St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-11
HAUSER MAKES REPLY
Montana's Millionaire Ex-
Governor Talks in His
Own Defense.
He Consulted With Leading
Democratic Senator's as
to His Course.
None of the New Senator's,
He Thinks, Will Succeed
in Getting Seats.
Democrats Made a Fatal Mis-
take in Organizing the
Senate.

The Northern Pacific train from the
West pulled into the union depot just
after o'clock last evening, and the
first man to step from the Helena
sleeper was Samuel T. Hauser, eX-gov-
ernor of Montana, late candidate for
United States senator, and now many
times millionaire, the richest man be-
tween the Mississippi valley and the
Pacific slope. Gov. Hauser is ell route
to New FORK on personal business, and
notwithstanding his long trip was in
good humor, and ready to be inter-
viewed
What is the political situation in:
Montana, governor?'' was asked by a
GLOBE reporter.
THE GLOBE has given the latest. I
see,'' he replied, land that is later than
anything L know. 1t is enc day later
than l am. of course"
Did you see what Col. Broadwater
told the GLOBE about your caDdidacy?"
Eyes, but have no answer to make
to such utilization. AS for my own
conduct. was right all through, and
my course will be ratified and approved
by the Democratic party of the state.
To-day, as usual, when travelling, ur-
chased your valuable paper of Jan. S.
find you compliment me by quite a neat
editorial notice. or lecture, all Of which,
| presume. | should and would take
without murmur, but for your cOnclud-
ing sentence, which reads as follows:
The party may have made mistake in
not nominating him for senator, but if
so 1t was not as grave mistake as he is
making in attempting to rob his party
of the victory it is entitled to- This
you will admit, is rather grave and
direct charge. particularly when it is
absolutely false. The gentleman. Upon
whose information the editorial was
based Il assume you would not wilfully
misreplesent me or any one else was
governed more by Yindictive
spirit than by the facts. Instead
of trying to block the wheels of legis-
lation' as stated. l did my best to
start them. Instead of trying to rob
the party of victory | tried hard to Sc
cure it real victory. To this end |
worked before and after the caucus.
The only delay after the caucus,
caused by my friends, was for the pur-
pose of consulting. by wire, Democratic
United States senators as to the safest
and best course to pursue, as to whether
to elect by Withdrawing our senators
and forming a new senate, or have
| them 90 direct from the present senate,
or to appoint senatorial contestants.
| Immediately upon receipt of these in
| sIuctions, my friends acted, by first
trying to carry them out, that failing,
they proceeded to go through the form
of efecting two senators to contest the
seats with the Republicans claiming the
| seats, who were equally illegally elected.
/ fnnnht tho QIn0tinn nf TTnitnn Sf0tnS
i senators longer and harder before than
after the caucus. | knew, and every
Democrat and Republican knew, that
the election of United States senators
by either party was useless form and
an empty honor until both houses of the
legislature were legally organized. We
have the legal house; the Republicans
the senate. We lost the senate when
the Democratic members took the oath,
which l did my best to prevent, and
struggled against so persistenly that [
offended at least one state senator. but
six out of the eight finally agreed with
me. 1t is DOW admitted by all hands
that our members made fatal mistake,
as it gave the Republicans the legal
senate, their lieutenant governor having
the casting vote. .fhe governor admits the
legality Of the senate. With my friends
| | fought from first to last to bring about
a consolidation of the two houses on a
fair and equitable basis-twenty-fou to
| twenty four-befOre going into an cleo
ton of United States senators; this,
too, at the risk of my own election. As
| by such a compromise five of the Silver
Bow members would have been tenn
porarily unseated pending the investi-
! cation Of Precinct No. 81 in Silver Bow
county. Naturally enough these par
ticular members felt that they had as
good right to the seats as any others.
Whether this fact had anything to do
with it or not, received but one vote If
that out of this (Mr. Clark'S) county.
insisted upon this compromise, first, be-
cause the interests of the state demand
ed legislation, every day of the conflict
tending to destroy the confidence of the
country at large in our people, and was
seriously iniuring our slate, in which
have more interest than in any political
party; second, because | believe the
Democrats would get the best of the
compromise. and it would result in the
election of two Democratic senators
that would get their seats. When /
found the senatorial aspirantS would not
allow this compromise, | tried to get the
two houses together upon the same
basis, but agreeing to elect one Demo,
crat and one Republican to the United
States senate, the Democrat to be the
Hon. W. A. Clark or w. w. Dixon.
whichever they West side might agree
upon, thus showing my willingness to
withdraw from the senatorial race
anything to get the wheels of legislation
going. For proof of this fast refer
you to the governor of the state, whom
advised of my intentions and efforts in
trying to bring this about. When these
various efforts to get legislation and
legal senators failed, and the Re
publicans having elected United
States senators, it became anecesSity for
the Democrats to have two contestants
at Washington. How to get them there
with the best credentials was the ques-
ton, and one that my friends thought
important enough to refer to Demo
cratic statesmen Of national reputation.
In procuring this information and in
trying to carry out Senator Vests Sug-
gestions West wired that he had con-
suited the ablest senators there my
friends delayed matters only two days
after the caucus. Thus far and no far
Their was guilty of blocking legisIa-
ture' and robbing the party of the
victory it was entitled to-"