Oakes weekly Republican. (Oakes, Dickey County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1898, 1890-05-30
The REPUBLICAN, is we'll pleased
with the result of the convention

election, and will do it earnestly and
honestly, in season and out of sea-
son. However, there was an I'M
seemly haste in the conduct Of the
convention, which was entirely un-
called for, in our judgment, and
very poor taste and bad politics.
Owing to the absence of representa-
tives from some OF the country pre-
cincts and lack Of organization by
those present. those who had Prof.
Kelley S nomination iii charge realiz-
ed that they had but meagre ma
!ority. but to use that majority for
the purpose Of shutting off nomi.
mating speeches, was, to say the
least, unwise. There were large
number of representative men who
made the trip of 25 or 80 miles to
EllendaIe, not for the purpose only
of placing candidate in nomina-
ton for Superintendent of Schools,
but to give vent to a strong feeling
which is in existence throughout the
county and to administer rebuke
to Mr.. Bowsfeld and the two or
three friends who are trailing after
him, but, unfortunately, Mr.. Bows
field got wind Of this intention, and
it is presumed that this had not a
little to do with the fact that the
convention was so unceremoniously
and suddenly adjourned, and that
during the convention there was no
opportunity to make nominating
speeches and ventiIate the peculiar
methods Of some of the self-styIed
political leaders in this county.
The only man who made a speech
i'll the convention was Prof. Kelley.
and he cast bomb into the ranks
Of few self-assumed leaders that
had wonderful effect in clearing
up the atmosphere surrounding Re-
publican politics in this county. BY
this act, and the forcible manner in
which he expressed himself, he
gained several hundred votes for
himself and demonstrated his hon.
esty Of heart and purity Of purpose,
together with all insight into politi-
Cal matters Yor which he has never
heretofore had credit. He said that,
or words to the same effect: "In
talking with men from the east end
of the co,nty lie had learned that
there was no opposition to him per-
sona!ly, but on the contrary the peo-
pie from that section were his warm
friends, but that the opposition toy
him came from the fact that the
impression lNd gone abroad that lie
was the candidate Of two or three
men from .Ellendale' (meaning, and
all who heard him we'll understood,
Bowsfield and Cole). He: SAID that
he was not their candidate in any
sense Of the word, nor was lie the
candidate Of amy faction; that he
did not blame the people for oppos-
ing him If they believed he was
the candidate Of these men, for
they certainly did not use the east
end of the county right last fall,
and because they Kere extremely
unpopular in Ellendale ard else
where in the county" He said and
implied this and much h'more, and he
said it honestly and earnestly, for he
realized how near he came to being
defeated, owing solely to the ex-
treme unpopufarity of these, his
FOOL friends. It was not Prof. Kel-
ley's FRIENDS who adopted these
for they were an honest
and earnest set of men, but his
FOOL FRIENDS who adopted him. be-
cause Of his popularity, hoping to
ride into political prominence
through being, on the right side,
and afterwards sell their prestige to
the highest bidder. The fact that
G. G. Bowsfeld and A. T. Cole ad-
vertised Prof. Kelley as their candi-
date, but for an accident would rave
defeated him. Prof. Kelley is a.
man whose popularity would have
secured him almost the entire vote
of the convention, had not Cole and !
Bowsfeld adopted him as their can
didate and undertook to speculate on
him. Prof. Kelley was smarting
under a realization Of these facts
when he administered his stinging
and manly rebuke. When he fin
ished speaking, a prominent and
highly respected gentleman from
the Southeast part of the county.
was onhis feet to echo the senti-
ments'expressed by Prof. Kelley and
voice; the Indignation his constitu-
ents felt over the bossism manifest
ed by these ringsters. Other
speeches were to have followed and
the result would not have been alto.
gether pleasant for these wholesale
dealers in political prestige. But
theMelegates from Ellendale, aided
by people from the outside who did
not understand the situation, while
they did not love these men as they
should, were ashamed to have; their
fellow townsmen so belittIed, after
Pref X Kellav'e snoooh crocodile lu.,u