The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1861-01-30
MADISON, Jan. %, 1851.

FRIEND Lutte The Capitol is jubi-
liant to-dayl AT the joint convention of
the Senate and Assembly: held few
hours since, the HARRY CLAY of
Wisconsin, was elected to the U. S. Sen
ate for six years.
In the election of TIMOTHY o. Howe,
mighty blow has been struck for the
party in this State. Its discordant ele-
ments have been harmonized at home !;
we have united delegation at Washing
ton and all that has stood in the way of
the Third Congressional District being
rs strongly Republican as the Second, has
been removed; and last, but not least,
the rights of one of the truest and ablest
men in the State have been indicated.
Judge Howe has always stood squarely
on the Republican platform, but because
he differed with the radical element Of the
party on some muor points, some thought
he must be tabooed.
There were three Joint caucuses of the
friends of Howe, Randall and Wash
burne, besides frequent secret caucuses
of each, the whole being most forcible
Illustration of what a "wheel within
wheel" that peculiar American institution
1.-The Caucus, is.
At the first joint caucus, held on the
18th, on the informal ballot, Washburn.
had SO, and Howe and Randall each 26
votes, and closed after four formal ballots
Washburne "a, Howe %, Randall 25
The second caucus, held on 18th, closed
Washburne 35, Howe %, Randall 81.
The tbree candidates, particularly Ran
dali and Howe, then stool counting the
men they could depend on for long
contest, but as Gov. Randall knew that
bis and NJ. Washburne's friends could
never unite. and Il At Judge Howe was
the secon choice Of himself and his sup
portcrs, he, by a movement at once
magnanimcas AMI mastery. transferred
his 81 votes in al un5roken body to
Howe, so that on tie first ballot cast on
the evening of the 22ad, Judge Howe
was nominated by vote of 50 to SO,
three blanks cast, and the amusing part
of it was, none OF the Washburne men
and very few of the Howe men knew
anything OF the arrane ement until the
blow had fallen, and neither the victors
nor the vanquished could scarcely tel
from whence it came. The Washburne
men concluded it was "sll right" and
since then it has been amusing to see
how many ''original Howe men, there
are among both members and outsiders.
The election had been adjourned on
Monday, the day fixed by law, to Thurs
day, anticipating that three days more at
least, would be occupied in caucussing
but when the matter was so suddenly,
brought to close by the caucus on
Tuesday, they concluded like the loving
couple who had horror of long engage
mcnts, to have the knot tied Immediately
The eager spectators filled the As
sembly Chamber and Galleries rs full as
a country dance at log cabin, and when
the Chief Clerks of the Sc ate and As
sembly called the roll of their respective
bodies, 81 answered TIMOTHY o. HOWE,
and 81 Democrats paid HENRY L.
PALMER, of Milwaukee, the compliment
,, of voting for him.
If either Gov. Randall or Mr.. WASH
burne had been elected, there would have
been an undesirable lack Of good feeling
on The part of the balance of the repre-.
sentation ut Washington, aud every
! probability, nay almost certainty, of a