Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-08-30
MINNESOTA POLITICS.
Letter Writer Who Predicts the Elec-
ton of Hermann.

Letter Writer Who Predicts the Elec-
ton of Hermann.
[St. Paul Correspondence Chicago Times.
In Times interview, the other day,
Senator Sabiu, the ro!licking young mill
ionaire who, by the grace of Democratic
votes, was installed in the comfortable
lounging chair in the United States senate
so long filled by Window, took occasion
to declare "his state the commonwealth
of Minnesota was Republican to the
backbone" The assurance of the young
senator is scarcely to be wondered at.
Successive victories, dating back over a
period Of more than a quarter century.
are we'll calculated to inspire such conf
dence. Yet there be knowing ones who
give and receive wink that can safely be
interpreted as the intimation of an exist
ant doubt upon this subject. State cam
paigns are, in the main, provincial in
their issues and in management, though
occasionally in a pivotal state, such as
Ohio this year, extrgneous influences are
indicted. Minnesota is not pivotal
state. Its place IN the Republican col
umn has never been questioned, and the
offices and machinery OF state electors
hoFC easily hCpp ~ lGOCc STATE SICC-
tons have been provincial, aud the mem
DRY of man bears me witness rnat
there has been 10 other issue III tho
state contests except the Offices. These
latter have in the main been conducted
honestly and efficiently, and consequently
satisfactorily. There has therefore been
no substantial reason for change, and
the few
DEMOCRATIC BARKIsES
who have aspired have continually found
their ambition hopeless. Democrats of
wealth and its implied influence, especial
~ those located at st. Paul and Minneapo-
lis, have in many cases been Indifferent,
not to say repugnant, to Democratic sue
cess. The immense business interests of
the moneyed Democrats of the two cities
have made them allies in q sense with like
moneyed and influential Republicans, in
many cases it being actual copartner-
ship. Hence an apathetic Democracy in
Minnesota. There have been few told
paleozoics," relics of the forgotten years
of Buchanan, Douglas, and their compeers,
who once a year would resurrect their
best coats from the old cedar chest, don
choker collars, and march to the coaven-
ton hall "to represent Democracy" These
"eminently respectables'' have never given
thought or color to a hope that they
would accomplish anything. Ii suficed
for them that they retained the faith
themselves and got themselves on public
exhibition in that role once year. It is
easy to understand that the party organi-
cation, struck with dry-rot like this, was a
lifeless, decaying trunk.
The state Democratic convention was
| held on the I'd inst. was there. In the
front benches there were the "best
coats and choker collars" an array GER
tainly ''eminently respectable" Imagine,
say, one hundred men, each bearing upon
him the traces of an age and time long
passed away, men whose sparse locks
were shivered with frost ere mine had any
color. True, the convention was not en-
tirely made up of antiq uities; there was a
goodly sprinkling of younger men in the
back benches, many of them sons of the
'venerables" in front, and, as the result
disclosed, they
| CROWDED THE MoURNERs"
very closely. First, the younger element
captured the organization in the selection
of Hon. G. F. Buck as chairman, man of
years, yet progressive enough to read the
signs of the times The ballot for COVER
nor, however, showed that the mcssbacks
had majority of five, and their candidate
for governor, W. W. McNair, was nomi-
mated over Adolf Biermann,
the choice of the young Democrats. The
latter captured the platform and the state
central comm ittee, the selection being left
to the choice of the chairman.
| Mr.. McNair had decided to go to Ed
rope, and promptly declined the empty
honor of the nomination. This left the
matter of supplying the vacancy with
the state committe and last Friday they
got together. and, despite the frantic ap-
peals of some of the mossbacks, the COM
mittee, (Which had been judiciously Sc
lected by Mr.. Buck unanimously chose
Mr.. Biermann to take the head place on the
ticket. Thus the young Democrats won a
victory after all, and such one, I predict,
as will be the turning point of the Demo.
cratic party's career in this state. So
much for the circumstances that have
made Mr.. Biermann the democratic candi-
date for governor. Adolf Biermann is a
man of about 45 years of age; Scandi-
navian by birth, who came to this country
at the beginning of the rebellion and
| OA4AoIOO III tnO OAlOA dILuy W1Iu1h I'll
hour of his landing in New York. He
serAed faithfully to the close and then
came west. He received collegiate edu-
cation in his parent country, and being
possessed of much
NATURAL ABILITY
easily became prominent in politics. Al
though Democrat, he served the people of
Olmsted county, a Republican stronghold,
six years in the capacity of auditor. Last
fall he was nominated for congress against
Milo White, and in district that gave
over 5000 popular majority for Garfield
he was only defeated about 600 votes. 1t
will readily be seen that he has elements
of strength, especially among his OWE
countrymen, which, in view of the fact
that 80 per cent. of them are Republicans
and that they are 10000 strong in this
state, may render 1t possible to overcome
the nominal Republican majority of 3d.
600. If he only receives $4,000 Republi-
can votes, he offsets their usual majority
have said Minnesota usually has no
state issues, hence there is nothing to pre-
vent the 10000 Scandinavians in the state
from deserving the party that has contin-
uously ignored them and electipg one of
their own countrymen to the highest Office