St. Paul daily globe., 1892-05-08
The Curious State Of Things
in the New Seventh Con-
gressional District.
Republicans There Willing to
Give a Free Trader Their
Nomination.
Harrison Men Sore Over the
Failure Of the Convention
to Instruct for Ben.


boldly protesting in state and county
conventions that they believe in and in
dOrse the Mckinley tariff act from
beginning to end, have a peculiar way
of carrying out their prOtestatlonS. The
same men who shout themselves hoarse
over an Endorsement of the principle
of protection are found standing In
public places advocating the nomina-
ton of eX-Congressman Knute Nelson
for governor, although he voted for the
Mills bill, and, had he been in congress
two years ago, would undoubtedly
have been one of the staunch-
est opponents of the McKin-
ley bill. Should the coming
Republican state convention nominate
Mr.. Nelson for governor and then carry
out Senator Davis desire by adopting
platform frankly and openly declaring
in favor Of the extreme protection tariff
views of the statesman OF PennSylvanla
the people of the state will marvel. ana
rightly, tuo, at the exhibition. Whether
Mr.. Nelson is anxious enough to gain
the office of governor to Stultify himself
on this question is doubtful, but if his
ambition has so completely overmas-
tered his sense of the external fitness OF
things, the people of Minnesota will not
forget where he stood for many years
previous to 1883. when he cast his vote
in congress for the Mills bill-a vote
that was then and is now Endorsed by
rs per cent at least of the people of this
state.
But the Republican politicians and
organs, or some of them, say that the
governor of Minnesota has nothing to
do with the tariff laws of the country,
and that only candidates for seats i'll
congress are TO be interrOgated Oh that
subject. Granting that this is true, and
that it would be possible for the guber-
material candidate Of the Republican
party in this state to make his campaign
ON state issues this year (Which is an
impossible suppOsitiOn), what are the
leaders in the various congressional dis
tricts doing?
Are they seeking out prOtectionists to
make their congressional campaigns?
Only one district need be mentioned
to show that this is not the case. In the
new Seventh district the leaders rec
OgniZe the fact that DrOtectiOnist can
no more be elected to congress than he
can fly. The Republican party in that
district lost nearly all the county Offices
in that district two years ago, and the
them back, and they are not going to be
at all particular how they accomplish
this coveted result. A fOrcible example
of this is found Ill the fact that just now
the Republican papers of the Seventh
district are vigorously booming Gen.
L. Ii. Barrett, of Stevens county, for
the Republican congressional n0miha-
ton.
Now, it is not necessary to tell who
Gen. Barrett is, or where he stands as
regards the main political issues of the
day. Every delegate i'll the Republican
state convention of 1883 will remember
the gallant fight he made as member
of the platform committee against the
late Gordon E. Cole, OF Faribault; how
he brought IN minority report reiter-
ating the old position of the Republican
party of Minnesota on the tariff queS-
ton, and demanding that the party re-
fuse to indOrSe the tariff plank injected
into the Chicago platform by Maj. Nc
Kinley. And every man present
will also remember how the
brave old warrier was treated; how the
delegates hoOted when lie tried to read
the minority report, and how he
stuck right to it in spite OF everything
until he had read every word Of it.
And. Gen. Barrett today stands just
where he did four years ago on this
question, and yet the Republicans of
the Seventh district would give him
their nomination for congress in spite
of his low tariff views ii he would ac-
cept it. But he will not do anything of
the kind. The fact that the Republican
party is considering the matter shows
that the party is either divided on the
tariff question or is playing the hypo-
critic for the sake of catching the votes
of both sides.
Senator Davis, however, is in earnest
in regard 10 the necessity of the party
in this state coming Squarely over to the
Pennsylvania idea. He went to WASH
ington prOtectionist, and the six years
spent at the national capital have shown
him that the party in the East has but
one mission, the protection of the manu-
featuring interests. Without this it
would not be able to carry the Keystone
state. 1t may be fact that Mr.. Davis
came West to attend the late con-
vention for the purpose of heading off
the Nelson boom for governor, but there
is no reason to doubt that he thoroughly
and sincerely believes that the only
safe course for the Republican party in
Minnesota to pursue is to indOrSe the
doctrine of protection as it is preached
in the high councils of the party. In
pressing this idea upon his party in the
convention Thursday he probably did
not feel any great regret that he was
able to give the little Norwegian"
severe thrust.
There has been sudden cessation of
the Nelson talk since the late conven-
ton. The delegates from the back
counties all seemed to think that Con-
gresham Lind'S protest against dicta-
tiOn and bOSSiSm in this years cOnvei-
ton for the nomination of candidates
for the state offices was aimed at what
has been popularity termed the Merriam
Nelson combination. His words were
full of meaning as we'll as warning.
They follow:
'If Minnesota is lost he said. ''it willbe
the fault of those who set themselves up to
be leaders. l believe the majority of the
people of this state are Republicans, and all
we have 10 do is to be worthy of their sup
port ! believe in organization, but do not
believe in dictation or bOssism. There is no
man greater than his parry. and if any man
attempts to dictate to his party he is its
greatest enemy. We cannot afford to have
our tickets made anywhere except i'll cur
conventions and by ourselves. | have, o
right to say these things. because have
been a Republican. and there is no Office
want We cannot afford, in the convention
to come, to have any one dictate to u.s. l
came 500 miles to attend this convention,
and when arrived / found that the four
delegates -at-largesto the national convention
had all been elected. They are all good men,
but it might have been flattering 10 allow one
to think that he was having voice in help
ing to pick them out" -
Gov. Merriam placed himself in the