St. Paul daily globe., 1892-03-19

friends. At the close OF his term IN
1872 he declined Republican nOmina-
tion on the ground that the convention
wonld be controlled by men whose lead
ing object would be the denomination
of President Grant.
This meant the practical abandon
ment of the Republican party. and Gov.
Palmer carried the meaning to its log
ical conclusion. When the Liberal con-
vention met in Cincinnati Gov. Palmer
was talked of as candidate for presl-
dent. He refused to make any pledges
or promises, and he positively declined
the vice presidency.
"It is too exalted an Office" he said,
''for one who must work, and too insig-
nifcant for one who feels himself capa-
bic of practicing law.''
Greeley was nominated, and Gov.
Palmer gave him his hearty support on
the stump.
When in 1874 the Liberal and Demo-
cratic parties Joined hands, Gov. Palmer
found himself back once more within
the old party lines from which he had
been driven by the storm of the slavery
agitation. His first act after the fusion
was to write strong letter urging the
adoption of clean-cut. hard money
and state rights platform, and his ad-
vice was taken to the letter.
In the Hayes-Tilden contest Gov.
Palmer was strong supporter of Til
den. The state went for Hayes, but
the Republicans lost the legislature.
In the election of United States sena-
tor to take the place of Logan Gov.
Palmer polled the entire Democratic
strength for twenty-five ballots. and
when he withdrew his followers united
on David Davis, who was elected. Gov.
Dbl I>nr - %1N I nt,i isio
commission and bitterly denounced the
surrender of that state. Florida and
South Carolina.
In 1882 Senator Palmer was again
nominated for the United States senate
by the Democrats, but was beaten by
Gen. Cullom, the Republican nominee.
His next political battle was in 1888,
when he took up arms against Private
Joe Fifer, the Republican candidate for
governor. Notwithstanding his three
score years and ten. he threw himself
into the campaign with all the fire OF
his early youth. 1t was terribly trying
work, involving dreary, fatguing rides
and hundreds of speeches in all hooks
and corners of the state. He cut down
the Republican majority in way that
startled the leaders of that party as they
had not been in many year before. He
sheer strength of his personal popu-
larity and personal exertlons. Speak
ing of this contest last week, he said:
I'VE made close fight of it, but Gull
lom got after me at the end, and | could
not cover all his ground. There was
not time. [ did not not want to accept
the nomination. | was i'll Springfield
when they asked me to run. told
them supposed they wanted me to ac-
cept, make nice Old-gentlemanly can
vass OF it, and take my dose at the end.
They said that was about the size of it.
| was in a barber shop getting shaved
when they came and told me l was
nominated. / went up and told them l
would make as good a canvass as could.
did have the young men with me.
But | made it all right with Cullom
afterwards. | wrote to the state COM
mittee and told them if they would put
my name in the primaries and make my
election to the senate an issue in the
campaign for the legislature | believed
l could win. They agreed to do it.
They thought | would get about ninety
votes. | was sure [ would get 103. and
that was enough to win. / got all but
tive of the 1o3, and those two were Alli-
ance men,"
In this off-hand way the senator
speaks OF his last wonderful canvass for
the senatorship, something heretofore
unheard of in politics. 1t is the first
time on record that senator has been
to all intents and purposes elected
directly by the people, for that
is what 1t amounted to, the en-
tire legislative canvass turning upon
Senator Palmer's candidacy for
the United States senate. The balloting
at Springfield was one of the most ex-
citing political events OF the state. 1t
lasted for days. The party feeling was
intense. Men at times quite lost their
heads and several fist fights occurred.
No less than 153 ballots were taken
without result. Then it was that the
two Farmers Alliance men cast their
votes with the Democrats and Senator
Palmer was declared elected.
Springfield that night simply went
mad with joy. Brass bands. bonfires,
and cheering, bowling professions kept
the streets pandemonium until broad
daylight. The excitement throughout
the state was almost as great. Senator
Palmer was swamped with invitations
to 60 everywhere and to make speeches
to everybody. His letters OF congratu-
latlon came to him by the bushel. 1t
was one OF the most singular and over
whelming triumphs in all his stormy