St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-31
Nearly Seven Hundred Far
mer Delegates in Conven-
tion Yesterday.
Donnelly and His Men Solely
Occupy the Attention Of
Delegates.
They Brazenly Push Forward
the Election Of President
Of the Alliance,
And the Gopher Statesman
at Last Gets the Honor
Long Sought.
Donnelly is now in the saddle.

OoHnelly is now III The saddle.
Contrary to the expectations of the
delegates to the Alliance convention,
the election of president was made at
the session held last evening. The
Donneliy men seeing that the Sage was
losing supporters every hour, deter
mined to suspend the rules and elect
him while it was possible. Accord
lngly, just as soon as the report
of the committee on credentials
was adopted last evening, Pat Ra-
hllly. of WabaSha county, was OH his
feet moving that the rules be suspended
and the convention proceed TO the cleo
ton of president. This was vlgor-
OuSly opposed, because, according to
the rules, the reports of the president,
secretary, treasurer and other officers
should come before the election OF
officers. After long contest the mo-
tlon prevailed and the sage was elected.
But there was another reason for this
strange action. There was large
number of anti-Donnelly men, who were
not present last evening, as is demon
strated by a comparison of the votes
cast with the number of accredited dele
gates. But, of course, the main reason
for this extraordinary departure, and
the intentional slight cast upon Presi-
dent Hall and the rest of the old Of
ficials was Donnelly's fear that a
little. delay would cost him his
election. He remembered the
fight last March when entering
the convention with clear majority he
found himself defeated when the con-
test came off. Yesterday, in spite of
the fact that his workers were doing
herculean work in his behalf.
The appearance of Hon. Kittel Hal
vorson on the field was of great benefit
to Mr.. Donnelly, and he used the de-
cilhation of the modest congressman
elect for all it was worth. This dis
couraged the men opposed to the sage
and dampened their hopes of defeating
him. This appearance of Mr.. Halyor-
son came at most inOpportune mo-
ment, when 1t was too late for the op-
position to unite on new man.
The manly, dignitied and impartial
course of President Hall was generally
complimented, and had the Fifth dis
trict men rallied around him, he would
have -polled a much larger vote than
did Mr. Halvorson. Indeed. the whole
fight against the Sage was badly man.
aged. His friends were everywhere
stirred into activity by their Sage's let
tiers and appeals, while the other side
seemed to sleep on its arms. In-
deed, it did seem hardly likely
that the Alliance would turn
around in less than two months after
the election and honor the very men
who were responsible for the defeat of
Mr.. Owen. But this is just what was
done. and to-day the convention will
probably honor the Great West by
electing its proprietor, doc" Fish, to
something.
The speech of National Lecturer
Ashby, of Iowa, yesterday afternoon
was a powerful argument against
union of the Minnesota Alliance with
the Southern. or secret order. and it is
now hardly likely that this part of the
scheme OF the triumphant wing of the
party will be carried through.
Mr.. Donnelly, himself. felt called
upon to throw cold water on the
scheme although "Doc" Fish in the
short time the delegates would consent
to hear HIM threw out some hints of
possible coalition. The refusal of the
convention to seat the six Pipestone
men who belong to the Southern Alli-
ance, and vet had the nerve to seek rep
resentation in the society they are try
ing to supplant, was generally construed
as an indication that the Minnesota
farmers will have no organic union with
the secret national organization.