St. Paul daily globe., 1890-10-15
A REVOLT IN RICE.
Boss Heatwole's Own County
One of the Most Doubtful
in the State.
Judge Wilson Has Excellent
Prospects of Beating Gov.
Merriam There.
st. Paul Interference in Local
Nominations the Cause OF
the Detection.
The Farmers Alliance Will
Get a Big Vote in Parts
Of the County.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
FARIBAULT, Oct 14.-Into this coun-
ty, with its torn-np political condition,
Its vigilant and unrelenting domina-
ton by the Republican machine at the
state house, its soreness and uncer-
tainty over advancing prices of every
thing that life demands, and its slight
and remitting fever of the Alliance,
came Judge Wilson yesterday like a
breath OF fresh air in q close and sitting
room and received welcome that no
other Democrat could have hoped for
In this constituency. AS prominent
Republicans as ex-senator Clement aud
ex-Representative Hudson Wilson were
among those who. cold and stormy as
was the night, turned out to bid
him welcome and to assure him, per-
haps, that Democrats were not the only
good men in Rice county who would
support him at the polls. 1t will be a
matter of astonishment ii there is not a
large Republican vote for him in this
county. for the best element of that
party here is smarting under the merci-
less lash of Merriam domination, or
rather Merriam interference. in local
politics. and resentment is as natural as
humanity is weak. 1t may not have
been Merriam personally, and it may
even be unjust to say it was Merriam at
all, but it was Merriam's agents and the
bosses of the Republican patty, and
was done openly in Merriam'S name, so
he will have to suffer for it.
BEAT these men in convention; we
can't use them and must have men we
can USE"
This Was The Order
that came here from st. Paul OF North
field, at the time of the Republican
county convention and was leveled at
the delegation which represented Rice
in the last legislature. George w.
Damp was the special object of attack,
and DR.. George W. Wood stood with
him. These were the men who were
singled out for decapitatlon, DIR. Wood
having been a senator and Damp a
member of the house. The machine
was set to work. Benjamin Sheffield,
the chairman OF the city committee, and
Hon. o. f. Perkins. of Mortified, was
selected to do the dirty work. The lat
ter presided over the county conven-
ton, and SO smoothly did the machine
operate that every nomination was made
by acclamatiOn. Damp is large farmer
at Cannon Fails and man of great i'll
fuence. To beat him it was necessary
to attack his character, SO the Mer-
riam ring charged him with hav-
ing been bribed, with having
taken Washburn Doodle in the
senatorial fight. The scheme
woi k ed and Damp was defeated, to-
gether with Wood. Hudson. Wilson and
every other member of the last legis-
latlve delegation. But the Republicans
are sharp and they silenced Damp, for
the time being, by putting him on the
county committee, and thus. to use his
own language. ''making fool of him.
Whether be will break over remains to
be seen, but there is strong and revOlu-
tiOnary spirit of discomfort abroad in
the Republican ranks, and the st. Paul
and Northteld
Bosses of the Party
will be rebuked in November. The Nc
Kinley bill, too, is cutting away Repub-
lican votes wherever the intelligence of
the people is sufficient for an under
standing of the hardships it has
wrought. With many it is hard to snap
the old fetterS of prejudice which for
so long has bound them to the Republi-
can party. For instance, there is John
Boo, a Scandinavian contractor of
Northfield. Boo had roofing contract
and just completed it. ruefully remark
ing to friend:
''1nstead of making s45 on that job,
Pm out just S10.'
"How was that?"
"Oh, that d--n Mckinley bill put up
the price of roofing tin on me-"
Still. | suppose you'll go on voting
the Republican ticket?"
''Um, we'll, don't know about that"
Boo is in brown study, and in his
doubt between his old allegiance to the
Republican party and his disgust with
its lnfquitouS legislation, is fair repre-
sentatiOn of the qlandry in which
many Republicans find themselves. His
friends are curiously watching hm.
The Outlook.
What will Rice county do in Novem-
ber? Two years ago there were about
5. 600 votes cast, Harrison getting a
plurality of 3l7 Merriam being cut to
l61 and about 800 cold water ballots in
the boxes. This year the total will
slightly fall Off, as usual. and the Re-
publicans will naturally suffer. Mer-
riam will run behind somewhat, and
will lose votes to the Alli-
ance, which organization will also
draw some from the Democracy.
tier of towns are heavily Democratic, and
there Erwin and Donnelly addressed
their efforts, hoping to carry away the
Irish vote in the lead of Tim O'Grady
and Ara Barton, and naturally with
some little success. On the other hand,
there is large detection among the
Norwegian farmers, who have hitherto
voted s0lidly with the Republicans, and
1t is the consensus of opinion here that
the MerriamiteS will suffer on the whole.
1t is considered certain the Democrats
will elect large part of their county
ticket, which is an excellent one, and
that they will make
Gains in the Legislature.
S. L. Crocker has an admirable pros
pect Of going to the senate on the wave
of revolt against Merriam dictation, and
the entire ticket will be more OF less
benefited by the same cause. Tom
Quinn, of Faribault, and Fred Shandorf.
of DundaS, the Democratic nominees
for county attorney and treasurer, are
popular huStlerS. and are covering the
county from Wheatland to Warsaw, and
both are confident of election.
Judge Wilson made an admirable ad-
dress here and materially advanced his
cause. He is personally popular, and is
particularly well thought of and re-
spected in Rice county. The late Gen.
Cole had so long and so frequently re-
ferred to Judge Wilson as the embodi-
ment of intelligent honor that he really
required nc meeting here to keep in
the hearts of the people. There are
hundreds who remember him when he
used to hold court here years ago. and,
in short. there is no report of Judge
Wilson in Rice county but good report.
If Gov. Merriam finds plurality in
Rice three weeks from to-day it will be
so small that the ''double million mag
nifier" will be necessary to make it of
use. HELoT.