St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-07
An Uninstrueted Delegation
Demanded by His Organ
and Managers.
Mill City Politicians Think
ing Seriously of IndorSing
Knute Nelson.
Col. Hans Mattson Holds q
Conference With A. C.
Haugan.

dictiOn made by worker of the g0y-
ernor's at the Merchants yesterday
during discussion which sprang UP
known local politicians concerning the
Hennepin county Republican primaries
held Saturday and the probable atti-
tude of the county delegation at the
state convention. Surprising because
of the almost unanimous anti Merriam
feeling and instructions of the delegates
who will meet at Normanna hall at
10 O'Clock tomorrow morning to sele ct
the torty-fiye representatives to the state
convention which is to be Hennepin's
portion in that gathering. just how
these anti-Merriam delegates are eX-
pected to choose a delegation fayoring
the present governors denomination is
something of problem. butts solutio n
may not be so difficult after all if the
utterancesof the Merriam morning Or
gan in st. Paul are considered in the
light of the landslide of Saturday even
ing.
The whole plot is revealed in the
heading, pledged to No One" placed
at the head of the Pioneer Press ac-
count of the Hennepin primaries.
This scheme of securing Hennepin
county's vote for Merriam through the
medium of an uninStructed delegation
to the convention is revealed still more
clearly in the body of the article the
heading of which is quoted above. IF
the country is practically unanimous
for Merriam" says the Pioneer Press,
'.Hennepin county will swing into line
and do valiant service in adding forty
five votes to the strength of the Mer-
Ram column" Further Oh in this arti-
Gle the Pioneer Press states that the
caucus nominees chosen are generally
in favor of sending an Hninstructed dele
CATION to the state convention. This
may be the case, but when Your
Uncle'' Loren Fletcher and William
Henry EustiS realize
That an uninstrueted delegation
means a Merriam delegation;
That this is what the governor and
his organ are after;
And that they are already counting
upon Hennepin swinging into line for
the st. Paul man
Well. it's altogether likely that the
scheme will fall through. even if Will
lam Hennery has to kick some one SIX
teen feet in order to prevent it. Hen
nepin county has one-tenth OF the
coming state convention in her grasp.
and now that the antiMerriam men
have carried the day it would seem
rather absurd if they were to Siumber
on their arms and allow the governor
and his emissarieS to carry Off the plum
through an uninstructed delegation.
This is the way the Merriam men in
this city look at it, however.
merriam will get the Minneapolis
votes in the state convention" said one
of the husIlers yesterday. i'The dele
cation will come down here uninstruct-
ed, and. after they see the governors
strength, no kick will be made. But
suppose there is a row started. The
delegates will be free to do as they
please, and it will be very strange if a
few Merriam men aren't found in the
delegation when the bailOting for gov
ernor commences. Minneapolis Repub-
hcans have no ground for kicking at
this time, anyway. They have nearly
all the good federal places apportioned
to this state, and they ought to be will
ing for St. Paul to have the governor.
If they insist on raising row, it is
more than likely that the country dele
gates will vote with st. Paul, and shut
the Mill City clean out, giving them no
place Oh the ticket"
Can Gov. Merriam be reneminated
without the vote of Hennepin county's
delegation?
st. Paul politicians think he can, and
base their predictions on the fact that
out of possibly 1876 delegates chosen so
far over 100 are for him. But how
came about this wonderful unanimity?
Simply through the fact that no candt-
date was i'm the field to contest the diff
ferent counties with Gov. Merriam.
Had there been, it is safe to say that
these delegations would have been made
up quite differently. But as less than
one-third of the 459 delegates have been
named up to the present time, GOV.
Merriam is far from out of the woods.
Indeed, good politicians do not hesitate
to say that if Hennepin county were to
start out with an Endorsement of Knute
Nelson nothing could prevent his nomi-
nation. Otter Tail and number of
other Fifth district counties have
chosen delegations presumably for
Gov. Merriam, but when it comes
to balloting there is no doubt that the
willy Knute would get their votes. This
would divide the 135 delegates already
chosen pretty evenly between Nelson
and Merriam, and it would be very sur
prising, indeed, if the ex-congressman
for the sBloody Fifth couldn't hold
his own through the next two weeks.
Hennepin and the solid Fifth district
can nominate Knute Nelson for govern
or if they can pull together. They have
nearly 200 out of the $50 delegates that
will make up the convention.
Hennepin county has the opportunity
now to square accounts with Gov. Mer-
Ram. Will her mouthy politicians be
equal to the emergency?
Which will it bean instructed or an
uninstructed delegation? The answer
made by the Normanna hall convention
to this question tomorrow morning
will decide whether the anti-Merriam
leaders, like Fletcher, Curtis, Odell.
Giertsen and others, really mean fight
Or not.