The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1873-08-28
THE RE-NOMyNATlON OF HON.
JAMES NJ. r. SELVY FOR JUDGE.


The result OF the judicial Conven.
ton which met in this city yesterday
will be matter of surprise to many
people. Judge MoKelvy had formally
declined to be a candidate, and was
considered, in this locality At least, as
entirely out of the field. He so con.
sidered himself. But, on the gather
ing together Of the delegates, it be-
came evident that, outside Of Stearns
county, there was . determined pur.
pose to make him the candidate despite
his withdrawal. In answer to the 10.
terrogation "a to whether he would 40.
cept the nomination if rendered hun by
the Convention, he replied that nomi.
nation offered in this way, unsolicited,
and with any degree of unanimity, he
would not feel at liberty to Decline
This was held by many delegates to be
the true position, and one particularly
consistent with the character and dig.
nifty of the Office to be filed. On the
first ballot, Judge McKelvy was
nominated by majority of fifteen out
Of ffty-seven votes, aud the nomination
was afterwards made unanimous.
In some of its features the contest
which developed itself within the
twenty.four hours preceding the ~.
sembliug of the Convention WAS pc.
culiarly complicated and unpleasant.
On the part of tho delegates-s num-
Der were compelled to make a choice
where, SO far a. their personal feelings
were concerned, they had 90 choice.
On the part of Capt. Collins-an OPP
position was to be met which had been
not at all anticipated. We believe
that, after the publication of Judge
McKelvy's letter, he felt assured that
there would be no conflict of interests
between them, and that the friends of
e,ch would be united in his support.
On the part of Judge MoKelvy
there is to be met the charge of
(apparent) vacillatios. But this
charge We believe to be unjust. The
result Of yesterdays Convention was as
unexpected to him as to any other per-
sou: He had considered himself out
Of the field; he had 50 declared him.
self in print and in conversation with
his friends, and he had made no of.
fort whatever to secure the support Of
single delegate. His nomination was
purely and wholly the spontaneous act
Of the people of the District, who,
having unlimited confidence in his in
tegrity, in bis fitness, in his ability, 10
bis fairness and in his uprightness. de.
manded that + should continue to
serve them. y refused to recog.
nize bis Withdrawal as doing anything
more than acing him in a
position from which they could all the
moro fittingly take him and make him
their candidate. Politicians had moth.
Ing at all to do with the movement ;
but on the contrary the feeling pre-.
vailed that the judicial position should
be lifted high above politics and politi.
cal iutrigues. Il originated with and
received its strength from the people
themselves and delegates came some
. hundred and some nearly two hun
dred miles to give expression to tho
wishes of counties in which there was
not = single dissenting voice. To de-
mand such as this Judge MoKelvy felt,
and properly felt, that he had not the
right to say No. It was q call such as
made acceptance duty. So that,
while tho unpleasant and embarrassing
features referred to existed, they, were,
under the circumstances, unavoidable.
The denomination of Judge Nc
Kelvy is due, first, to his remarkable
personal popularity throughout the
Distriot-a popularity earned by long,
honest and faithful public services -
A second reason was strongly stated by
Capt. Whitcomb, Of Douglas county,
aud other delegates on the floor Of tho
Convention yesterday, viz /: that. thi.
Judicial District did not propose to
submit to the dictation of the st. Cloud
Land Office Ring, which had proclaimed
its intention Of making a fight on
Judge McKelvy in any event and with
whatsoever candidate 1t could fnd-a
bitter, relentless, personal fight. The in.
90
dependence Of the people was aroused,
and their friendship for Judge Nc
.Kelvy strengthened, by this, and they
determined to make the Ring feel its
littleness and its powerlessuess when j,
attempted to grapple with interests
which were Of more than passing i'm.
portance. It was, in considerable part
to deal blow at this corrupt combin.
ton that the nomination Of Judge Mo.
Ri kelvy was 50 firmly resolved upon by
the delegates from tho outside ooun,
ties, and We doubt exceedingly +
Messrs. Gordon, Gilman and West vii
care to soon again repeat the az
( periences Of yesterday. .,..,.:~, l..,...z..
Il vas 2 matter Of general reers
that the result desired could only b,
accomplished through II the defeat o
Capt. Collins. He Is held in high e.
TEEN BY, we may truly say, every mem
Der Of the Convention !; and those del
egates who lR+et warmly eulogizei
Judge McKelys were those who spok,
in the most aprreciative terms Of Capt