The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1858-03-06
Our Mssnbers OF Consxess---Gambling
aYay the Peopl1lt Rights ~
We : Heretofore s h i. =.

we nere Cre = II as
settle among themselves the question which
two should remain, and Which one should re-
turn home. A private letter received yes
terday, gives the issue as follows:
arh. keprsslns..,sss, Aess.r.. csv.1.dsh, Phelps,
and Becker have drawn At lottery for two seats in the
and Phelps will represent Minnesota in that body, H.
happily, we are allowed two MEMBERS which is doubt
| 1.-The above short bit significant article,
we clip from the Pioneer Of Sunday.
- 1t appears from this, that Messrs PHELPS
and CAvENAuoH, although running behind Mr..
BECKER, yet by this kind of political gam
bling, and in defiance of the right of the PEG.
pie to select their own representatives., have
been compelled to "serve their time out" while
the man for whom the people expressed their
preference by their votes, is thimble-rigged in
to the shades of private life Why this
novel course has been taken, we can easily
understand but why Mr.. PHELPS and Mr..
-CAvENAUGH. have been so singularly fortu-
nate @ we can only surlnise. When we
recollect the clerical error ofezactly 100 votes
by which Mr.. BECKER was dropped just that
number behind his two colleagues in the Reg
ister's return from Sibley county, wherein is
located Mr.. PHELPS Land office; and when
we consider the noble game played by "ahalf-
Irish-half Yankee jim CAvRNAuGH,," as NJ
T. MURPHY styles him, in Fillmore county
where he dwels and where he got his friends
to strike both Becker and PHELPS off the
Democratic ticket, so in that mean way to
come out himself ahead in case part of each
ticket was elected when we consider these
facts it is not surprising that Mr.. BECKER
failed in game of hazard and chance with
his sharper colleagues Mr.. BECKER seems
to have had in his dreams Vaccinations of
this result; for several persons have seen let
tiers from him of two weeks back, in which
he despondngly apprehends just such re-
suit, first on the ground Of his general ILL.,
luck in such gambling, and second, doubtless
from secret forboding, that his two asso-
ciates knew better how to stock the cards
and steal and hide, than he did!
Take it altogether it is most disreputable
transaction; and our sympathy with Mr.
BECKER would be greater, if he had not par
ticipated at all in this game to cheat the peo-
pie out of their constitutional privilege of
indicating ,ohich two out the three, or if on
ly one is awarded us, achich one out of the
three should be the sole representative of
the State of Minnesota on the floor of Con-
gress.
Democracy used to mean the sciu of the Peo-
ple-modern practice however, exhibits it as
the embodiment of the skill of the .torger's
pen, as per certificate to SHELBY; or as the
holder villainy of ballot-box stuf6ng, as uide
the Oxford, MCGEE county, and the Delaware
Crossing frauds in Kansas or else, as this
latest phase of political gambling shows, q
dread ofMe popular vsrdict and substituting
therefor, in determining the election of MEM
bers Of Congress, game Of cards or dice, or
betting on little jokers cups, snow you see it
and now you don't" in which the biggest ras-
cal always wins.
We said we could easily understand why
this novel course of choosing members of
Congress had been adopted. 1t is not mere
ly Messrs. BECKER, PHELPS and CAvENAUcH
who should be held responsible for the out
rage npon popular rights, but the Democratic
party of Minnesota, is also directly and i'm
medately responsible AS party, it has
taken official and formal action in favor of
the gambling, as we will presently exhibit
When it became known here that Congress
would not be blinded by the disengenuous
pronunciamento of Messrs. RICE and SHIELDS
as to our being possessed lin the teeth of
the testimony of the census,-of popula-
ton of 100000 souls, and that it was impos-
sible all three of our Congressman elect could
be admitted to seats in the House, great was
the futtering on the part Of the Democracy
especially as it was announced at the first
that they were all three Immediately coming
home and intended to try the question, as to
which should be the out-goers, before the
people themselves, to whom belonged inhe-
rently and inalenably the authority to decide
it, by all the delared principles of both the
political parties of the land i
This proposed course at once created the
greatest alarm amongst the Democratic lead
ers. They declared it was suicidal; destruc-
tive ;" death was in the pot !" Why? Be-
cause, with the fraud and skull-duggery of the
recent election clinging to its skirts, like the
shirt of Nessus to the back of Hercules, the
party was Just now odious in the nostrils OF
the people Because, with the old circuit OF
magnetic roguery in =" Todd, Cass and Penn
binaw," to say nothing Of Joe Browns Cot
ton.wood counties, disconnected or broken
up, the forgers' Acknowledgements to
which their ticket was before indebted for its
success, could not be just now repeated in
secundum artem style, with such skillful inn
punity as before Because, the general dis
indignation of the party over the Union,
from the explosion of the Kanzas-Lecompton
petard, and the hosting the inventors like
sky-rockets in a blaze of destruction, pervad-
ed also the party in Minnesota, and would
paralyse its strength in the election!
With these facts staring them in the face,
We can easily comprehend the acute alarm
which filled the hearts of the Democratic
leaders-the fainting of heart and the quak-
ing of knees-at the prospect of Congress
sional Election at this time in Minnesota
Nor we're we surprised, that in SO momen-
tous an exigency, the Democratic members
of the Legislature were forthwith assembled