St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-02
THE SAGE OF NINlNGER.
His Criticism of Current Political
Methods.

Methods.
The Hon. Ignatius Donnelly. the sage of
Nininger. walked about the lobby of the
Merchants and shook hands and chatted
with many of his old friends and acquaint-
ances whom he met there. Not striking
man in any way is the author of Atlantis.
TO begin with, he is below the average
height, with more flesh than is generally
carried by much larger man. He dresses
in dark Clothes his close fitting sack coat
being conspicuous article of his visible
wardrobe. The clothes intensity rather
than improve his corpulency and under
stature His face, fat and double-chinned.
is clearly shaven. Aside from the creases
and wrinkles, his face has no great charac-
ter peculiarities. 1t Is devoid of any
marked characteristics and would NEWER
be detected as that of the cratic but bril-
liant Donnelly.
His eyes are light blue. They have
dreamy look when he is engaged in CONVEX
satiOn, and possess no apparent power of
penetration. His hair, of light brown
color, strongly tinted with red, wavy if
not actually curly and waves about his
well-fOrmed head in great profusion. His
voice is pleasant to the ear: is pitched
rather high, and is distinct and clear. He
talks without effort and appears to be in
| terested in what he is talking about,
whether of the Baconian theory of Shake
speare's writings or the best plan for rals-
ing hops, and thereby Interests his nearer.
He is more at home in private conversa-
ton than on the rostrim, and is brim full
of bright ideas and knows how to express
them in a forcible and original manner.
~
He said that he was in no sense a candi-
date for any Office. either by appointment
or in the gift of the people, and had no as
pirations for anything in a political way.
He said that his past record as lieutenant
governor, acting governor and congressman
satisfied him in that particular and he eX-
pected that his forthcoming book on the
BacOnan ciphers in Shakespeare's plays, by
which it was expected to prove that Bacon,
and not Shakespeare, was the real author of
the plays bearing the latter's name, would
give him all the money that was necessary
to support him and his in comfort until his
| life journey was at an end. He preferred,
he said, to be remembered, if at all, by
pOsterity as an author and friend of the
people who had made the fight against
monopolies and monopolists of every form
and character.
| -
He was very bitter against Kelly and
Doran, whom he accused OF dealing out the
federal offices, not for the benefit of the
Democratic party of Minnesota, but at the
dictation of j. j. Hill of the Manitoba and
to improve the business of the
Kelly Mercantile company. He said
that he would have had 10 feeling
against two if they had refused to
icf in, fJ,N
surveyor general. but when they took it
upon themselves to have a resolution passed
by the state central committee to the effect
that he should not have anything, it made
him feel like fighting. He gave it as his
opinion that the only and proper way to
distribute the federal patronage was for the
appointing power to consult the congress-
men, and when the party had no representa-
tive the defeated candidate should be con-
suited. This plan, he said, was followed
by President Lincoln. and worked salts
factorily. He held that the congressman
did not become bosses. as would be the case
if a man or two men had control of the
patronage for the whole state. He claimed
that the congressman or defeated candidates
were interested in the success of the party
and would therefore, from personal motives.
consult their constituents and put only tn e
best men in office.
~x*
He spoke of the national administration,
and said that the best and most creditable
acts were that of the president in ousting
the cattle kings from the Indian territory
and thus attacking monopoly in one form;
the wise conduct of Secretary Lamar and
Land Commissioner Sparks in fighting the
land sharks and purifying the whole sys-
TEN. He was of the opinion that the office
of surveyor general of Minnesota could be
abolished, as was being talked of, without
any inconvenience to the public, or iniur-