Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1859-05-14
MtnnesOta.-.POlitic Prospects.
Correspondence Of the N. Y. Tribune.
ST. PAUL Anril 12 1888

i 1oui aiuCie VI tne 1Ztn inst. mas excited
some sensation here. The Republicans are
gratified to find that their Eastern friends, il
national issues, think of helping in the work
to be accomplished by next fall
In national view, two members of Con-
gress, and the control of the United States,
House Of Representatives, Senator of the
United States and possibly President OF the
United States, if the election should 60 into
the House, all depend upon the side on which
Minnesota may turn up next October.
In local view, a Governor, Lieutenant
Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney
General, beside the State Legislature, are to
be chosen. The State Auditor, having been
elected for three years, holds over another
year.
Glancing at the contest, therefore, in all its
bearings, it is, indeed, a most important one
Both parties are becoming alive to sense of
the magnitude of its results. The Democratic
Committee have already published that their
State Convention will be held some time in
June From the goings-out on the Republi-
can side, the intention is also to nominate ear
ly, and make long campaign of it, The
State is large one; great deal of ground is
to be gone over and the scattered condition
of the population makes the work of organi-
zation slow, laborious and expensive, If we
can have an honest poll, and none but legal
votes counted, the triumph of the Republicans
is sure,
! But there's the rub. 1t is scarcely denied
here that the first State officers-elected-
were all Republicans but some 700 majority
were forged, bodily, for the Democratic ticket,
purporting to come from the wildcat counties
of Pembina, &C., and Sam Medary, Governor,
and j. R. Brown, Indian Agent, composing
the Democratic majority of the Canvassing
Board, counted them in, excluding $500 hon
est votes, on technicality, and thus declared
the present State officers elected There was
no remedy for this foul wrong, except revolu-
ton by arms; as the Supreme Court and the
States Attorney owed their places to the same
forgery, and the antecedents of those men do
not justify the supposition that they would do
what was right and just, and true, adversely
| te their own interests.
| The Republicans may have to encounter
these very forgeries again, for the kind of Moe
casin Democracy we have here rivals in scoun-
drelism your city Democracy.
The number of Democratic office-holders in
this State, besides the State office-holders,
gives the Democratic partya great advantage
They comprise standing committee of the
best kind-vigilant,o on all occasions, to advance
the party interests They are literally taxed
| to furnish party fund for electioneering pur-
poses. On the 4th of December last, the
Democratic State Committee taxed all the
Federal and State office-holders of Minnesota
five per cent. on their salaries and perquisites
raising fund of about $4,000 to start upon
The forging of poll-books, and returns, in
the North will, no doubt, be again part of
| their tactics to win; and, as Sibley and the
other State officers, who will compose the
Canvassing Board, knowingly profted by for
geries to obtain their present situations, they
will hardly hesitate to perpetuate their rule
by repetition of the rasealities.
The Republicans can do much, however, to
render repetition difficult; and, with the
means to guard the out-posts, may succeed in
confirming the decision of the battle to the
regular forces in the populated counties. Here,
there is great work to be done. The Re-
publcans have, at present little or no organi-
zatiOn; still, majority of the farming COM
munity are with them. In the towns, most
of the Irish, the bondsmen of party, and the
white serfs of the South, have given the con-
troll to the Democracy. But the hard times
have had the effect of scattering this vote
greatly. Much of it has left the State and
much of it is scattered abroad in the farming
districts, where the surroundings render it in
noctious. In this city of st. Paul, the con-
duct of the Irish has been so overbearing so
arrogant, that the Germans and French in
body are coming over to the Republican side.
1t is thought that, with proper police regula-
tons to prevent the usual amount of double
voting by the Milesian class, St. Paul could,
even now, be carried for the Republicans on
straight party ISSUE The township elections,
just held throughout the State likewise indi-
cate that, in the towns and cities of the inte-
rior, the Democracy are losing ground.
Itonly needs good and popular nominations,
and then jealous work to roll up minority in
the settled Minnesota, which will laugh to
scorn the forgeries of st. Vincent, White Oak
Lake, Holmes City, Cottonwood &C., even if
they are doubled their fictitious maorities.
Besides, the past crimes in that northern re-
gion against the ballot boxes, have been so
we'll ventilated, that the job cannot be done
over again as easily as before.
In regard to Governor, my opinion is that
the old candidates ON both sides will be run,
Alexander Ramsey against Henry II. Sibley.
The latter is vacillating Indian trader, of
fair impulses, but of wrong action. The for
mer is the well-known, sagacious and conser-
vative statesman, of German Pennsylvania
origin, who, as Territorial Governor, cave such
an Oid-Line Whig, and moderate but firm
Republican, with his tried executive abilities
and popular manners, is rightly deemed the
proper candidate to unite every shade of in
telligent voters in his favor. He is by odds
the strongest man in the Republican ranks
indeed, probably the strongest they have in
the whole Mississippi Valley.
There has been some talk of reserving him
for T.. S. Senator; but it is understood he is
adverse to Washington life, and, if compelled
to accept office at all, would rather allow his
name to be used as candidate for Governor
of the State. Others have been named who
would make good candidates, as John W.
| North, Morton S. Wilkinson, Cyrus Aldrich,
and Charles Mcclure, but it looks now as if
| it would be the old battle between Ramsey
| and Sibley
For Congress the State is not divided into
| districts, but votes at large. Mr.. Sibley, in
his message to the last Democratic Legisla-
ture, recommended the State not to be dis
tricted-the idea being that the Democracy
would stand better chance of carrying both
members than if the State was divided, when
the Republicans would have sure thing in
the Southern District. Cavanaugh is likely
to be renominated by the Democracy for Con-
gress for the southern section of the State,
but Phelps is to be thrown overheard This
last conclusion is making some discusson.-
George L. Becker, one of the three men sent
to the last Congress before the admission of
the State-the nervous man who, with the
highest popular vote, tamely backed out and
let the other two take their seats, is talked of
strongly for Cavanaugh's associate
Becker lives in this city, and, by some, is
thought to be strong man. His Lecompton-
ism will kill him, however. LIEUT.. Gov Hol-
combe is also candidate for Congress, or
for the Governorship, but his opposition to
the Free Homestead Law, will, perhaps, floor
him. Senator Henry NJ. Rice intends residing
here this summer, to have, it is supposed, a
hand in the nominating game, but he is near
ly played out, and, though he may still intri-