St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-09-17
WILSON AT ROCHESTER,.
HE Opens the Campaign With
Ringing Address on the Issues of
the Hour.

HE Opens the Campaign with a
Ringing address on the Issues of
the Hour.
Special to the Glo0e.
ROCHESTER,, Mimi. Sept 16.-Judge
Thomas Wilson, of WinOna, Democratic
candidate for congress in the First district,
opened his canvass here tonight in Library
hail. before large audience of the better
class of citizens and farmers, who listened
with the most profound interest
anC generally applauded the many telling
points made. There was some misunder-
standing as to the time of the meeting, or
there would have been larger attendance
from outside the town. But the hall would
not have held them if the meeting had been
well advertised, and an open-aIr
meeting would have been necessary,
which would have been disagreeable, the
atmosphere being decidedly chilly and over
coats a necessity. There is deep interest
taken in the congressional contest here and
there were many Republicans present
to hear the judge. The sentiment
against Lovely in his own party is
quite strong here. Wilson will get
large Republican vote. The campaign
opens most favOrably and the friends of
Judge Wilson are greatly encouraged. j.
w. Everstein. chairman of the Democratic
county central committee called the meet
ing to order and w. S. Breckenridge was
invited to preside. He said i'll this age OF
political debauchery it was
REAL HONOR
to preside at a meeting where the candidate
of the party sought not the office. but de-
clined it until it was forced upon him by
the spontaneous uprising not only of the
Democratic party, but the masses of
the people. A man who had not gone
through the district manipulating con-
ventionS in his own interest. He eulogiZed
Judge Wilson highly, characterizing
him as of the Old-time. honest JeffersOnian
type. Judge Wilson, he said. would do
honor to himself. his constituency and the
state if elected TO congress He then pre-
scented Judge Wilson. whose appearance on
the platform was the signal for loud and
prolonged applause. The judge modestly
protested against such flattering encourage
ment as had been heaped upon him,
claiming that he was not entitled to so
much credit and honor. He said the people
had known him for thirty years. and his
past life was confrmer of what his future
life would be. He had nothing further to
promise. For more than an hour the judge
held the attention OF his hearers, and
the frequent applause showed the deep
interest felt. He was in good form for
speaking and added to his reputation as a
fine talker and reaSOner OlmStead county
Will make a good report in November.
The character of the people present to-
night shows that the better elements are
aroused in behalf of the judges candidacy.
JUDGE WILSON'S SPEECH.
Judge Wilson then spoke substantially
as follows:
In all countries occasionally there is
breaking up of old party lines and u rear
rangement on new issues This must be so as
long as men are more Interested in principles
than in empty names, for the issues that en-
gage attention this year are often displaced
by new and different issues next year.
Thirty-one years ago l was member of a
convention at St. Paul which first, believe,
organized the Republican party in the Terri
tory of Minnesota. That convention was
composed of men, some of whom, like myself,
had been Democrats: others had been Wings.
Some, therefore, favored.t the doctrines of the
former partv;f Others, those of the latter.
But agreeing to for the time forget
and subordinate all their differences
on mere economic questions so that
they might act in concert about
what they deemed 10 be a more important
one, they agreed on one single point as their
platform of principles, viz: Opposition to
the extension of slavery. But when slavery
became thing of the past, and the right to
| carry it into the territories could no longer
| be an issue. those political gu estiOnS which
| before engaged the attention of parties be-
| came living issues, on which men who had
| composed the Republican party found them
| selves divided. The fact OF course, that men
had agreed as to the right to carry slavery
| into the territories would not tend to har-
monte their view on the questions of political
economy Those who had before been Wings
| were generally found to be favorable to
protective tariff and to look with some favor
| on certain tendencies of the government
TOWARD GENERALIZATION,
| while those who had been Democrats stood op-
| posed. Hence, when the war closed and he
| issues of the war became matters of history,
there was found to be unanimity in the Re-
| publican party on these questions which re-
NAMED unsettled. Each faction sought to
| impress its peculiar views on the party.
| Republicans in the Eastern states especially,
| and in some of the Middle states, Influenced
by what seemed to them their own interest
| have ever since the war attempted to commit
! the Republican party to protective tariff,
while the people of the West in
that party by no means assented
to this. But as the party, when
assembled in national convention, has been
controlled by the mOnopolists of the East, a
| high protective tariff has resulted as the doc
| trjne OF the party: To this doctrine-of high
protective tariff and centralization-to the
extent to which the Republican party has
carried it, many have been unable to assent.
/ am of that number. ! have heretofore, for
the past few years, acted with the Democratic
party, whose views on these questions accord
with my own. / believe, and the Democratic
party as a rule believes, that protection, to