St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-11
GANGS AT BISMARCK.
Budd Reeve Gives Inside
Views Of the Capital
Collection.
It Is the New Gang That Has
Quilted Out the Old
Gang.
The Senatorial Situation Is
Not to Be Shaped
as Yet.
The Democrats Look on and
Have a Share Of
the Fun.

l say we l mean US fellows hanging
around the lobby. We are not making
laws or money either. We are just see
ing other people do it.
One can't learn much about Bismarck
in single without he has met all
of her prominent citizens in Minneapo-
lis or st. Paul before coming up here.
Bismarck is peculiar town. TolOok
at it you would not think there was
much in it, and at some seasons Of the
year it is said to be deserted village"
But it is not deserted now. Everybody
is here who can get pass to come, aud
as fellow finds himself wandering
around among a whole lot of other fell
lows he feels like rat that has run
| away and got in with lot of other rats.
This is not to be taken as an insinua-
ton, however, that there is anything
ratty going on round these parts.
| Everybody is civil, well behaved, well
dressed, and said to be honest and vir-
tuous-that is, as far as can be seen.
There is a peculiar air around Bismarck
| at the present time-n0t winter air. but
| political air. The winter air remark
ably mild, but
|
is full of ozone. And some of the boys
think they already begin to feel the eff
fects of 1t. They are not sure, how
| something else. They say, however,
there is one thing certain, that some of
them can go away financially stronger,
| if not morally, if they desire. When
| financial and moral developmentdO don't
| keep pace with each other, the moral
| character is liable to be taxed more
| than it can bear. There is some fear at
the present time that there are moral
natures not sufficiently developed to
| stand the strain that may be put upon
| them, such as is sometimes the case
! in making a United States senator.
| My opinion is that alarm is unnecessary.
The men composing the second legiS-
| lature of North Dakota are the best rep
resentative body of men that ever gath
| cred at Bismarck. They don't act and
| There is no excitement or buster about
them, but they move quietly, with the
| determination of a Dutch emperor.
Like every other bird Of prey, the Re-
publican party has two wings-one is
| known as the old gang, the other as the
new. The old gang, as its name indi-
| Gates, is composed of the old fellows.
who have performed all the old tricks
run all the old legislatures before the
state was admitted. They are the old
pioneers. They possess the most legis
| lative experience. and in fact, many
genuine noble qualities. When prop
erly understood, the old gang is very
easy and pleasant to get along with
| and the only way to understand them
and get along with them is to let them
do just as they please, and you 90 just
| what they tell you. Then you will have
no trouble and be bully boy. He that
refuses, woe be unto him.
The New Gang
| is composed largely of farmers, who
have formed their opinions of the old
gang through the newspapers and from
brothers who have tried tooppose them,
and been made into political mince-
| meat. The old gang are willing to lead,
but never willing to follow. The new
have started in in the idea that if they
are seen following them it will be evil
dence that they are owned by them, and
will be a reflection OH their good name
| and standing-so they lay back in the
halter like so many mules-they don't
kick, but pull like forty. The first pull
was one organizing the legislature.
In the house there are forty-eight Re-
publicans, five Independents and six
teen Democrats. Anybody the old gang
favored for speaker the new would re-
| ject, on the ground that the old would
never favor him without they had some
| understanding with. or owned him be-
| fore putting up-and with this watch
word the virgin crowd cried for virgin
| ing noses they found twenty-five
ctroipht Ranuhlioano IN sion a
Pledge Against the Old Gang.
This was only one majority of the Re-
publican members, but not enough to
elect speaker. They worked with
will and for life, and got up to twenty
five Republicans and one independent.
They still lacked six to elect, In order
to gain their liberty, they sent word
to the sixteen Democratic members that
they were ready to make combination
with the Democrats, but with the old
gang never-that the Democrats could
have half the officers and places on the
committees if they would join them and
help elect their virgin speaker. When
| the representatives OF tine old gang
heard this, they made rush and fell
over each other to get on the band
wagon of the new gang before Demo
crat could get there. U. S. Oliver and
J. G. Gill were supposed candidates for
| the old gang. Mr.. Oliver had first to
dispatch Attorney General Goodwin
with flag of truce to the caucus of the
new gang, who were in session at
| Scandinavian boarding house. Oliver
offered to surrender and return to the
reservation and be ''good Injun" and
| bring all his followers to the new gang
| if he could be allowed to name
| the door tender of the house. While
| Attorney General Goodwin was present
| ing these terms of surrender, Oliver re-
mains at the Sheridan house to hold
back Gill and his forces, who were also
| anxious to surrender to the new gang
before they were shut out by Demo-
| Gratis. Oliver did not want Gill to make
the first surrender and gain the greatest
favOrs. But when Goodwin returned,
like the dove from Noah's ark, and told
Oliver there was dry land, the old gang
made rush to get in the
| New Band Wagon,
| and every one threw up their hands to
man. There was only one door-keeper
to be divided between the hostile tribes,
and Chief Gill laid down his arms with
out smell of anything, They then
! went into caucus of the whole.
letting the new gang dictate almost
every Oulcc lIOm speaker GOWN TO
the pages, and this caucus programme
| went through the house when it was
organized without a kick or change
from even the most hardened of the old
fellows-they took their medicine and
seemed thoroughly subdued and
whipped. An old soldier from Grand
Forks county, with his left hand shot
entirely away and only two fingers left
on the right, was named for position
around the house against the caucus
nominee, and the vote was watched
with interest. Maj. Brown, of Grand
Forks, who is an old soldier. thor
ough Grand Army man, whose heart
for the patriotic soldiers has always
supposed to stand above everything else,
especially for those who are disabled,
sits as member in this Republican
house. The spectators said among them
selves, when the roll was being called,
"Wait till Maj, Brown votes-no caucus