New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-15
TOO MANY GOVERNORS.
A CONVENTION WHERE EVERY SEAT HE'LL
A CANDIDATE
OLD GENERAL CLIMBERS HAPPY DISCOVERY

Inc large number OF pONuca conventions Oein2
held this summer has reminded Of one OF the first
State' conventions held in Dakota The Territory
was not OF course, state, but that didn't hinder the
politicians from holding State convention once in
while and putting In nomination full state ticket,
In case Congress should admit the Territory the off,
GERS would be all ready to take their and begin
drawing their pay.
At this convention some trouble was experienced
In effectng organization, there eleven
candidates for chairman, but It finally sccom>
plished by embracing al opportunity when eight Of
them had gone out to take a drink with one OF tho
candidates for Secretary Of State, and combining on
one and electlng him. Other routine work took up
the day and It not TIL evening that the nominas
ton of State officers begun
! General White, the chairman, called the eonvens
ton to order by pounding on the desk with sung@
snot covered with fine stamped leather and poured Gus
a glass OF water and took drink Of IT, The fine
sense Of humOr possessed by the audience was so
touched by this that # 0he audlence) broke into app
plause which lasted nearly five minutes, the chair.
man meanwhile smiling and looking at the wates
still remaining in the glass with somewhat per<
picked air. when order finally restored by Gen-
eral White appointing INVESTIGATING committee To
see what the liquid Nominations for Governor
were called for and Colonel Joe Reynolds presented
the name Of senator A. H. Ransome, Major Hills that
Of Governor George Bird, Judge Jean Decker that OF
the Honorable Jap Powers, Lieutenant Judkins that
Of Colonel Mlxter, Commodore Harvey that Of Judgs
Tpton and Senator Peoples that of Major Pondexter.
Several Others also casually mentioned without
having speeches made in their behalf
1t was rumored on the Convention floor that there
were a few other candidates coming outside on tha
run.
There was a great uproar all the way through
and when It partially subsidized IL found that DR..
Dave Skinner, of strayhOrse County, had got the
sleetron drum OF the stove just about worn out by
pounding on it with old iron pump-handle
candidate for Judge OF the supreme Court, "hile
appauding the name Of Colonel Mlxter, snpp"i up
and fell on his back, injuIfng himself SO that ha
had to be removed from the hall and carried 10
/ the bar-room of his hotel door. Governor
whitney, one Of the Oldest men In the convention,
and extremely dgnifed, also got into personal
alteration the middle Of tho hall with man
from Custer County, who was candidate Tor stata
Treasurer and befoee they could he separated tha
Governor had had his coat torn of and watch-chain
broken The old gentleman would, however, hava
reduced the number of prospective State Treasurers
If they had let him alone, he had the man rom
Custer down, and yelling wildly and jumping
on him with both feet when pulled OIL
Vic Smith Of sentinel Butte, had Just announced
that as the convention seemed unable TO agree on
s candidate for Governor he had the OF three
| new candidates which he would take pleasure In
| presenting when General Climber, who had come
70 the Territory from Mis- souri, 1862, got the fooa
| and said:
| "Mr. Chairman: Allow ire TO say word II va
go on this way we shall have more Governors than
we know what TO do with Instead of one Chief
| executive we shall have crowd reaching from Jim
River to shutdown. Gentlemen, when the stranger from
the WORKOUT East comes among US and looks at our
State House, which we expect TO erect, ana secs
the feet of men sticking out of the windows and ASKS
I'm inqurng tones: who them gilderiukes with
tbe feetp we shall have TO answer him; state
Governors
"Wbcn tbe hardy settler on our broad and fertile
nralrles rises from his bed after night of sweet and
dewv rcpose and, drawing aside the WINDOW curta'hi
looks out across tho gray landscape toward whera
the sun, in his splendor, is coming up out OF ha
golden Orient, his astonlshed gaze VIII De met by
four long gray sreaks hurrying through the morning
light on the dead run! GoVefhOIs, seh'ien4eNs
rushing to the capital to take the oath OF Office!
Governors will joste on the streets; we shall
throw a stone at hen and kill Governor; special
trains will Jump of the track and TAXI snort eu'
for the capital 10 let delegation OF Governors ID
on the ground floor.
sour towns will be deserted and our fields lay barren
while the people will be of waiting 10 get into cap"oi
building to act as Governors, whete OONeIhois ane'
stick out of the transoms.
"In that solemn hour gentlemen. when they all hopa
to meet in that hour when the least Of these unto the
greater hopes to come together, each with all Una
Others, that sweety sad tme-l refer, my iehus'
TO when they assemble the treasury to draw their
|
! them.
"Gcnt,emen. do we want to elect such a swarm
| of Governors shall We depopulate this fair lana
for the sake of being ablc TO say that our highest
Executive office muster more men than the stand
! ing atmyl when of our legislative bills Is signed
do we want to have paste roll OF wall paper to
| 10 accommodate the gnatures OF the Cove noisl
Would it not be better my friends. 10 throw overboah
| all these numerous and lightweight gentlemen VINO
aspire the office, and elect some large, brany aoe'
scholarly patriotic, dgnicd polished and popular man
and try to scrub along with him alone as our Cow
ernorl / know such a man, gentlemen, a man pecu-
larly endowed by farseelng nature for the office;
man to whom the finger OF fate has pointed and
sad There IS the man for the first state Governor OF
Dakota? Gentlemen, friends, fellow-ctzens, refer
to myself 1 present to you the name of old General
| Jesse Climber known from Pembina TO the Cheyenne
Crossing and from Little Muddy to Yankton Flat, as
the squarest that ever looked through collar!
Straight as a grcenback gentlemen. and able as wo'
ycarold steer Never licked In fair fight and In the
race TO stay till the hide of the last opponent hung
on the fence -
When the General sal down. which he did on the
back OF a chair with his feet the seat there was
applause which caused the floor to break down In one
corner and let three candidates for state Auditor down
into the saloon below.
BY splitting the top Of the table in couple Of places
| with the s,ung-shot the chairman finally restored
Order \ vote was called for ami General Climber
insisted on voting nrst regardless OF any aiphaoeue1
arrangements. and cast the vote for himself Others
followed and he was nominated almost unanimously,
and OF course, afterwar elected, the Statehood up
rising general rather than party movement, ana
there was no other ticket in the field. The dciea'S
candidates for Governor pacihed by each being
given something else; and by the creation OF seVer
new Offices, such second assistant state Treasurh
State Veterinary Surgeon, state superintendent OF Eee
ton Frauds etc, enough provided to go around
and there bitter dlssapontments left TO ranks
| IN the Bosoms OF the defeated The Committee on he
Restriction OF Liquor selling then reported recommena
ing It's majority report, for high license, aud s'auus
that Judge PERKINS, of the committee, wished TO saomN
q minority report In favor OF rigid prohibition oa'
that, unfortunately, the Judge had imbibed little ,'o
freely and Mnnd NOT nNahlv be able 10 stand on ms