St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-09


persiStently made. has been that it nom
mated only its vote-getterS. This argu-
ment applies with capital force to Mer-
riam, who possesses a secret power or
getting votes that worked with wonder
full success. lie came To the convention
with admirable recommendations as TO
his yote-getting qualities. for in 1856 he
was charged by his political opponent
with corruption: charge that has
never been refuted. He was defeated
in the canvass for the mayOralty by an
overwhelming majority of $500. And
when he asked his own party friends to
elect a delegation to the state conven-
ton in his interest, they responded by
showing him under and clear out OF
sight.
Had it not been for the secret ballot
Merriam's success in the convention
might have been rendered very doubt
full. The people who had chosen these
delegates TO perform a certain duty
honestly had the right to know how
they voted. But to reveal how they
voted would have convicted large pOr-
ton of the delegates present of the dis
honor of breaking their expressed
pledges. For delegation after delega-
ton that had been sent TO this cOnyen-
ton to support Schetfer or NIcGill,
broke that pledge under the cover of
the secret ballot and voted for Merriam.
Merriam had the convention hall
flooded with his repreSentatives-men
who were not delegates and had no
business among the delegates. Why
they were there and what right they
had to be there is a question that re-
mains to be answered. Perhaps the
1000 gentlemen (Sic) who climbed the
stairs leading to Appointment hOrSeman's
office three days before the Ramsey
caucuSeS could tell?
-
Mr.. Gilman is responsible largely for
the Merriam victory, and it is to his dis
credit that it is so. The votes that he
received on the first ballot came from
the Merriam strength, and were given
with a purpose. Gilman's name was
there to divide the strength of McGill
and Scheffer. and all that the GLOBE
has charged as to the combination be-
tween them was dOubly proven true.
When the vote came as to whether bal
loting should be secret or open, the Gill
man men voted Solidly with Merriam for
the secrecy. The roll call of the cOun-
ties shows that every Gilman county,
from Aitkin down voted sOlidly for the
secret ballot. Those defeated are not
slow in curSing Gilman for this, nor in
limiting that his betrayal of the peoples
rights at this juncture was not wholly
diSintereSted.
-
1t would be amusing If it were not
shameful to hear the politicians still
lingering at the Merchants telling of
the sums of money expended to secure
Merriam'S nomination. The latest
statement is that, including his canvass
in Ramsey county, the total cost was
$4,000. One politician, little better
posted than the rest, made up an Item
lied list of these expenses, which read
as follows: q
Paid during the session of the legis-
lature Of 1856. ......... $4,000
Canvass in Ramsey county 10000
To canvass in the Shareholders
and strikers, newspapers bought,
etc ......-....----...--... ..-.----. lZO,UOO
TO expenses Of state convention. $4,000
$4,000
These politicians make no mincing of
words in discussing this shameless
business of barter and sale. A great
many can be found who laugh at it and
regard it as only an evidence of "Billy's
cuteneSS."
~
A St. Paul evening paper Yesterday
printed the af1idavitS of J. V. johnson,
eli the Otter Tail delegation, in which
he states that he was offered $3.50 by
George Dahl, of Fergus Falls, to vote
for Merriam. Mr.. Johnson came to the
convention as a Scheffer delegate, and
ii was TO change his vote to Merriam
that he says the money was offered him.
-
The Republican platform and Mer-
RAM do not pull well together. The
platform is for high license and Merriam
is lOwlicense man of the worst type. He
voted for low license, and in 1886 re-
fused TO vote for high license. leaving
the house so that his name should not
be called. The temperance people
realize this, as the following letter to
the GLOBE shows:
To the Editor OF the Globe.
An evening paper quotes a preacher
from an obscure village as saying that
Merriam is very popular with and &C
ceptable TO the temperance people of
the party. Now, l am a Republican
and a prOhibitiOniSt. and. with hundreds
of others, will oppose Merriam. The
aforesaid preacher, of course, having
ll6u all HIS tAlltnSCS lJdib NlAilC III liC
CITY by Merriam, will talk that way,
but what mas Merriam done to merit the
support of temperance people? He left
the capitol, and Gin 1856 had business
down town when temperance legislation
was about to be voted on. He took the
members of the Legislature to his home
and gave them all the liquors they
could drink. He is a club house ariSto-
crat, and gives more willingly to a
Sunday base ball match than to a church.
He has no honorable sympathy with the
labOring man, and acts towards the
struggling masses as If he deSpiSed
them. Now, the people of Minnesota
do not want that kind of man to be
governor. No, sir. Give us Wilson
every time. 1t won't hurt the state in
situations to have party house clean
ing. any how. There will be regular
stampede from the Republican party of
the temperance people. Many will vote
for Hugh Harrison and many will vote
for Wilson, all of which will beat Mer-
Tiam for the good of the state.
a REPUBLICAN.
-
Gov. McGill takes his defeat with sor-
row, and his friends feel inclined to put
on the war paint. They allege that it
was money that beat them, and they be-
gin to feel disposed to show how it was
done. McGill had only the offices to
promise delegates, and against cold
cash they were worth nothing. During
the convention Loren Fletcher rushed
up to delegate from the Fifth district
and offered him a railroad commission
ership if he would change the four
votes of his county from Merriam to