The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-07-30
HON. DAVID OLMSTED.
The Delegate Question.

The Rlce organ auectS u TcSaTu Iue
withdrawal of the Democratic Delegates
from the packed assemblage which nominal
ed its favorite as of no great Importance
1t will find, before long, that the proceed
ings of the Convention which has presented
the name of that tried Democrat, DAVID
OLMsrED, as the candidate of the party for
Delegate, will be sustained by large ma
jority of the Democracy of Minnesota
The days of packed, mongrel Conventions,
composed Unfortunately of Wings and
Democrats, who do not hesitate to force
upon the people man who ispeculiarly OBJ
noxious to large portion Of the Democrat
ic party, are numbered. This paperhas, on
all proper occasions, given Mr.. Rice the
credit that he could justly claim for the good
he accomplished in Congress for the Terri
tory, while it visited bis serious official de-
linquencies with merited castigation. Tile
trick of hypocritically declining to be a
candidate for reelection, for the purpose of
throwing his numerous opponents off their
guard has, it is true, been partially success
full thus far, by enabling the friends of Mr..
Rice, in several of the counties Of the Ter
ritory, who were in the secret, to secure del
egates who we're pledged to him, which
they could not have done had more man.
ly and open course been adopted. No high
minded, or honorable man would thus dis
regard his pledges, especially when so often
reiterated; and we are very much mistaken
if Mr. Rice will not find, in the end, that
in politics as in morals, "honesty is the best
policy" The rejoicings Of the Rice clique
are premature. The people, at the October
election, will show their disapprobation of
this political jugglery, by casting large
majority of their votes for DAVID OLMsTED,
man in whom they can con6de, having long
known and appreciated his character as an
honest and estimable democrat and citizen,
who is neither to be coaxed nor driven into
the support of any scheme Of speculation
at the expense of the duty he owes to the
Territory with which he is identified. True,
Mr. OLNsrED is poor, and Mr.. Rice and his
bosom friends are far richer than he is in
pecuniary resources, and this fact constitutes
their main, and in truth their sole, reliance
in the coming contest. We know, from
past observation, that no means will
be left untried to secure the success of Mr..
Rice and that money will be poured out
like water for that purpose; but we firmly
believe in the integrity of the masses, which
will teach them to spurn with disdain all
such appliances.
The action of Mr.. Rice's friends in the
caucus, for it should not properly be called
a convention, showed their utter contempt
for all the usages Of the party. They did
not even give the delegations from counties
known to be opposed to them the courtesy
of hearing, but rudely denied them their
seats or admitted known bogus delegations
from the same counties, to neutralize their
votes, and thereby more securely effect the
object they had in view. 1t is matter of
notoriety, that on the evening previous to
the meeting of the Convention, the Rice
delegates, in close caucus, decided to per-
sue the very course they did adopt in refer
ence to opposing delegations; thus amply
demonstrating, what we have asserted, that
the whole mode of proceeding was determin-
ed upon without regard to justice or propri-
ETY.. The seeding members retained their
place. in the Convention as long as they
could do so with any regard to selfrespect.
1t was only when it was evident, to every
candid man, that the grossest outrages upon
the freedom Of speech, and upon whole del
egations from democratic counties, were to
be perpetrated, that the true democrats
withdrew, to enter their protest against
such unprecedented acts Of tyrannical as
sembly, and to organize themselves into
truly Democratic Convention.
We were sorry to see some men among
the Rice delegates, who have heretofore
been among his bitterest opponents, the most
forward and clamoreus in carrying out the
programme fixed upon in the midnight
caucus. Some regard for consistency,
and q little more respect for decency,
should have had the effect to make them at
least modest and retiring But like all
new converts, it was necessary to commend
themselves to the favor of their new master