St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-01-08
DOC" AND 'IG" RULE
Donnelly. and Fish Carry the
Alliance in Their Pants
Pockets.
The Subtreasury Scheme
Crammed Down the Del
egateS' Threats.
National Prohibition and
Other New Things Forci-
bly, Advocated.
Gen. j. H. Baker Goes Down
to Defeat With Flying
ColorS.

SO1OTSs
1t was "Doc" Fish'S day again in the
Alliance convention yesterday at
Minneapolis. He had defeated Gen.
Baker the day before for the state
lectureship solely upon the difference of
opinion of each candidate to the office
upon the subtreasury scheme emanat-
ing from the Peoples party and copied
by Fish. Baker is a professed Alliance
man, in full sympathy and accord with
the fundamental principles of the
party, but he holds that the subtreas-
ury proposition is both impracticabe
and class legislation of the worst
stamp. The majority of the convention
are ductile before doc" Fish's oratory
and he was elected. Then he had the
coign of vantage again by being APP
pointed chairman of the committee on
resolutions, and the platform upon
which the party must battle for supre-
macy in this state is an exposition of
doc" Fish's views. Hence he was the
lion Of the day. Any oppositiOps to his
declarations were swept away as easily
eS cObWebS are brushed from the wall
zen. Baker and Senator Hixon were
numbered among the opposition that
fell PROSTATE before the tremendous
march of the Fish faction. And DOC"
Fish's differences were hailed with JOY
and tumultuous applause, while the
speeches of the opposing element met
with cheers and deriSiOn.
The entire day was devoted to the
consideration of the platform, and It is
a very vOluminous affair, covering a
wide scope of political and quasi-politi-
cal topics. Some are innovations, but
most are patterned after the sentiment
tfat has perVaded the party from its in
cepton.
When Doc Fish took the platform to
read the result of his laborS, the entire
members of the convention had not vet
assembled. but they came in shortly
uutil full complement was present.
The first resolution was upon the none
tary system of the national government,
ana 1t produced the first sensation. The
initial test came upon motion to re-
consider the motion to pass upon each
plank as read, and it showed Fish in a
secure majority. The vote was an
n0unced 225 to l4S. This pleased p. Ii.
Rahilly UNNECESSARILY.
Senator Hixon, from the committee,
when. the Fish resolution was read,
asked permission to submit minority
report. He protested that the SubtreaS-
my plank had been passed upon by the
committee before he became aware of
II. lie had never suspected that it was
to be the first resolution in the report
Mr.. HlXOn argued that it involved a
principle that should be acted upon by
national convention and that it does not
properly belong to the province of any
state organization. In arguing against
the
SubtreaSury Clause.
the senator felt free to caution the con-
Vention that it will recipitate county
seat war in every county i'll the United
States. The minority report reads:
The minority begs leave to dissent from
the majority Tor the following reasons: The
OcalR platform contains financial proposi-
tons which believe to be revolutionary in
their character and subversiYe to good gov
eminent. The subtreAsury or storehouse
scheme, if carried out, would afford no relief
to the laborer or poor man in The cities. The
fuctuatiOn in values OF products causes the
machinery necessary to carry out these plans
to make IL totally impractcable of successful
operation. Any reasonable and practicable
measure CT expanding the circulating me-
dunn we would heartily 1ndorse. as we be-
lieye the present circulation totally made
Quate to answer the needs of the people
There was likely to be an intermin-
able debate. and President Donnelly
had the foresight to prevent it by sug-
costing that twenty minutes be given to
each-Gen. Baker against the plank and
doc" Fish in Substantiation. The plan
was happy, and it was so ordered with
Out diSSentiOn.
BAKER to the Front.
Gen. Baker maintained that If the
eubtreasury plank was adopted it would
be the rock on which the Alliance of
Minnesota and the United States would
split. 1t was gigantic piece of class
legislation. If the bill now before con-
greSS was passed it would occasion
state and county fights in the location
of subtreasuries and the selection of
agents which would eclipse the hottest
political or county seat war ever known.
History cried out against the adoption
of the SubtreaSury plank.
But Doc" Fish had the sympathy of
the crowd, and they cheered heartily
and applauded with vehemence as he
progressed with his luminous recital of
the benefits that would ensue from the
proposed new financial system. A sam
pie of his argument that the measure is
highway robbery may be considered
class legislation because it seeks to ben
eft the men that are robbed. This
proposition had an electrical effect, and
tremendous applause ran through the
hall like cyclone and drowned out the
doctors voice for a time. Fish then
cited the fact that thirty-nine states had
already indOrSed the scheme. and he de-
family challenged Gen. Bakers posi-
ton, and asserted that before the latter
was five years older he would have rea-
son to regret that he ever took such a
bad stand.
Mrs. Lease created a perfect furore
when she responded toa call and argued
lne question.
SO the debate ran rampant for an
hour. 1t was carnival of oratory-
some eloquent and some Indifferent, but
all unique. 1t became so serious that
Maj. HOtchkiss, the whilom greenback-
or, and the present editor of the Ma
tional Republican, of Preston, under
took to conciliate the factions bv i'm
pressing the Importance of harmony.
Mrs Diggs took her turn heroically and
1gnatius DonnellY aired his views and
sentiments, and A. L. Ball begged for
five minutes to eXpOstulate. He saw
only one fault in the plank. 1t did not
60 far enough.
Finally vote was reached on the
substitute, and it was lost. 467 to 81 1t
was moved, 1t should be related, by
Gen. Baker to strike out that portion
relating to the su5treasury scheme.
The original resolution was then adont-
ed amidst tumult and confusion and mr.,