St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-09-11
PRICE rs AMBITIOUS.
The Badger Congressman From the
Eighth District Wants to Go to the
United States Senate.
How the Sawyer Party Became Aware of
the Buzzing of the Bee in
Williams Bonnet.
Bragg Likely to Secure the Persim-
mons ii the Democrats Carry
the Legislature.
Some Good Stories About the Careers
of Price, Rusk and Charlie
Seymour.
Seeking n SenatOrship.

Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Sept. lot Is perfectly
well known here that Bill Price is a candi-
date for the senate and that he is in dead
earnest. Senator Sawyer has for months
expected it, and even as long ago as last
winter in private conversation minated
that some day, sooner probably than later,
he should hear that Bill Price was in the
race for the SenatorShip. He suspected
this, because Price was coming over to the
senate frequently and asking favors Of him.
This Price did right along all last session
whenever any of his local bills needed
Sawyer's assistance. The senior senator
gave the jackson county statesman his CO.
operation unbegrudginglY, and Price was
in fair way to accomplish for himself
what he struggled long to attain, that is,
get ''in' with the Sawyer party. For
years he was what was called Tout of the
ring" That is. he did not enjoy tine con-
fidence of the leading Republicans of Wis
consin. This grew out of Prices rotten
views on the Greenback question. For
time he was generally regarded as out OF
the Republican party, and he so regarded
himself When the supreme bench of
the state was increased from three
to five judges, in 1878, Price, in
a Republican caucus to nominate
the two new judges, made speech con-
Tossing his heresy and asking forgiveness
for his wandering out of the fold. He was
received back with loud applause. In the
winter of 1SS1-2 the legislature rediStricted
the state. Price then had his long-desred
opportunity to get even with Charlie Sey-
mour and Jere Rusk, and he made terms in
the gerrymander which secured him dis
trict of his own, the present Eighth dis
trict. The old Seventh included La Crosse
and Charlie Seymour, now our consul at
Canton, then postmaster at La Crosse, was
uniformly able to shut Price out.
JERE RUsK AND SEYMOUR
worked together and Price has hated both
on principle ever since. When Gov. Will
lam E. Smith nominated Rusk for railroad
commissioner in 1873 to succeed Dana G.
Lamb, Price was in the senate from Jackson
and Monroe counties. a caucus was held
in the room of Charlie Bross, the chief
clerk. Price made the principal speech. in
which he dwelt on Jere'S lack of education.
The caucus was secret, but one remark of
Price leaked out to the effect that "Jere
Rusk didn't know the difference between
railway truss and an instrument
to cure hernia" Rusk was rejected
and JOCK Turner nominated and confirmed.
Charlie Seymour is a good deal of fellow.
His favOrite remark is ''Well, as the COVER
nor of North Carolina said to the governor
of South Carolina. it's a. id long while be-
tween drinks" EgOtiSm is something that
is not left out of Charlie Seymour. Once
when he was strutting about on the floor of
the senate chamber in Madison he came
near Prices seat, No. 80. Price winked to
a newspaper correspondent and remal Ked
very distinctly and sufficiently loud to be
heard by Seymour:
If had a contract to make thousand pea
cocks I'd buy Charlie Seymour for raw ma
teral and have enough left to be looking for
another contract.
Seymour made a good pun once in Mime
sofa. He was bell wether for an editorial
excursion over the Northern Pacific. Fargo
and Moorhead tumbled over each other to
suck thumbs and get free puff from the
Badger quill-drivers.
SEYMOUR MADE A SPEECH
and said those two towns had Far Moor go
ahead than any two towns he had ever seen.
Seymour is an Irishman and the names suf-
fered none from his brogue. Senator Saw
yer has no fear of Price. He says all Price
wants to make sure of is some trading
stock. If he can pose as the Prohibition
candidate and get the anti-saloOn element
to elect fifteen or twenty members of the
legislature, it is barely possible that he can
get a balance of power in the Republican
caucus and force his own nomination. But
this is hardly likely, and if Price can place
Sawyer under obligations for few votes,
he will be satisfied. There are 1873 mem
bers of the legislature. Seventy per cent.
will probably be Republicans. Prices dis
trict includes five state senatorial districts
and fourteen assembly districts If he can
capture all of them and depend on getting
ten or twelve votes outside in the state, he
will be formidable. The Eighth district is,
however, Senator SpOoner's home. and Gov
Rusk, who is Sawyer's friend. lives in that
neck of woods. Between them, Price will
not likely get off with so much game. He
denies that he is a candidate, but the Saw
yer party has good evidence of Prices in
tentions. He sent his letters soliciting
support on several instances to some friends
OF Sawyer. These letters may be published
before the campaign is ended. Altogether
the Democrats of Wisconsin ought to feel
grateful to Price for his diversion on Saw
yer's tanks. 1t may give them a chance to
console Bragg for his fluctuations in the
Second district with an election to the SEN
ate. Of course they would not think of
taking Col. Villas from the cabinet and an
eight salary to put him in
the senate on SIS, 600 year.