St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-22
Unless the Plumed Knight Is
Trotted Out as the Party,
Candidate. "
President Byrnes Hurries to
New York to Attend the
Executive Meeting
A Big Row in Local Circles
Which Is Denied by Party
Big Chiefs.

Blaine or bust. iT0 ?
That is the motto of the Republican
league. 30 @
The new organization will nominate
Blaine or will go to pieces.
During the past week there have been
OminOuS and mysterious whispers
if cling about among the good Repub-
LEANS of Minneapolis. Secret messages
were received from st. Paul and secret
meetings have been held at the head
quarters of the Republican state league
in the Union league rooms. Flying
trips in and out of Minneapolis have
been made 10y certain politicians from
various parts of the state, and great care
was taken that their names did not APP
pear ON the registers of the hotels, and
that inquisitive reporters did not pry
into their mission here. All of this
meant something, but from closed
mouths of Republican leaders came no
ihtimation. But now the secret is out.
1t came on the open admission of an Off
cial that unless Blaine were the candi-
date of the party he could not
be counted upon for money or
influence. From this came the
bold assertion that the movement
which eliminated in favOring Republi-
can clubs all over the country and unit
ing them in state leagues, was Blaine
move, pure and simple and that it had
received its death blow in the recent let
ter of the Maine statesman. The hand
of Blaine was apparent in every step.
In the initial movement in New York, in
December, Blaine dominated the con-
vention, and Blaine men controlled and
directed every step, and became the Of
ticerS of the organization. In Mime
sofa, the presence of the guides spirit
of the Plumed Knight was still more
apparent, the actors being better
known. The Minneapolis convention was
for Blaine, and few but Blaine dele
gates succeeded in crOwding their way
in. Warily the aims and objects were
concealed, but the mention of Blaine's
name drew out a torrent of applause.
TO avoid suspicion the statement was
made over and over again and then re-
peated that this organization was i'll the
was, in fact, so thoroughly dinned into
the public ear that its SINGER
jty was questioned even by Republicans
before the meeting was fairly organized.
The subsequent proceedings were all
Blaine, down to the election of officers,
and even the committees were carefully
constructed on Blaine basis In the
latter the fine work of certain local can
didates was also made apparent, as the
GLOBE stated at the time, and tits to
the opposition on that score that the
present revelation is largely due.
The Blaine letter came.
1t fell upon the league like a thunder
bolt. +
All of the work of organization
seemed in vain. !.
Then came the question, wnat shall
the league do under the circumstances?
Organized for Blaine, officereu for
Blaine and with delegates whose eX-
penSes had been paid, where should the
influence of the league be thrown? The
Minnesota men were nOnpluSsed, and
an open rupture threatened OH the spot.
All through last week were indefinite
rum0rS OF talk. trouble and discussion,
but the cause was never shown, from
the fact that it was attributed to other
matters. 1t was known that generally
there was a McGill and anti-McGill
fight and locally there was some little
disagreement in the matter of solid
front for Loren Fletcher for congress,
but the real trouble underlaid all this
and was caused by the Blaine letter.
Prominent men declared they would
give no money unless for Blaine, while
others maintained it was the duty of
the league, as good Republicans, to sup
port and labor for the Blaine legatee,
whatsoever it might be. 1t has leaked
out that in the trouble there was con-
siderable danger of immediate diSSOlu-
ton of the organization, when in the
midst of it came notification, from
headquarters in New York, of a meet
ing of the executive committee. AS
this was supposed to have some bearing
on the matter in dispute. hOStilitieS
were suspended, temporarily, to await
action there.
President Byrnes has posted off.
BY Thursday night he will be in New
York.
A local Republican said his visit was
pregnant with Importance, las the execu-
tive committee would discuss the situa-
ton and decide whether it would at
once and for all time declare for Blaine
publicly and nominate him, nolenS
vOlenS, or to be Secretive and manufac-
ture sentiment between now and the
convention. You may be sure that
whatever the league does, though the
public may never know it, will be in the
line mapped out by the Blaine man
agers," he said "But the public NAV
never know how near the local league
come from going to smash by common
consent"
All of this was hotly denied by Re
publicans last night. They secuted the
idea OF such thing, and warmly con-
tended the league was an organization
that drank in Republicanism from the
fountain head and was in the interest
of no candidate. Wherever the cues
ton was asked shower of purity plati-
tudes came back. Tams BiXby, of Red
Wing. the secretary of the league.
moved into Minneapolis yesterday and
formally took possession of his office, as
though no volcano smoldered beneath
the surface. He said nothing and APP
peared sublimely ignorant of the fact
that smashup threatened, but some Of
the discontinued ones maintained what
is here given and asserted that tfnless
peace was patched up and hope held ont
for Blaine. at the meeting in NewYork,
the league would fall through of its own
accord. :.