St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-04
PROMISES AND PROMISES.
--latest Phase of the Trouble in Gen.
Bragg's District.


Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, June 3.-The dust that
has been kicked up in Wisconsin over the
question whether Gen. Bragg, the COM
mander of the Iron brigade. can be a candi-
date for reelection has not yet settled,
and from present indications it will be
some time before the air is entirely clear.
Arthur Delaney, the pugnaciouS. fighting
Irish Democrat from Dodge county, in
BraggS district, insists that it is his turn
to come to congress. Delaney made the
same claim in 1882, and succeeded in de-
feating Gen. Bragg's denomination after
one of the longest contests on record.
Over 500 ballots were taken before both
sides were convinced that they must take
up a third man. Delaney's people then
presented the name of an obscure country
lawyer from Waukesha county, named
Sumner, who was elected. Sumner cut so
little figure in congress that it was an easy
matter for Bragg to get the nomination the
last time, but it was won at the expense of
an agreement, which Delaney now claims
was an absolute pledge from Gen. Bragg
that he would not be candidate for re-
election. Delaney claims to hold this
pledge in black and white and says it is
also by Gen. Bragg himself. Meanwhile
Mr.. Delaney has been provided with a good
fat Office as district attorney for the west
ern district of Wisconsin. A Democrat,
who is authorized to speak Tor Gen. Bragg,
makes the following
EXPLANATION OF THE MATTER:
''Mr Delaney does hold paper signed by
Gen. Bragg bearing upon the question of sue
ceSsion from the Second Wisconsin district in
the fftieth congress, but it is not all as Mr.
Delaney has represented it. If it were he
would long ago have printed it. Gen. Bragg
has stated plainly that he expected to be a
candidate for reelection, but that his NOM
ination must come from his constituents
without any solicitation on his part. If Mr.
Delaney has any reply to make to that he
should make it at once The paper which he
claims to hold is simply pledge from Fon du
Lac county delegates that that county will
year. 1t does not say that Gen. Bragg will
not be candidate. Gen. Bragg
in endorsing that agreement, did not
obligate himself, nor did he i'm
tend to do so in the way that Mr. Delaney
claims. But few men have seen this pledge
and L know of but one besides Mr.. Bragg, the
delegates who signed it, Mr.. Delaney's
friends and the late Congressman Rankin.
There is nothing Inconsistent in Gen. Bragg's
present position in regard to nomination
taken III cOnnect1On With this paper which
Mr.. Delaney has. Gen. Bragg can be pre-
sented as candidate for congress. and prob
ably will be, but not by Fond du Lee county.
WHEN SUMNER WAS NOMINATED
his name was presented by the Dodge county
delegates, Mr.. Delaney's men. There is moth
ing to prevent the Waukesha county dele
gates this year from presenting Brgag's name.
and presume they will do it. Bragg has
never been under any obligation to the Dodge
county delegates, and he would have been a
fool to have signed any such
paper as Mr.. Delaney claims.
He would have gained nothing by it and had
no notion for doing so. Furthermore, in re-
gard to this matter, Mr.. Delaney owes his
office almost entirely to Gen. Bragg, and he
knows it. There were but two names put
upon the paper which induced the president
to make the appointment. These names were
Edward S. Bragg and Joseph Rankin, the only
Democratic members in congress from Wis
consin at that time, Rankin has since died.
and Gen. Bragg is to-day responsible to the
president for the official good conduct of Mr.
Delaney, and l believe that the administra-
ton will look to Mr.. Delaney to preserve har-
mony in the Second district, even to the ex-
tent of asking him for his resignation if he
should not observe the ordinary political re-
ciprocities of the situation.