St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-01
The INSIDE HISTORY
OF the Infamous pish-AmerR
can Circular Against /
Judge Wilson.
Chairman Campball Relates
a Confession to Him by
Tom Howard,
Who Says P. H. RahilIy Fur
nished the Circular in
Manuscript.
State Democrats 10 Discuss
the Situation To-Morrow {
Afternoon.

Who wTote the irish-0raugeman cir
eular against Judge Wilson in tha
recent campaign? William NJ Campg
bell, chairman Of the Democratic stata
central committee. thinks he kn0WsS
but be does not say who the real author
is. He thinks the author turks IN tha
background, and tnat To disclose hisi
identity at this Zine would create a.
political sensation The following leltcH
was made public last evening: 4
To the Editor Of the Globe.
Before the campaign o. 1890 goes WitR
the year into history / deem it fttin3
that one chapter of the inside Of thaG
campaign be given to the public.
The incident OF the famous. or, mOref
properly, the Infamous lriSh-A mericahi
circular which the Republicans sprung
Just before the election. charging ,Iudga
Wilson with being an Orangemau. ~
fresh in the minds of your rcadersd
They Will also recall that, in the expose
ure ! made OF it, | charged the patetJ
nifty Of it on Thomas Howard of thiSl
city. thought at the time that was
warranted i'm doing so. A few WeekH
after election l was called on by Mira
Howard, who said to me that I waS
wrong IN charging him with the auth0r4
ship OF the circular. and that he had
borne the Odlum of the charge until hd
could stand il no longer, ana he wanteB
TO make q clean breast of his cOnnectidR
With ii. He Said he had written 10 thu
author Of It asking him TO assume the reg
spOnSlbility OF il but that he had rex
cciyed 10 answer, and that he did not
propose to stand up under il any lOngeT3
lie said that a little while before tho
election r. II. Rahilly, of Lake City,
came TO him here in the city and said
that he had a scheme TO defeat judge
Wilson: that he had been in every town.
in the state culiSting lriShmcu against
Wilson, and lrc produced the m2nuj
scrip, of the circular and asked Howard
TO take charge Of and secure its publicaI
ton at once. Rahilly said that he had Il
list of names Of lrlshmen to whom hes
wished the circular sent. and who hadl
told him that they thought il would bel
very effective. lie said that Judge NiEl
soR thought he was his friend, but thaB
Wilson had played him false and he
proposed to get even with him. He as1
sured Howard that the circular would
defeat Wilson. After some rcluctans
demurrng, Howard consented to tak6
charge of the matter, and did sOA
having it printed at the Dispatch
Office and circulated about asI
! charged After the election RahilY
came to the city, bringing with him ths
figures of the vote IN Wabasha countW
for Wilson in lSSS in congress and thos8
for this year, and claimed that the losS
was due to his influence and that the
election OF Merriam was due 10 the cirS
cular. At that time, Howard said, ha
begged Rahilly to publicly assume tha
responsibility for the circular and req
leve him Of the odium, but that Rag
hilly refused, saying that it would RUM
him if lee did. Howard said that h9
would prepare written statement O1
the matter and publish it i'm few dayGd
Not hearing from him, on the 10th instJ
wrote him, reminding him of hiH
promise. and that | had waited yainlV
for his performance of it; that | regardf
ed the matter as one OF public mOments
and hoped that lie would fulfill his prom3
Use, and relieve Inc from the necessity Of
making his statement to me public. I'd
this nave received no reply.
1t is now in order for Mr.. Rahlly Ia
clear his skirts Of the responsibility OF
this dastardly attack OH his friend and
also make also a clean breast of II. IL
is clear that he is not the real authorOr9
at least, that ne was materially aided III
the composition.
feel that it is due to the party, to
the public and myself to give the in
formation | have been able to gather
relative to this most disreputable methOdJ
of winning political victory.
St Paul, Dec. 81.
w. NJ. CAMPBELL,
Chairman Dem. State Committee.
Mr. Rahilly has been in attendance at
the Alliance convention, but he did
not appear at last nights session and
could not be found by GLOBE reporters
sent out to look him up, and print what
ever he might have to say.