St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-31
THEY MOURN.

Figuratively speaking, there was
Grape on the state house door yesterday.
Nor were there any striking evidences
of hilarity about the corner where the
Merchants National bank building
stands.
1t was apparent that the cause of all
the long faces that were seen in the
above mentioned quarters could be
traced to the door of ALBERT SCHEF-
FER. That Farmers alliance business
had evidently created CONSERVATION in
the camps of the other candidates. They
were puzzled over it. They couldn't
tell what it meant, or how 1t happened.
Only few days ago the McGILL
boomers were encouraging MIR. SCHEF-
FER's candidacy. They saw in it way
to divert strength from MERRIAM.
With Ramsey county divided between
the two home candidates, it looked to
them as though the split in the
party would leave crack large enough
for MCGILL to creep through.
But it didn't look that way to the Nc
GILL people yesterday. To their sur
prise the ScHEFFER boom slipped its
cable and got away from them. And
now they don't know whether they are
going to catch up with it OF not.
The MERRIAM forces are equally de-
moralized, not so much by SCHEFFER's
sudden prominence as by the queer turn
affairs have taken. They had relied on
the granger element so certainly that
they couldn't for the life of them see
f1a no +vr
denly. But the most startling part of it
all was the decided stand the farmers
take in regard to the tariff and other
questions. The bosses had relied on
their ability to soft-solder the farmers,
as they had always been doing, by stuff
ing the platform with all sorts of prom
Uses and milk and cider resolutions, and
duped.
1t looks now as if the farmers were
really on their mettle. They are GER
tainly not as tractable as they once
were, and that is what is producing the
decentralization all around. They are
growing tired of making useless pill
grimages to the mountain, and now pro-
MCGILL and MERRIAM are not afraid
of SCHEFFER getting the Republican
nomination. That is hardly possible.
But they do see in the bold stand he
has taken imminent danger to them
selves. With SCHEFFER defeated in
the convention Oh his platform it will
make the nomination useless to any
body else. Whoever may be nominated
or whoever may be elected, one thing is
sure beyond all controversy and that is,
the platform upon which Mr.. SeHEF-
FER accepts the Alliance nomination is
the one that cOmmends itself to great
majority of voters in this state.
These are times when men count for
very little, and principles are every
thing. Minnesota occupies the anoma-
lous position to-day of being Republi-
can state opposed to Republican princi-
pies. 1t is unnatural and illogical to
suppose that this condition of affairs
will last long. The very moment the
national Republican party puts pro-
lection plank in its platform, and it is
sure to do it, that very moment Mime
sofa will cut loose from the Republican
organization and swing around into line
with the Democratic column. 1t will
have to do it in protection of it's own in
tereStS.
The ScHEFFER episode is only the be-
ginning of the end of Minnesota's
change of base. That is why this is a
day of mourning in the Republican syn
agogue.