, one of whom was a
: postmaster. The business of the
meeting was transacted with great har.
mony.
Here is an incident which illus
trates the disposition of the machine
to discourage clean republicans from
taking a hand in party affairs.
d Baldwin county, in the southwest
) ern part of the state, has filled Ut
4 rapidly during the past few years with
+ newcomers from other states, many
of whom are republicans. The ma
Z chine, to keep things on an even keel
made a negro county chairman. The
clean republicans called a mass meet
ing, which was attended by over POO
men. A new organization was formed
and delegates were selected to attend
the state convention
Four or five days before the conven
ton, a postmaster, an ex-convict anC
two negroes held regular" meetins
in a negro school house, and elected
! delegates to the state convention
These delegates were seated: the 9th
ers were unceremoniously thrown out
1t is pleasant 10 relate, however
that the Baldwin county insurgents
kept on ignoring the negro chairman
and managing party affairs in tn,
county.
In Mobile, the regular republican
J conventions are held in Creole hall, /;
negro rendezvous in the tenderloin
The regulars will send a Taft dele
CATION TO Chicago. While the presi
dent will benefit by the votes, he is no
responsible for existing conditions
Frank Z. Hitchcock. however, is q sym
pathetic assistant in perpetuating tht
methods described above.
4 Alabama will also send a contestin,
Roosevelt delegation to Chicago
Charles H. Scott, former national com
mitteeman, and Joseph o. Thompson
Z former state chairman, will raise b,