St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-29
COLUMBIA PULIlICS,
How They Elect Delegates in
the Country's Political
Signal Station.
Perry Carson Still Controls
the Colored Vote of
the Capital.
Col. Bill Morrison Tells a
Good Story of Illi-
noiS Tariff.
Society at Wa Shington and
Col. Domains Part in
Entertaining.
sreeial corresrondenee Of the Globe.

Special Correspondence of the Globe
WA>IuNGroN,Jan 24.-This has been
day which it is hoped Bill Chandler
passed joycuSly. 1t has been the one
day out of every four years that the col
ored voter of the district can assert his
manhood. Washington voters have but
the quadrennial right of suffrage, and
that Is but preliminary one 10 great
campaign. They have the right, if party
rules give it. to hold a convention to
elect district delegates to the national
nominating convention. The Democrats
have not yet progressed rs far as that,
but the Republicans did it some time
ago, and the first Skirmish of each cam
paign IS held in the District of Columbia,
which Is kind of a signal station in
politics and Il No Mans Land IN re-
suits. We all remember the two dele
gates from here to the Chicago conven-
tiOn of 'S4-PoStmaSter Conger and Perry
Carson. They cut something of figure
IN that June week. COnger is a son
OF the old Michigan senator of the name.
now retired TO not unexpected obScur-
lty; but as bitter partisan as ever
voted the wrong way when he ought to
be right. and the right way when no
body had told him he was wrong. a
small, narrow and contracted little soul.
whose head being empty and his tongue
harmless. gathered the venom OF his
being, like tile wasp. in the tail of his
little dress coat. which he used to flirt
YiciouSly in the face of every opponent.
The son, Frank COnger, has held Oh to
the poStotlice here, $1,000 job, by the
grace OF heaven and the voice of Grover
cleveland HAVING pninUaA tho frnitc
OF grated tree for all these thirty
months or more, it is not surprising
that Mr.. Conger'S Spirit-that is,
his Blaine and other spirit
should have been Subdued
Asked Yesterday if he would,
now that his official head lay in the
SawduSt, accept a nomination as dele
gate to Chicago i'll June once more, he
said: No. Sir! | wouldn't have it. [
couldn't be elected if | would. and
wouldn't if | could, besides my idea is
that the man who goes to the Republi-
can convention this year can howl, and
trade and bargain, and flaunt banners
and all that, but when it comes to the
banquet along in March, he won't see
much else than a bone without any meat
on it, and that will be thrown him by
one of Mr.. Cleveland'S solutions out of
the garbage wagon at the rear of the
White house"
Not so with Perry H. Carson. Carson
Is the Marshal Ney of the Washington
cOlOred folks. He is a very respectable
man, though politician. He is shrewd,
sharp and winning in his way and COM
mandS the respect of the whites. He is
kind of lawyer, and whenever his
political supremacy is asSailed the col
ored people turn out. They come en-
Mo II, L
razorS, and Lord help the anti-Carson
darkey that wants to get into the con
yention. Carson is a grand knight of
PythlaS or something of that kind. and
when he buckles on his silver sword and
pulls up his gauntletS and bestrides his
really elegant horse, not a colored boy
III Washington under fifteen that won't
play hOoky to witness the spectacle.
Many penal slipper has been arrested
in its direful descent by the yell, ''Oh!
mann! Eve been to see Gen'l Carsonw
''Nha' fO' You fool me dat way,
chile?" as down goes the slipper in in
nOcuOus deSuetude. ''Wha' fo' YOU no
say you want to go see Gen'l Carson;
LOr', chile, 'SpOSe | lam yO' if you want
to go see Gen1 Washington or Abe
Lincoln?' In this spirit the convention
met to-day. Somebody had started the
story that a cOIored barber down near
the Baltimore Il Potomac depot had as
pirationS to go to Chicago. That was
enough. The convention was to be held
at Wizards hall on + street. Just back
of Wizards hotel. The convention was
called for 10 a. M, but by o'clock +
street, from Fourteenth to the treasury
facade, was packed with colored people.
Wizards hail has great Grecian col
umnS in front. Every one of these
columns held agile darkeys. clinging to
them like Swedish leecheS-not one.
would let go. The pavement was jam
med; the rails were lined with darkness.
The cOlOred people filled the space of
one mind. which was expressed by
rather elderly and very earnest man
with white hair and who wore Spectacles,
who said, i'll my hearing: Il don't
think NiStah CawhSon is in enny dam
lah, but if he is, won't you, Mistah
FahfaX. telephone me up to de penshun
bu'oh?' Inside the hall is said to have
been such pandemonium as would GER
tainly have removed Senator Bill Cham
dler's idea that the negroes anywhere
are denied their right of political ac-
ton. If one Of their rights is to knock
down ana drag out they enjoyed that
right yesterday to the fullest. The
widest scenes were enacted all day long
and it was not until O'clock that the
convention got through, having nomi-
mated or hOwled out the names of two
sets OF delegates to go to Chicago.
pennsylvania heads one Set-the Blaine
crowd, and Sam Shellaburger, an eX-
member and district claim agent. heads
the other This is the Sherman party.
L was leaning against lamp post, at
the corner of + and Fourteenth streets.
taking III the circus Oh the street, when
pleasant voice from behind said:
''Why don't you go in? You're devil
of newspaper MANI" But" | said.
81 can't get inn "Well, why don't YOU
send for Stanley-he can get you in?
He can explore any dark continent"
1t was Col. Bill Morrison, late of
Waterloo, ILL.,, but now of Washington,
ID. G. Time was when Col. Morrison
was holy terror to newspaper men.
When he was chairman of ways and
means, the newspaper man that ap-
preached him usually bought a 25-cent
accident ticket. But Col. Bill has soft
ened down now. He isn't near so aus
Stere as he was, nor does he look so
much like a gorilla. On the contrary.
he looks something like a giddy dude.
He wears one of these little soft hats
that cost - centS-the front rim down
like night editors visor, and the rear
end up like the tuft tail of duck whose
bill has gone after snails. His head is
beautifully gray, his boots arc yet SKIES
and he sits around and tells stories till
even the newspaper men - his old
enemieS-get tired. ''You don't want
to penetrate the Dark Continent-come
on down to the hotel" said the genial
institute man. Another newspaper man
was met there, and he and the eX-leader
of the house at once got into a chaff.
''Oh, yes" said the scribe, ''you will
talk now like a telephone wire when
the girl is away, but remember time
when you were as dead and as mum as