Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 March 1900 — No Nomination Made. [ARTICLE]

No Nomination Made.

The Wolcott Men Adopted Tammany Ward Methods at Goodland Tuesday. J asper County Republicans W ill j Repud ate the Pretended Nomination of Wolcott. ' ! «. ~ _ - - —.< W. H. Coover the Rightful Candidate, but Robbed by a Lawless Mob. The most disgraceful outrageous and unjust proceedings that ever characterized a political convention in Northwest Indiana, and proceedings which would be hard to parallel in a Republican convention anywhere were those indulged in by the men who had previously conspired to force Eben C. Wolcott, of Wolcott upon the Republicansof Jasper, Newton and White counties, as their candidate for state senator. Their methods were such that their pretended nomination should not and • must not be permitted to stand. The j honest Republicans of these three counties can never afford to send to the state senate whose nomination was brought about by the violation of every principle of honesty and fairness. . The convention was organized with Bennett Lyons, of Newton county, a servile tool of the Wolcott men, chairman. Fred Griffin of Remington, in behalf of the Republican editors of the district, acted as secretary. Mr. Austin, of Jasper, moved that the chairman of each county delegation collect the vote of his county, and announce the chairman of the convention the motion carried. Mr. Sills, of White, moved that the committee on credentials he dispensed with, and the nominatation of a candidate be proceeded with: Carried.

On call of counties J. E. Wilson of Jasper, named W. H. Coover. A White county delegate named Eben G. Wolcott. Mr. Smith aud Mr. Mcßeth, both of White, had withdrawn and did not enter the convention. Jasper county gave her 17 votes for W. H. Coover. Newton county’s chairman, Will Ade, of Kentland, announced their vote as 11 and two tenths for Wolcott and 2 and eight tenths for Coover. The vote from White would have been, had it been properly taken and announced, 16 1-10 for Wolcott and 6 9-10 for Coover. This total vote, had it been correct, would have given Mr. Wolcott 27 8-10 votes and Mr. Coover 26 7-10. But mark the method by which the Wolcott men claimed to have secured 11 2-10 votes from Newton county. There was only one delegate present from Linpoln Tp., which was entitled to one and two tenths votes. He said his township was for Coover, and demanded to cast the entire vote of the township for him. Instead of that Mr. Ade divided the vote of Lincoln, giving six tenths to Wolcott and six tenths to Coover. An act of robbery which cheated Mr. Coover out of the nomination J Further, there were no delegates present from Lake, Colfax and McClellan townships. Mr. Coover claimed, and rightfully no doubt, that those townships favored him. Thus by every principle of fair ness he should had at least half the vote of those three townships. Instead of that Mr. Ade divided their vote in proportion to the vote of the rest of Newton county, in-

eluding the stolen six tenths from Lincoln. Immediately after the vote of Newton county was announced, and before White county’s' was called, Mr. H allecb, a delegate from Jasper county, or request of , the delegate from Lincoln Tp., ! Newton • county, demanded that the vote of Newton county be; polled and the figures verified. : IThis demand of Mr. Halleok’s was j what any delegate had a rught to j make, and was backed by the solid ] 'Jasper county delegation. But not only would uot the ;chairmanJof the convention qougent to listen to any demand for a veri- j fioation of Newton’s vote, but as soon as it was made all the Wolcott men present resolved themselves into a howling mob. They crowded forward, shouting, howling, threatened to “smash” the Coover men, and raised pandemonium generally and finally to more effectually drown out the demands of the Coover men for justice, they set the brass band from Wolcott j to beating their tom-toms and otherwise added to the intolerable j din and confusion every time a Jasper county man sought tp be heard. I Under these conditions the contvention broke up. J. Mr. Wolcott was present, but made no effort to check the lawless proceedings of his supporters. Had he been a fit man for the nomination he would himself insisted upon the just demands for a verification of Newton’s vote, being complied with. This however he made no effort to do, but instead smilingly pretended to accept his bogus nomination. W hat-will be done about the matter, it is too early yet to say. Mr. Coover, was fairly entitled to the nomination and the only thing that will satisfy Jasper county and a large portion of Newton, is for Mr. Wolcott to withdraw and let an entirely new convention be called and another nomination be made,