St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-08-02

under promises of future preferment
made by these individuals-demande
of the county committee first that such
clubs should designate one or more of
the judges and the secretaries of the
primary elections; next that the pri-
mary elections should be held at such
times and places as they saw fit to di-
rect. and presented these demands to
the county committee. 1t had never
been the custom in this county to hold
the primaries at more than one place in
each ward. 1t had never been the Gus
tom to give to exceed two or three days
notice of their holding, and as the
county committee had determined to
call the primaries in strict accordance
with the unbroken custom established
in the county, no attention was paid to
the demands. 1t is true that such de-
mands were unauthorized and imperti-
nent, and were made with the deliber-
ate intention of causing future trouble
and dissension, but the committee ig-
nOred the purpose, and contented them
selves by calling the primaries
IN THE USUAL MANNER.
SO far as the appointment of judges
were concerned, the selection was made
according to the best judgment of the
committee, and, in point of fact, in
many wards included persons vino were
claimed by the members of these clubs
to be members of their organization.
The primary elections took place at the
time named in the call, and the adj
herents of Messrs. Doran and Kelly
took part in those primaries, presented
their tickets and voted for their candi-
dates and took active part in the eptire
election. The result was an unques-
toned and overwhelming defeat of the
particular candidates presented by these
men in every ward and precinct in Ram
sey county. Then, for the first time, came
the declarations of fraud and t''o. false
statement that the voters have Oeen in
timidated, that tissue ballots had been
used and that the ballot boxes had been
stuffed. Each of these assertions. we
say, are deliberately and Wilfully false,
and that to the knowledge of each indi-
vidual who makes the assertion.
That the act of 1887 was not complied
with is true, but it is equally true that
the Democracy of this county denied
the right of the Legislature to control
the primary elections or caucuses
OF ANY POLITICAL PARTY,
and it is a fair assertion that, in our be-
lief, the act of 1887 has not been OBJ
served at any primary election held
within uthes state by either party since
its enactment. But these gentlemen
oJSt ilOt DCiOlC tlJIIcI Iut GUILTY
committee or the county convention;
they made no contest, but UP to the
time of the holding of the county con-
VentlOn announced their position to be
that the entire election was absolutely
void and of no effect. Did they call for
new elections? Not at all. After the
uncOntested action of the county con-
vention, whici. placed in nomination
the present delegation. who are the
signerS of this paper, the leaders in the
Doran and Kelly movement called to-
gether, not the citizens of Ramsey
county, but the individuals who COM
posed the candidates on the defeated
tickets at the primary election, and linn
iting the convention to those individ-
uals, they conv ened and declared them
selves to be the lawfully elected dele
gates to the county convention, adding
to their number a full delegation from
the Sixth ward, where they had no.
ticket at the primary election and made
no pretenSe of
TAKING PART IN IT.
The position is simply this, if the
election was absolutely void for any
reason, no delegates could have been
elected at it. If the election was valid
for any purpose, surely the men who
received a majority of the votes cast
would necessarily constitute the dele
gates. And it appears to us that it can
hardly be claimed. with any show of
Judgment or truth, that the result of a
void election was the legitimate return
of the persons who are the defeated
candidates at the same. This conven-
tiOn then, called in this way. proceeded
to nominate twenty-eight delegates to
the state convention. Many of them
were members of the convention. Of
oil of thnSp yubn nd o1,,I
ing nearly all of the respectable and
reputable members of such delegation,
the individuals were elected without
either their knowledge or consent. and
a large majoritv,of them have declined
to act. The convention then went a
step farther and passed a resolution
deposing the Ramsey county Demo-
cratic committee, which had been ap-
pointer at the time of the last general
election two years ago by the county
convention convened for that purpose,
and for the purpose of nominating
county officers, and replaced them by
select few of themselves. Now, it is
well understood, according to the party
custom, that the county committee is
appointed at the time of the county con-
vention's nominating county officers,
and that convention has not yet been
called in Ramsey county, nor will it be
until some time in the fall. and to that
convention, and that alone, belongs the
right of nominating a county committee,
the office and functions of which these
GENTLEMEN SEEK To USURP.
We are now told that MesSrS. Doran
through. the machinery of the state CEN
tral committee, that the coming state
convention may be composed of men
who have pledged themselves to the eX-
clusiOn of our delegation from the de-
liberationS of that convention, regard
less of the legitimacy of our election or
the fact that our delegation consists Of
men who have been during their entire
lives identified with the Democratic
party. They state farther that they
propose, through the means of this con-
vention, to place upon each of these in
dividuals, las well as upon their cOnstitu-
ents, being the Democracy of Ramsey
county, the stigma of fraud, falsehood
and illicit vOtAng. We, upon our part,
desire to say to the Democracy of Min
nesota that we do not believe either
Kelly or Doran, or any other political
potentate, can lead or entrap the con-
vention into any such action; and that
if a convention should assemble in this
city prepared to attempt or execute such
preconceived or improper purpose,
its action would be repudiated by the
Democracy of the state at large as in
stantly as it took place. The condition
of things in Ramsey county that we
have described has been brought about
solely and entirely by the determina-
ton of these individuals, Kelly and
Doran, to control this and all other dele
cations to the end that they shall sue
ceed in the future. as they have at
tempted in the past, in posing as the
representatives of Minnesota Democ-
racy, and to the farther end-which we
believe and charge to be their deliberate
purpose-to prevent and destroy the