Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-08-30
THE DAKOTA DELEGATE
THE ISITTING MEMBER FREES HIS
MIND.

In Answer to "Globe' Interviewer
Classification OF the Nominating Conven-
ton Contestipg Delegates Between Him.
self and Hand-COrrupt Federal Officials
and Carpsti B sggers Strive for His Death
Review of the Situation In Nerth Dakota
-AndPen Sketches of Some of the Repre-
sentative Men Mentioned for the Nom
ination.
1t is barely possible that readers of daily
newspapers may have heard that little con-
test has been in progress in small territory
called Dakota, which bounds a portion of
Minnesota on the west, over the election of q
delegate to congress to be elected this year.
At the election in that territory which took
place two years ago little over 10000 votes
were cast, and the Republican candidate,
Hon. r. F. Pettigrew, was elected by major
ity of 9,727. Since that time the territory has
grown somewhat in population, and at guess
work calculation 1t will this year cast some
40 600 votes. 1t is needless to say mat many
aspiring statesmen are axiOus to be elected as
the delegate from that region-sufficient in
| area to make three states as large as New
York, in congress- The elements of empire
| there are plastic yet and warm. Its popula-
| ton is composed largely of embryo great
| men, each one of whom would be willing to
serve his country in any capacity THAT would
pay from constable down to president of the
United States. Al present, however, the
| question of the hour is, who shall be elected
| as delegate in congress. The overwhelming
Republican majority has narrowed the contest
| down to the man who shall receive the nomi-
| nation at the Territorial convention to be held
at Grand Forks Sept. 6. The candidates are
! numerous, and they come from the north and
| the south, from the east and the Black Hills,
| (Which are the geographical boundaries of the
territory and will set down in council at
| Grand Forks. 1t is a matter of very little
concern to the GLOBE as to which of these
| incipient great men wins in this free-for all
| contest.
| If the contest was narrowed down to only
two candidates the GLOBE would naturally
| choose the least of the two evils
in the interest of honest govern
such result, as truthful historian it gives
such facts as come within the range of its
observation.
At the present time the territory of
Dakota is occupied by peculiar
people. So far as its climate, soil
and natural advantages generally, are Goa:
cerned the Creator designed it for the home of
pie. The United States government in its
| supreme capacity has TO a great extent
I made it the place of Punishment of broken
down and corrupt politicians. This lard
which is fair to look upon, and rich in all
| that benefcent Providence could bestow upon
man, seems to have been given over to the
| workers of evil who, under the protection of
the Republican party, is little short of den OF
thieves. la proof of this let facts be sub
mltted to candid world and the GLOBE calls
upon the stand as its first witness the hon.
r. +. Pettigrew, the present delegate in con-
gress from The Territory and a candidate for
reelection to that position.
Mr.. Pettigrew arrived in st. Paul on Mon.
day afternoon on his way to Fargo and thence
to Grand Forks. A representative of the
GLOBE called upon him at his room in the
Merchants hotel yesterday and was accorded
brief interview, of which the following is q
| synopsis:
| Reporter-Mr. Pettigrew, the GLOBE would
like to obtain for its many thousand readers,
some idea Of the condition of the political slate
in your territory. Have you anything to say
| that you would like to have made public
| Mr.. Pettigrew-What do you wish to know!
I ana ready to answer any question you may
ask, which it is proper for me to SPEAK
| about.
R.-Your territorial convention is called to
meet at Grand Forks on the 9th of September.
How many delegates compose the conven-
| tiOs, and how do you classify them?
| Mr.. P.-The convention will be composed
of 243 delegates, and classifying them accord.
ing to the geography of the territory, there
are 100 from Northern Dakota; 1875 from
| southeast Dakota, which includes all the area
south Of the 46 parallel and east of the Mis-
souri,, and Al from the Black Hills.
R.-Who are the candidates from the south
east division?
1 Mr for 7 Mr. nd
| Mr.. Hughes and myself.
R.-Who from the northern portion OF the
| territory?
Mr. P.-That you know as much about as
| do. l have heard the names of number of
| gentlemen mentioned, all of whom are good
men, Tut whether they are candidates or not
| cannot tell.
R-How about the Black Hills district?
Mr.. P.-The Black Hills has no candidate.
The Al delegates will support me in the con.
| vention.
R-That being the case, how will the con.
vention stand?
Mr.. P.-That is hard to determine. OF the
delegates elected in southeast Dakota, 70 are
| for me and 81 for hand, with 10 contested.
| OF these Hand will contest Is of mine, while
will contest So of his. 1 do not know of any
contest in regard to the 100 delegates from
the north. A good deal will depend upoa the
| temporary organization. The fight will prob
ably take place ia the organization of the con,
vention, and that will IN great measure de-
| ternine the result.
| R.-What is your prospect there?
| Mr.. P.-I cannot tell. The chairman OF the
committee is Hon. George Il. Walsh, in whose
fairness l have every confidence.
| R.-Supposing your contesting delegates
are thrown out, will your friends submit or
will they bolt?
Mr.: P.-They will submit, as under no cir
cumstances Will be a boiling candidate, /
am not anxious enough for the Office to be-
| come red hot candidate.
R.-SO far as you are able to judge from the
| present outlook what do you opine as to the
result?
MR. am not at present prepared to state
| Should 1 receive the regular nomination sill
be elected against any boiling candidate and
| the Democratic nominee combined. The fight
| that has been made against me has been made
kicked out of the East, and whose
only object in the territory is plum
der and spois. Some of them should
be in the penitentiary and would be but for
influential Eastern hackers. They have moth
| ing in common with our people, and they re-
| main with us only for purpose of plumber. The
people of the territory will find this out sooner
or later and will spew them out.
R.-Have they any objection to you upon
the question Of a division of the territory?
Mr.. P.-The scoundrels I have mentioned
have, but the people have not. Southern
Dakota wants to be admitted as q
state, and northern Dakota is
anxious to have territory Of her own.
With these views am in perfect accord wit h
the people, and have introduced bill to that
effect in congress, and before my present term
expires will have it passed.
R.-It would then seem as though north
ern Dakota should go for you in preference to
any other southern man.
Mr.. P.-Ido not know how they feel about
it,, as am only on my way there now. All 1
can say is that if their wishes are carried
out, as / think they will be, and it
depends largely upon me. Dakota will be adj
mitted as state, and they will have a terri
torial organization of their own, and such
haiz, o,ea follx- fc- Dr.