Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1898 — Already Fully Organized. [ARTICLE]

Already Fully Organized.

The Republican County Central Committee Does Lots of Business Elects Executive Officers, District Delegates, and Arranges For County Convention. " f The newly elected republican county central committee met Saturday afternoon, iu the circuit court room, as per call. Tt is a convincing proof of the excellent state of the party in this county, and of their interest and enthusiasm, that, although the primttry organizing conventions of the week before occurred in a most disagreeable storm, yet of the twenty precincts in the county seventeen bad their chairmen elected and present at the meeting last Saturday. The retiring chairman, B. F. Ferguson, called the meeting to order, and after announcing that he was not a candidate for re-elec-tion and could not accept if tendered by a unanimous vote, he directed the secretary to call the roll of the precincts. The following precinct and township chairmen were present. Hanging Grove, Reed Bnnta. Walker, R. E. Halleck. Barkley, East, S, R. Nichols. Marion Ist, E. A. Aldrich. “ 2nd, d, W. Cowden. “ 3rd, ...... J. W. Burgett. “■ 4th, W. C. Babcock. Jordan, Fred Way mireNewton, ‘. ,omar Morlan. Keener C. 0- Spencer. Kankakee, I. D. Dunn. Wheatfleld, Albert Keene. Carpenter, South, Albert Bellows. “ East, ,C. H. Peck. “ West, . .W. C. Smalley. Union, North, J. C. McColly. “ South, J. L. Babcock. Gillam, Milroy and Barkley west, were not reoresented.

The convention then proceeded wij;h the important work of electing •jf county chairman, to succeed B. F. Ferguson. C. O. Spencer, of Keener, proposed the name of Charles W. Hanley, and E. A. Aidrich, of Rensselaer named Charles E. Mills. Hon. I. D. Dunn arose and stated thet he was authorized to announce for Mr. Mills, in caso his name was presented, that he was not a candidate. Mr. Hanley was then elected by acclamation and a unanimous vote, For secretary, J. F. Warren, for vice chairman, Frank Foltz, and for treasurer, Joseph Harris, were all electfed by acclamation. The election of 10 delegates and 10 alternates to the congressional district convention at Lafayette, Feb. Ist, to elect a district chairman, resulted as follows. Walker and Kankakee, I. D. Dunn, delegate, John O’Connor, alternate. Wheatfleld and Keener, E. T. Biggs, delegate; C. O. Spencer, alternate. Gillam and Hanging Grove, J. P. Gwin, delegate; J. R. Phillips, alternate. Marion, M, H. Hemphill, F. B. Meyer, delegates; Thomas Thompson, S. C. Irwin, alternates. Union, J. C. McColly, delegate: W. L. Wood, alternate. Newton, Jordan and Milroy, O. C. Halstead, delegate, John Martindale, alternate. Barkley, S. 11. Nicholas, delegate, Clins. Murray, alternate. Carpenter had previously, elected three delegates, and these were ratifiod by the convention. The three if they all attend, will have each 2 thirds' of a vote. They are C. T. Denham, A. B. Lewis and Levi Hawkins. Mr. Hanley, the chairman elect, had been sent for, and now entered the was introduced by Mr. Ferguson. Mr. Hanley then

made a few very fitting remarks regarding the necessity, for the best interests of all the people, of the continued success of the Republican party, expressedhis sense of the responsibilities and difficulties, of his new, position and pledged his best and most earnest efforts in the discharge of its duties. He then assumed the chair and presided during the remainder of the meeting. . c The convention then took up the important question of deciding the time, place and manner of tbe county nominating convention. The time was fixed at Monday March 21st, the place Rensselaer and the manner a delegate convention, with one delegate for each 15 votes for McKinley, or fraction of 10 or more, The township and precinct primary conventions to elect delegates to the county convention will be hold on Saturday, March, 19th. A unanimous vote of thanks was then tendered the retiring chairman for his earnest and successful efforts during the period of his chairmanship, and, the meeting then adjourned. It was the largest, the best and .the most entirely harmonious first meeting of the central committee ever held in the county. And none ever did its work any better.