Morris tribune., 1882-06-29
THIT COUNTY CONTENTION.

In your last issue Mr.. Fl. w. Stone es
sayed the impossible task OF vindicating
| his action III the Stevens county couven.
tion This article Of Mr. Stones is but u
counterpart of one published in the
! Pioneer Press of last Saturday, which is
| filled with falschoods, and signed by the
leaders of the Nelson clique and disburs
ers of'the Nelson corruption fund, some OF
whom were notoriously engaged in MAX
| ing up bogus town caucus credentials, and
all claiming some responsibility, from act
ing under the shadow of one who, through
ambitious motives, has permitted the old
worn out political hacks to make use OF
him. Mr.. Stones failure TO justify the alb
surd and unfair position he assumed in that
meeting Is too clear tC merit any attention
from any one. While douot assume to
be the leader of this popular Kindred
movement, am referred to as such by
that gentleman i'll terms not to be misun.
derstood, who has managed. by stringing
Together q number of hashed-up street
corner jabberings, to make certain grave
charges against myself and all those who
thought best to support Mr.. Kindred |
have concluded. by the advice of friends,
to answer the same through the columns
of your popular Journal.
| Probably il is the first time an eX offico
| chairman (mark you, not even a Gtemporary
| chairman,) ever undcrtook-for no man
ever her -tofore had either the impu!en
| boldness or the Consummate ignorance to
make such claim-to constitute himself
a committee on credentials, with rower to
decide who WAS entitled to vote in the con
vention; in fact, to make himself both
Judge and jury. Fancy. if you can, the
chairman of the Fifth congressional dis
trict committee arrogating to himself such
power at Detroit. But the assumption of
power on the part of Mr. Stone was far
more than equaled by his unjust and parti-
san decisions in passing upon the cretlen
| tials, showing There partisan spirit, which
is made even more manifest in his letter
| OH it was beautiful to hear the man
counseling moderation, and Haunting cp-
pearances of unbiased and neutral feelings
before the convention-asserting i'll lib
eral way that to him (paragoD of virtuous
| fairness that he WASH it looked as if there
| had been skullduggery on both sides :"
! aud proceeding with still further sem
| blance of justice, TO throw out and admit
| certain towns that were contested. The
| Towns of Rendsville and Swan Lake, (this
| latter is the town TO which Ames, law
partner of Nelson, himself drove cut and
| fixed for Nelson, where there were, what
| he called, sham Kindred delegations, he
admitted, being well armed with ex par.,
| evidence and arguments. When, however,
| he reached the town of Scott, which was
we'll known to be for Kindred, and which
a few unprincipled men from Morris, by
the manufacture of fraudulent Nelson
credentials, had attempted to contest, he
saw Fl TO throw out the Kindred as well as
the sham delegation. Why? Because
there his heathen Chinee hypocritical
parade had exhausted itself and he could
not go further in the same direction and
retain control of the convention. You
will observe the cunningncss shown in this
matter. They would not run things with
harmony and fairness; but they wanted
beyond all, the organization of the con
vention; and they were determined 10
have it at any cost. The chairman was
merely their tool.
| Now as to my being Nelson man.
told Mr.. Nelson that General Barrett, OF
this county, was my first choice, but that
as between himself and Gilman l would
do anything1 could for him. Nelson's
supporters and henchmen seeing that Gen.
| eral Barrett would carry this county, and
knowing that he would not stoop to a
! scramble for the Office, sent Bevans to him,
and, insOlently. through their moutll-piece,
asked him to give II written guarantee that
he would not run for the office. 1t was
after this shat / determined, in view of
everything and particularly of the fact that
MIR. Nelson was making his canvass on the
nationality basis, 10 support Mr.. Kindred
Mr.. Stone, prior TO the village caucus, had
| frequent conversations with me, and was
| impressed with the idea that he was favor
able to Mr.. Kindred. Were his views
changed after the long confidential talk
with Mr.. Nelson in Wolff& Wells store.
Saturday, before the caucus? MIR. Nelson
certainly was of the opinion up to that
time that Stone was opposed to him.
| What he promised Stone at that interview
| cannot say; presumably, however. one
of the many fat Offices he is already nar-
ceiling out TO his faithful adIleren.s.
think had the right, after making Nelson
those conditional promises, TO change nv
support to Mr.. Kindred, but wish to ask
| Mr., Stone this question: Could Knute
Nelson, who nominated him for state sem
ator in the Alexandria convention, have
withheld from him his loyal support in the
canvass, with anything like show Of
honor or politicalprinciple? and further
has he not always said to his friends in this
county that his defeat by A. A. Brown, ii
Scandinavian Independent, was due to the
treachery of said Knutc Nelson? Doubtless
it was the knowledge of the existence of
this feeling on the part of Stone that made
Nelson himself believe up to a few hours
before the interview referred to above that
Stone was ininaical TO him; and every Re
publican voter in tile county believed until
quite recently the same thing. ilsas
Now as to the money cry. II is openly
asserted that Nelson left 5000 with III. Il.
Bevans, while it is yet a secret what the
other local hcncllmen received; but the.
outside manipulators, Reynolds and Ames,
who were here for many days, were well
supplied both with the needfuiaEd valuable
suggestions of sharp practice. .,.s sa XII. \
Again, as 10 the bulI,dozing. II did say
that ] would goto The convention prepared