St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-02
CUTS QUITE A FIGURE
The Maben-Braekett Feud IL
Really a Matter Of
State.
At Least, 1t Will Affect the
Next Gubernatopial
Campaign
By Turning the Flour City
Against Merriam for Ap-
pointing Gjertsen.
And Even Harrison VIII Be
Made to Recognize the
ScandinaYians.

| that Uncle" Loren Fletcher was hum,
| ming to himself last Monday when he
read the newspapers containing the &C.
count of Editor G. B. Maben's convic-
ton i'll the municipal court on the
charge of criminallY libeling Supt. w.
NJ. Bracket. The quotation had no
particular bearing on Editor Maben
personally. 1t was directly INTENDED
for no less parsonage than Gov w. r,
Merriam. No man, outside the few di-
rectly connected with the Maben trial,
took any more interest in the out come
of the celebrated case than Gov. Mer-
riam, strange as it may appear. The
governor has read the papers during
the past week more closely than he has
at any time since his Inauguration. To
him the outcome of the trial was
''biack eye" and he feels
it as keenly. perhaps, as he did
Attorney Henry Giertsen when he
wrote his dOuhle-back action. copper
bottom, tin-handle apology to Supt.
Bracket. Why was Bill Merriam so
uneasy, and why was Uncle Loren
Fletcher so happy? There are a good
many people in Minneapolis who do NOT
know the prominent part that the gov
ernOr took in police commission matters
last spring. but they will know it after
they read to-day's GLOBE. When the
time came to appoint two commissions
ers there was no question about MIR.
Guile's appointment. He was Demo-
crat, and, being backed by strong men.
got the place the first heat. But when
it came TO naming the Republican com.
missioner there was warm time. so
warm the engineer in the capital build
ing was notified to throw water instead
of coal under the boilers until other
wise instructed. Merriam was gov
ernor, and he wanted to get a second
term, and the best way to get solid with
the Minneapolis Scandinavians was to
appoint one of their kind. He selected
the present commissioner, n. II. Giert-
sen. and informed the Hennepin-dele-
CATION what he proposed to do They
begged him to stay the appointment
for few days, and he did so. During
the interval he was flooded with letters
from representative enof Minneapolts
not to appoint Gjertsen, but to indorse
the action of the city council and reaD-
point Commissioner Mortimer. He hes
itated for day or two, and then, call.
ing few of the Minneapolis men ia
his Office, Informed them that he had de,
cided to appoint GjertSen, and that all
the pressure they could bring to bear on
| him to the contrary would be without
| avail. The appointment was regarded
| by the politicians near the throne as
good move for tie governor. as it would
soIidify the Scandinavian Republican
vote for him two years hence. The an.
| pointment was made, and the friends of
Mr.. Mortimer told the governor thst he
| would live to regret his action.
Some time ago, when Police Commits.
| siOner GjerTsen's name was first con.
nected with conspiracy to GUST Supt.
| Bracket, the governor, it is said. sent
! for the big commissioner and questioned
| him closely about the runners that were
atloat, but the Scandinavian representa-
tive on the police board denied that he
| had anything to do with the matter.
Merriam was thus kept in the dark
| until it was too late to put on the
brakes, and when the Maben trial was
| announced, and the Gjertsens' names
| connected with the big conspiracy,
! Merriam was worked up to white heat.
1t is said he dispatched close friend of
| his to Minneapolis to see Commissioner
| GjertSen, and ascertain how much truth
| there was IN the newspaper reports,
| and to make public denial OF
| the charges ii the reports were moi
| true. This, it is said, was what forced
| GjertSen to deny his connection with
| the Maben attack on the administration,
and now that the governor is in possess
! sion of all the facts in the case, includ.
| ing the part that GjertSen took in it, his
| condition of mind is anything but pleas
| ant. Already has he been notified bv
| the near friends of Mr.. Mortimer and
other Republican leaders that the next
| time he gets chance to make some po-
| litical capital out of Minneapolis ap-
| pOintments he will not be so hoggish as
| he was in the Gjertsen appointment.
Minneapolis Republicans will not sup
| port Gov. Merriam in his fight for re.
nomination. The few friends he had
| before Editor Maben's conviction are
now safely landed on the opposite siGe
of the political stream. Loren Fletcher
is happy, so is r. B. Langdon, and ex-
Gov. McGill was seen to wear a broad
| smile yesterday as he passed Commits
sioner Gjertsen on Nicollet avenue,
perspiration from his brow, which
seemed to come as fast as if the
days of lemonade and ice cream
were at band. Loren is satisfied that
Merrialn's goose is cooked; that with
Minneapolis and tWo-thirds of the
country against him, there is no show
for him. If Loren has counted from
personal observation. there is no doubt
but he is on the right track. Langdon
WAS ICl Ill CUWu ldSU Wcths Dub HIS vest
pocket friend sent him a dispatch to
Wisconsin which seemed to have had
the effect that double dose of Brown
Sequard's elixir would under ordinary
circumstances. 1t was fun for the
would-be governor, but death to Mer-
Ram.
Marcus johnson. the Washburn can
didate for collector of internal revenue,
A.-,E,, Il II.
ian element will receive substantial
recognition from the president. There
is no doubt of it now, particularly if
Harrison has only read the accounts of
the late Maben trial and the part that
some of the Minneapolis Scandinavians
played in it. Mr.. johnson, however,
may be obliged to give way for o. II.
Locken, of Crookston, who Is making a
desperate fight to sell internal revenue
stamps.
1t is reported that the Peoples PoIitf-
cal Reform club has suspended business
pending the appeal of the Maben case
to the supreme court. Maben was the
soul of the new organization that threat
ened to tear the bowels out of the Re-
publican party, but Maben was the first
victim of his own rack. The reform
club members, however. have hopes of
being able to show strong front before
the snow disappears.
~
Col. Ripley knows a good thing when
he sees it, and so he has refused 20 pros.
ecute the Maben case further. He pre-.
fers TO let Freeman Lane wreste with
the case in the supreme court. He
thinks his political aspirations will run
a better chance of ripening than by
fighting for a lost cause and one which
must necessarily hurt every Republican
who is found on the Maben side of the
struggle. Free Lane is already ostra-
clzed by the Union league, and for him
the e. o. y. has few attractions. That is
right; the warning factions will do the
country good If tl,a.- hut nnnIirIln "a