St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-26
A HURONITE'S VIEWS.
The Late Dakota Convention Caustic-
ally Reviewed and Criticized.
Ordway-Arthur Delegates Sent to Chicago by
Men Elected to Support Blaine.
[speeial Telegrnm 10 the Globe.l

! Especial Telegram to the Globe.
HURON, Dakota, April 25.-Since the
clansmen have all gone, and the smoke and
dust OF the recent noisy conflict have cleared
away, everybody is asking himself what it
was all for. Most of the delegates, both in
North and South Dakota. were elected on the
strongest anti-Ordway platforms. Most of
them were sent here expressly to oppose
everything that even smeIt of the Bismarck
capital-removal gang. Yet, after all their
riotous wrangling, all their breaking of
pledges, they have simply sent two original
Ordway men as delegates to Chicago. They
were nearly all sent here as Blaine men.
and they have sent Arthur delegates to the
national convention. They have instructed
these Ordway-Arthur delegates for Blaine,
whose nomination is an impossibility, and
thus, so far as two convention delegates
with no electoral vote behind them can do it,
arrayed Dakota against the nominee whoever
he may be, and placed the territory in oppo-
stion to the next administration, even if it
should be Republican. The north Dakots
delegates were handled by Edwards, of Fargo
Mckenzie, Of Bismarck, and La Moure, o
Pembina; and the south Dakota crowd b,
Pettigrew, Gamble and Hugh Campbell. Be
tween two such gangs of leaders, straight
Dakotans had no choice but to ''take to the
woods" and the result is disgust to think
ing men here, as it win doubtless be to that
class of men throughout the territory
To sum it all up, it was triumph for Ord
way and crushing defeat for Pettigrcw and
Hugh Campbell. Beside this it amounted
to nothing, and was waste Of time and
money on the part of the really fine looking
body Of men who came here from eyeU
part of the territory as delegates.
Raymond cut no figure at all, and If he
had any friends in the convention they failed
to show up. 1t was rumored that some north
Dakota man was going to introduce q rcsolu-
ton endorsing or commencing him, as
sort of Offset to the action of the Cass county
convention at his home in tabliug unani
mously a resolution approving his course. Il
any such thing was contemplated
was abandoned because it was certain
of being set down on here as emphatically a:
it was in the delegates own county and
town.
Many shabby tricks were played, and thii
usually respectable little city is full of storiei
of maneuyers that were not creditablc to any
of the parties engaged in them. Some very
funny things are told, too.
An OLD gentleman named Waldo n. Pot
ter, said to be very respectable citizen of
Fargo, came in and presented his credentials
as a delegate from 'McHenry county,"
There was some question as to whether any
such county legally existed, or had
ever been organized, but Alex Nc
Kenzie and Plummer vouched for him, and
he was admitted and voted on all matters be-
fore the convention. 1t now turns out that
this very respectable old citizen of Fargo
elected himself by his own unanimous vote
after he got here TO represent q county that
has no legal existence, no county seat, no
county officers, and, so far as known, no
people.
The delegate from Lake county got on
roaring drunk and went off to bed. Some of
the north Dakota managers promptly fixed
up proxy for him and put it in the hands
| of W. j. Murphy, of Grand Forks. Murphy
marched in with it, and after some discus.
| sion, was just on the point of being admit
ted, when Il scouting party of south Dakotaus
rushed in with 'the gentleman from Lake,
himself, who forthwith proceeded to de
nounce "the id fraud' that was PLAYING
his proxy. 1t raised huge laugh, of course,
and ''the gentleman from Lake. became one
of the celebrities Of the convention.
The entire affair has done little credit to
Dakota, though both the gentlemen selected
for Chicago good citizens as well as Ord
way men. They will be of as much service
to the territory in the national convention as,
perhaps, any two men could have been,
bound as they are by instructions for can
didate who stands little show Of nomination.
Dakota politics, as seen here this week, are
badly mixed. HURoNITE.