St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-16
A FIERCE FORENSIC DUEL
Between Pair Of Lively Fourth Ward
Democrats.
FREE LANCE EDITORIALS
The Feud in the Fourth and How the
Clans Are Divided in Regard
Thereto.

1nefe are many Otherwise we'll IN
formed people who have never heard of
the Free Lance. little paper published
at intervals by G. B. Maben, the real es-
tate man of the Fourth ward. Mr..
Maben is an aggressive, pleasant Demo-
crat, with large realty holdings in that
ward, and the paper is published osten-
slDly to boom this property; but in his
aggressive policy Mr.. Maben has made
some enemies, and they are unkind
enough to say he publishes it to boom
himself for the legislature and to worst
AID. Cl0utier. The public improvement
policy of Cloutier in opening streets,
laying sidewalks, ETC., has not been to
the satisfaction of Maben, and the latter
has written singing little editorials lev
eled at Cloutier. There has thus quite
deadly feud sprung up in the ward, and
OF course it has gone into politics. A.
!. Ankeny has always been friend of
enemy, and at the last primary Maben
organized an effort to control it and de-
feat Ankeny as a delegate to the con-
vention. A. ID. Smith and Matt
Gallagher arrayed themselves under
the Ankeny banner, and after a
little fight the Ankeny faction
come out far ahead. Maben has sold a
great deal of land ON time, and the pur-
chaSers are his adherentS, and A. ID.
Smith refers to them as wearing Ma
ben'S dog collars" This is about the
situation i'll that precinct of the Fourth
ward.
A recent issue of the Free Lance con-
tanned an editorial pitching into strikes
fc nd HOY
no time justifiable. 1t was one of
series of editorials attacking organized
labor, and it caught the eye of Matt
Gallagher. Matt has well-fOrmed de-
termination to enter the hastings this
fall as candidate for modestly lucra-
tive office, and when he saw this article
he saw golden opportunity. He is
naturally pugnaciOuS and ready to
spread his coattails over the ground to
be trod upon, and he resented this edi-
torial. He resented it publicly, and
finally it was arranged to have foren-
sic duel, Matt to champion the cause of
labor and Maben to defend his editorial.
Saturday night was selected as the time
and Maben's hall as the place of
the duello, and A. II. Ankeny
audience as judges. Each principal
they availed themselves of the privi-
lege. Judge William Welch is pri-
vate publisher, and the Home Diary is
even mOae famed than the Free Lance,
so it was fellow feeling that induced
Maben to select him. Gallagher nat
urally went into the ranks of labor, and
showed up at the meeting tianked by
John p. McGaughey and T. W. Bros
nan. The battle opened, and for two
hours waged fiercely. Gallagher said
he knew the Free Lance had favored
Maben for the legislature and had
spoken slightingly of Gallagher; he
could stand that; but when it came to
attacking labor it was another thing,
and his soul was in arms. Maben said
union men had no right to strike when
non-unIon men were employed with
them, and made quite speech to sup
port his position. Judge Welch is as
full of dry wit as Chicago delegate
was of mixed liquor, and his speech
kept the crowd in perfect howl of
laughter, but before he got down
to the legal aspect of the disputed
question, his time had expired and he
was relentlessly called down. John Nc
Gaughey made a ratJling speech and
Tim BrOsnan did the same, looking at it
from the standpoint of labor.
When it was over majority of the
crowd thought the Maben side was de-
feated, while A. ID. Smith said it was
worSe-it had been routed, horse, foot
and dragons. Matt came down street
radiant and happy, and Maben went
home to prepare an editorial review of
the fray for the Free Lance.