Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-11
TOO MANY GOVERNORS.
A Western Convention Where
 Every Scat Held a Delegate.


 The large number of political conventions has reminded me of one of the first "Statei' Carruth in the New York Tribune. The Territory was not, of course, a State, but that didn't hinder the politicians from hold ing State convention once in awhile and putting in nomination a full State ticket, so in case Congress should admit the Terri tory the officers would be all ready to take their seats and begin drawing their pay.
 At this convention some trouble was ex- perienced in effecting an organization, ss there were eleven candidates for chairman, but it was finally accomplished by embrac- ing an opportunity when eight of them had gone out to take drink with one of the candidates for Secretary of State, and con- bining on one and electing hun. Other rou- tine work took up the day, and it was not till evening that the nomination of State off cers was begun.
 General White, the chairman, called the convention to order by pounding on the desk with a slung-shot covered with fine stamped leather, and poured out glass of water and took drink fit. The fine sense of hua6or possessed by the audience was so touched by this that it (the audience) broke into an applause which lasted nearly five
 
 and looking at the water still remaining in the glass with somewhat perplexed air, when order was finally restored by General White appointing an Investigating commit tee to see what the liquid was. Nominations for Governor were called for, and Colonel Joe Reynolds presented the name of Sena- tor A. H. Ransome, Majo Hill that of Gov ernor George Bird, Judge Dean Decker that of Hon. Jap Powers, Lieutenant Judkins that of Colonel Mixter, Commodore Harney that of Judge Tipton, and Senator Peoples that of Major Poindexter. Several others were also casually mentioned without hav- ing speeches made in their behalf.
 It was rumored on the convention floor that there were few other candidates com ing outside on the run.
 There was a great uproar all the way through and when it partially subsided it was found that Dr. Dave Skinner, of Stray horse County, had got the sheet-iron drum of the stove Just about worn out by pound ing on it with an old iron pump-handle. A candidate for Judge of the Supreme Court while applauding the name of Colonel Mixter, slipped up and fell on his back, in- turing himself so that he had to be removed from the hall and carried to the bar-room of his hotel on a door. Governor Whitney, one of the oldest men in the convention, and extremely digniied, also got into a per- sonal altercation near the middle of the hall with a man from Custer County, who was candidate for State Treasurer, and before they could be separated the Gov ernor had his coat torn off and watch-chain broken. The old gentleman would, how eve r, have reduced the number of prospect i've State Treasurers if they had let him alone, as he had the man from Custer down, and was yelling wildly and jumping on him with both feet when pulled off.
 Vic Smith, of Sentinel Butte, had just an neunced that as the convention seemed un- able to agree on it's candidate for Governor, he had the names of three new candidates which he would take pleasure in presenting, when General Climber who had come to the Territory from Missouri in 1862, got the floor, and said:
 "Mr. Chairman: Allow me to say word. If we 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 Jlm rlver to Shutdown. Gentlemen, when the stranger from the wornout East comes among us and looks at our State House, which we expect to erect, and sees the feet of men sticking out of the windows, and asks in inquiring tones: Who are them gilderfukes with the feet4' we shall have to answer him: State GovernorS.'
 "When tho hardy settler on our broad and fertile prairies rises from his bed after 8 night of sweet and dewy repose, and, draw ing aside the window curtain, looks out acrossl the gray landscape toward where the sun, in his splendor, is coming up out Of the golden Orient, his astonished gaze will be met by four long, gray strea ks hurrying through the morning light on the dead runl Governors, gentlemen, rushing to the capital to take tho oath of office!
 "Governors will jostle us on the streets we shall throw stone at hen and kill g Governor; special trains will jump off the track and take short cut for the capital to let delegation of Governors in on the ground floor.
 <'Our towns will be deserted and our fields lay barren while the people will be off wait ing to get into capital building to act as Governors, where Governors already stick out of the transoms.
 siIn that solemn hour, gentlemen, when they all hope to meet, in that hour when the least of these unto the greater hopes to come together, each with all the others, in that sweetly sad time-I refer, my friends, to when they assemble at the treasury to draw their pay-at that time, there won't be two bits apiece for them.
 "Gentlemen, do we want to elect such 8 swarm of Governorsl Shall we depopulate | this fair land for the sake of being able to say that our highest Executive office can muster more men than the standing army! When one of ONT legislative bills is signed | do we want to have to paste a roll of wall pa per to it to accommodate the signatures oi | the Governors? Would it not be better, my friends to throw overheard all these nu.