Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-08
SENATOR PETTIGREw.
Some Stories Of Incidents In the south Da-
kotan's Political Career.

| An INTERVIEW WHICH cRRArHD CONSIDERABLE
| or SENSATION AND MADE BITTER FEUp
BETWEEN PETr1oREw AND oRpwAY-How He
sILENcED PROFESSIONAL BLACxxAIER
II have just been enjoying an interview with
Senator Pettigrew in your paper" said Col.
Charles W. Johnson, chief clerk Of the United
States Senate, this morning. Everything
Senator Pettigrev says and does pleases me.
1t may be interesting to you to know about my
FIRST meeting with the Senator. 1t was in 1881,
when both of US were green"
when and where did the meeting occur.
colonel"
1T was right here in Washington. Frank
fsttgrew was popular young man in Dakota
territory. and had entered the political arena
only two years before He was an aggressive
young man who had determined to come to
congress, and had accomplished his purpose.
ne travelled all over that immense territory.
which is as big as all New England, New York
and pennsylvania, and captured the wild and
wooliy convention. His almost unanimous
nomination was equivalent to an election, and
ne very soon read his title clear to seat in the
House OF Representatives. said that he was
green, but meant that he was green hand
AZ Az national legislation, when we met here In
November 1881. was an exceedingly green
young man from Minnesota, whence ] had
come to represent the Pioneer Press Of st.
Paul In making my daily rounds OF the hotels
found the name Of r. F. Pettigrew on the
National Hotel register, and sent up my card.
come to his room"
nat sort OF man was he in appearance
he was tall, angular, raw -boned young
man, FAR from handsome. and with smile as
big as that Of Smiling Tom Brent's, the new
delegate from Washington territory There
was no style about him. He was typical
prairie bird from the almost boundless terri
tory which he represented When asked him
Tor an Interview he declared his utter ignorance
OF everything interesting. But / had heard
mat there was great quarrel pending between
Pettigrew and Gov. Ordway, and asked his
opinion OF the New Hampshire man, who was
the chief executive official of the territory.
That was striking the right lead for an inter-
view. He immediately opened up, crossed his
long legs and commenced to talk. 1t was i'm
mediately interesting, and / produced my
pencil and paper and commenced taking notes.
he gave me seat at the table and talked to me
for a full hour. He said that the governor WAS
everything bad. mean and wicked. He bluntly
accused him OF stealing whole counties, making
money out OF county-seat locations, and, in
fact, said 30 much that afterward hesitated
about sending out my interview lest might
get my paper into trouble and get myself
knocked out of job. But had the nerve to
send 1t and it proved Of lasting interest"
oRDwAY STRUCK BACK.
what was the RESULT?
swell, Governor Ordway read that interview
and Immediately replied to it. Pettigrew. like
the manly fellow that he is, did not deny the re-
port which l had sent. The columns of all
northwestern newspapers teemed with criminal
ton, recrimination, villifcation. 1t was the
most bitter, acrimonious. almost diabolical per-
sonal wrangle ever published in the press of
any country. Those men went at it, hammer
and tongs, to villify and abuse each other.
They said things for publication which never
should have been printed. For two wears con-
tinuously the wOrdy warfare was kept up, and
the young delegate became better known than
any man in the territory had ever been known
before"
Did Pettigrew hold his own in the contro-
versy2"
HE did; and to such excellent effect that the
people became his admirers for his personal
courage and continuity Of purpose. But he was
matched with an experienced politician. Gov
ernor Ordway had been sergeant-at-arms of the
House Of Representatives for twelve years, was
personally acquainted with every prominent
man In the country, and was, withal. go
shrewd that 1t was largely due to his
manipulations that Frank Pettigrew was
not renominated in 1882. But be was
popular and potent enough to secure the nomi-
nation Of his friend John b Raylond to sue
coed himself in Congress- After that Pettigrew
retired from politics and devoted his entire
time and energies to making money. He be-
came wealthy man, who quietly and modestly
retained his political friendships While ask
ing no political preferment be worked hard for
the division Of the territory into two states
and also for the opening OF the great Sioux
reservation to settlement With the passing of
the years be grew in personal popularity and
declined the nomination of hir party for the
delegateship twice. He was simply q plain
business man. he said, and used his political
strength solely &c help his friends
when did his controversy with Gov. Ordway
cease?
at has really not ceased vet When the
Senator 10 in Washington he will give you as
aggressive an interview concerning his enemy
a. he gave me ten years ago. If you want il. II
you want the other side of the question, pre-
sumo that Gov. Ordway will talk to you about
the Senator just as bitterly as he talked then
But, when Gov. Ordway's term expired in 1884,
he lett Dakota and returned to Washington,
where he still remains. He is a man of much
more than ordinary ability. has many warm
friends and admirers in the Dakotas today and
stlii retains his residence in Bismarck. whore
he IL regarded as q citizen although the bulk
OF his business interests are in Washington"
HARDLY ON SPEAKING TERMS
"Are Pettigrew and Ordway on speaking
terms?"
81 should hardly think 30; but do not know
In 1889. when statehood had been accomplished,
Pettigrew made no apparent effort to be
elected to the Senate. He remained in Sioux
Falls all summer attending to business But
somebody had half million handsome silk
badges printed with the picture of long pick
erei in the center, and the words Frank Petti-
grew, the at one end and Senator at the
other. When he was in Congress Frank Petit
grew had been called the long pickerel states
man. and the badge was intended to be read
Frank Pettigrew, the long pickerel Senator
Every little boy and girl on the broad prairies
wore one Of those handsome badges. There
we're men in every county talking of nothing
but Frank Pettigrew for the Senate; and 1t was
apparent early in the season after harvest that
Pettigrew coming to the Senate. When
that fact was settled Pettigrew went out of his
way to begin an aggressive warfare upon Gov
Ordway, who was then making a canvass
of North Dakota, with the expectation Of being
elected to the Senate from that state
Pettigrew was again interviewed almost
daily and reiterated all that he
had originally charged against the ex governor.
have been told that he wrote thousand or
more letters to his friends in the north state.
urging them to oppose Gov. Ordway and de-
clare themselves against him. When the legis-
latnre of South Dakota convened Pettigrew
WIS elected to the Senate; and when the iesis-
lature of North Dakota convened Gov. OrdWay
failed of an election. From this recent renewal
Of hostilities presume that they are not on
good terms. They never we're as lovely and
pleasant in their lives as David and Jonathan
and it is not likely that they are now like unto
Damon and Pythias. feel that by reason of
that original interview am in some depree