St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-28

the position of that gentleman as rep
resented by himself. AS candidate
he is out of politics, and will become a
mild-eyed granger, and the only con-
vention that will know him hereafter
will be gathering of bees, flock of
fine wool sheep, or other symposium ap-
pertaining to rural life. This is as rep
resented by himself. But the public
Will rather prefer to still picture him as
above. but, instead of the brOwn-eyed
bovines, with the lash cracking over the
heads of the recalcitrant members of
the grand old Republican party who
need little whipping in. 1t would re-
Quire too strong and vivid an Imagination
to picture the Little Villain divorced
from the politics he has known so long
and loved so well. and settled down
like Cincinnatus beneath the vine and
fig tree of rustic domesticity.
MIR. Fletcher has withdrawn his
name.
1t is not exactly correct, either, to say
he has withdrawn what was never given
out, for he asserts he never was can
dldate for congress, never wanted the
office and would not now accept it if
rendered him on parchment lettered
with gold and broidered with diamonds.
More correctly speaking, he is Off the
track. He declines to yield to the pop
ular clamOr to become the burnt offer
ing on the Republican sacrificial altar
this year, and modestly dominates David
NJ. Clough as the lamb who should be
led to the slaughter.
Il have considered the matter care
fully i'll all its bearings and taken coun-
sci with those who are rs much inter-
ested as myself" he said, land have
come to the conclusion that it requires
too much OF a sacrifice of other plans to
devote two or more years of hard work
to that position. There are many able
men willing and DESTROYS to fill it, and
l am willing they should. l have not
come to this conclusion from any
doubt | have entertained of be-
ing able to secure the nOmina-
ton. In fact, am thoroughly satisfied
that L could obtain the nomination with
out much effort, and if nominated
would no doubt be elected. But after
thinking the matter over it has occurred
to me that | have no desire to be in con-
greSs. The fact is, it would simply tie
me up and deprive me of my own time
and prove barrier to contemplated
travel and recreation. want my friends
throughout the district to understand
that, while l have concluded not to be a
candidate, 1 am fully AS grateful to
them for their loyal friendship to me as
though | had gone into the contest and
won The battle through their help.
They have at all times stood faithfully
and loyalty by me, and can at all times
command me. l shall hereafter take as
much pride in standing by my friends
and in fighting their battles as | have in
the past.
''Of course it is distinguished honor
to be member of the American con-
gress. and | feel sense of gratitude to
think that I have been so favorabIy con-
Sldered for that position, but after ana
lying my own feelings | find that am
not so ambitious as L thought | was.''
ThatiS what he gives out.
Creditlng Mr.. Fletcher with entire
honesty and sincerity in this, it will be
difficult to convince the public, and
even the public that is Mr.. Fletcher's
way of thinking politically. that he has
simply withdrawn because he does not
want the office, and with no Interior
object i'll view. For six years he has
wanted to go to congress. Six years
ago he developed this wish, and since
then he has planted and watered with
all the care of the prudent political
plant tiourished and blossomed, but III.
f. Barker made block on which Gil
fillan mounted and plucked it. Two
years more of careful nursing and again
the fruit appeared, but again GilfilIan
plucked it, though it turned to ashes on
his lip. Once more the indefatigable
Loren b1nnd up the bruised stalk and
nursed it back to life, and now as the
ripened fruit bends temptingly toward
his mouth, he turns away and offers
it to Dave Clough. There is some
thing behind it. When the candidacy
of Clough was first announced
clared Clough and Fletcher were pulling
together, the former for the latter, for
the simple reason that certain country
districts, closed against Fletcher, were
open to ClOugh. Alvah Eastman. the
clerical editor of Anoka, and IL, +.
Barker, the accomplished Judas of
lsanti, left the district convention VOW
ing vengeance on Fletcher and swearing
eternal devotion to Clough, and when
the latter announced his wish to sit in
the halls where four men represented
and one miSrepresented Minnesota. the
wiSeacres exclaimed:
''Here's scheme to do Can Snidery'
So what can Fletcher mean? 1t can
not be that he fears defeat, for he has
always Rugged to his bosom the fond
delusion that he could carry Hennepin
county by 5000 majority; and yet it can
not be that he does not really want the
office. TO an emissary of the GLOBE,
whom he received with his customary
winning smile, Mr.. Fletcher said:
Z Il always mean what / say. in poll
tics. There is no ring in my nose, and
j want to be in position where | can
-sol-n bnl lHoe e
i have bought farm and will turn
granger. never wanted the office, and
wouldn't take it under any circum-
stances"
q ''Why did you not say so sooner?
What was your object in allowing your
friends and the public for so long to
imagine your were.a candidate?"
''My friends knew better, and the
public took everything for granted.
There was no occasion to speak,"
And then he quit talking and went
into executive session with W. P.
Chase, of Anoka, and D. NJ. Clough.
he quit talking, the public has
not, and various are the views
opinion that Fletcher will make it
very warm for either Rea or Snider,
neither of whom stands above summer
heat in Loren's political thermometer.
1t is also believed that Loren's decllna-
ton is tantamount to a declaration of
his intention to take the field for Nc
, Gill, which he could not do if hampered
by the ties that bind candidate. One
day in the early spring Mr.. Fletcher re-
marked:
eff l make up my mind to spend this
summer in a cottage by the sea, some
of these Minnesota Republicans will be
most damnably lonesome.'
But it is evident he means to buckle