Omaha daily bee., 1886-09-24
THE TRIUMPH OF TREACHERY
The otoe and sarpy County Delegates Be-
tray their Friends and Join Howe,
JOHN CLARKE AND HIS PA.
Schminke's Treachcry and Deceit
The Beatrice Opera House
Packed with the Hired Hood
lums of the Nemaha Fraud.

lums of the Nemaha Fraud.
BEATRICE, Neb., Sept 22.-TEdtorial
Correspondence of the BEE. The con-
test which has just eliminated in the
nomination of Church Howe will be one
of the most memorable of its kind in the
political history of Nebraska. The COM
bat in itself was comparatively insignih-
cant were it not for its far.reaching
consequences. The outcome involved
not only the candidates engaged,
but the success or defeat of Senator Van
Wyck and the Douglas county candidate
for governor, Henry L Clarke, besides
smashing states for several minor candi-
dates. The bragadocio with which
Church Howe entered the campaign and
the blare of trumpets with which he pro-
claimed himself victorious in his transit
from county to county, doubtless had its
effect upon timid and time serving politi-
cIans, but the well informed rivals of
Howe in the field were not deceived as to
his strength. When the three OPP
posing candidates, Weaver, Connell and
left canvassed the situation in the third
night, they felt perfectly at ease. They
counted from seventy to sevonty-five fol-
lowers who were determined to beat the
common enemy, and they had assurances
that the Sarpy county delegation, and at
least nine or ten of the Otoe delegation,
would join the field against Howe, which
would have given the field clean
majority and several votes to spare. A
triple alliance, offensive and defensive,
that one of the three candidates in
the field should have the entire vote
of the opposition whenever it could
be safely pooled. The Douglas delega-
ton met in the Knights of Pythlas hall in
the morning and organized for the fray.
Every delegate present was outspoken in
favor of standing by Connell as long as
there was any chance of his nomination.
About II q, m. they were joined by the
Cass and Saunders county delegates, who
appeared if anything more determined to
down Howe than the Douglas county
men. When they were reinforced later
in the afternoon by the Richardson dele
cation and half of johnson county dele
CATION the roll was called and every dele
gate present was pledged in writing TO
fight it out on that line if it took all
night. The key of the position was held
by Sarpy and Otoe counties. The five
delegates of Sarpy were met by Church
Howe on their arrival last night and
quartered by him at his headquarters in
the Randall They were as follows; Harry
Clarke, the son OF Henry T. Clarke, of
Omaha; Arthur Spearman, A. Ii. Empy,
Henry Gursch and j. D.. Smell. Clarke,
viewed by Messrs. Gray and Colpetzer,
who served with him in the last legisla-
ture. He was somewhat boozy and
showed Il disposition to resent as an IN
suit the invitation to JON the opponents
of Howe who, he said, was as honest
and reputable us anybody. He was kept
pretty much in the same condition of half
drunkenness throughout the entire day.
Young Spearman declared that he was
for Howe because the Missouri Pacific,
through Howe, had done him good
many favors in the shape of passes and
rebates. Empy was entirely, under the
influence OF Clark. while Gusch
and Smell professed that they
were grangers and had nothing
declined TO go into the anti Howe caucus
and in spite of the promises of John
Clarke for his pa, " they cast their votes
with Howe and his gang from first to
last.
The Otoe county delegates arrived late
in the afternoon and Schminke, who is
recognized rs Van Wyck's lieutenant,
to the anti-Howe forces. In spite OF this
there was much uneasiness caused by a re-
port that the delegation had caucussed by
themselves and agreed to support Howe
solidly. | lmplored Schminke and other
Otoe delegates, in the interests of Van
Wyck, to stand with his friends and to
help defeat the Nemaha fraud whose
nomination was sure to bring disaster to
Van Wyck by placing him and his friends
in false position. Schminke himself
renewed his promises while others of the
delegation, who professed to be special
friends of Van Wyck, declared
they knew what they were doing
and even insolently secuted the idea that
Van Wyck. had any further need of sup
port from this quarter. just as Howe's
brass band had reached the opera house
/ overheard Schminke in the street
pledge to Church Howe the whole Otoe
delegation. For the first time then | be-
came convinced that there was treachery
and sell out in the camp of Van Wycks
Otoe delegation, and the outcome con-
tirmed the conclusion.
Church Howe had made grand prepara-
tons for his boom. Having carried the
Gage county primaries by the help of the
Holly water works gang and Kilpatrick's
railroad graders he followed up his
method by packing the opera house with
q lot of hired hoodlums who were
all provided in advance with
n lot of admission tickets.
The brass band blew themselves black in
the face, the fellows who carried the
transparency with mo Rosewater in
Ours" were shouting themselves hoarse
when the convention vas called to order
by Tom Kennard, whose bland smile re-
minded me of the olden days when Tom
was coparcener with Bill Stout in the
state real estate distribution at Lincoln.
Tom gave way as temporary chairman TO
the notorious railroad capper, Humphrey,
who, In taking the gavel, bawled
his profound thanks to the convention
for the honor. BY the vote which elected
Humphrey, the last hope of the coalition
against Howe was gone. The proceed
ings that followed were roaring farce
Nominating speeches were made to go
through the form. Henry ~fSstabrook's
great effort for ConnelL~was surprise.
those who listened say they could not
tell to the cad whether Henry was going
to nominate Howe or Connell. He
sfobbered all over his dear
friend Howe, and then ended
by apologizing for Rosewater, who
didn't need any apology at his hands, AS
soon rs Howe was nominated he pulled
out a printed speech which he said was