St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-17
DONNELLY EXPLAINS.
A Characteristic and Witty
Speech by the Sage.
Mr.. Donnelly was the first speaker.
4oAs y
He commenced,

WoO ulAO ALou oPSorANA'
He commenced:
would express the qualification that
know we all feel in this tremendous gather
ing, the more remarkable that it comes in
the midst of very busy season, that the men
who have attended have attended at their
own expense. No political factor or combl-
nation has paid any of their fares or travel
ing charges, andmost of them have left their
work unfinished i'll the field to be present
here to-day. And am glad also to be able
to say that we see everywhere the evidences
of perfect harmony in this organization. Our
friends the enemy, to use current express
sion, our opponents in a political sense have
been filling the newspapers for weeks and
months past with declarations that this
alliance was all torn to pieces; and. II one
could be pardoned for quoting and referring
to an ott-told story, the result has been some
thing like that of the man who heard upon
the roof of his house greet clatter and scat
tering of cOntending cats in the middle or
the night and he congratulated himself with
the reflection that those cats would kill each
other [Laughter.l But. he said, the careful
observation of few months demonstrated
that there were more cats. Renewed laugh
teri And so, while the newspapers have
been heralding our death and burial and
congratulating themselves over the little diff
ferences of opinion that may spring up
among organized and active men,
the Alliance has gone on growing
until to-day we have over 1900 sub
Alliances in the state. 1t IS the
the most stupendous growth that has ever
been seen in the history of this country-ln
the history of any state in this country. One
year ago the Alliance was practically dead.
To-day we have the results that are presented
to us here-this tremendous convention as
sembled at this time; and every man filled
with an earnest purpose. / have been
amused, for l am q diligent reader Of the
newspapers, and in them we get, with good
deal Of bosh, d good deal of fat and learn
ing necessary for our guidance i'll life say
have been astonished at the mode in which
the newspapers have devoted themselves to
the Alliance. 1t has shown the tremendous
power of the organization. The attention of
all the politicians of the country is concen-
trated to-day on this body, and | have been
their comments. l remember Gne morning
1 started from the depot in the
cars to go down to make speech
at an Alliance gathering at Mandeviile,
and opened the morning GLOBE, very
good paper, by the way. and as rule very
fair and remarkable sheet. AS opened it
my eye tell upon q column with the tre-
mendous headline ''Donnelly Mad Well, I
never was in more equable Bnd pleasant
state of mind in my life. [Laughter.] There
| saw the revelations OF my tremendous work.
That was going to burst up this whole alli-
arce and drag the streets out into that car
rion Another day comes out the great sur
prise that am candidate Tor governor and
lie dWdh0 db ulSnt dCiu6iHS thio ptolO nAtA
letters and laboring to get nomination here
for governor Well, don't think that look
like man who lies awake at night Laugh
teri I am one of that class of men that Caesar
spok of ''A sleek headed man, and such as
sleep at night"
So far as the charge of deluging the state
with letters is concerned, and any attempt OF
mine to control this convention, will
now release every member OF this con-
convention pledged to secrecy, and chal
lenge any man here to get up and say have
ever written single letter in reference to
the political guidance Of this convention.
IApplause.] There is not one; and SO far
from being a candidate for governor, have
been from the first emphatically opposed to
anything of the kind. am here to help you,
so far as can to put the best man in nom-
ination, and / propose, whoever that man
may be, to stand by him. [Applausel
Mr.. Donnelly excused himself for
making these personal explanations,
and then added an explanation in
reply to the charge that, two years ago,
| he betrayed the cause of convention
] that nominated him. He denied this.
| That convention was largely composed
| of Iaboring men; there were but ten
| farmers in it. He did not want the
nomination; he protested against it.
| He told them distinctly 1t was useless
| to make the fight unless they could
raise money to carry on the campaign,