St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-14
So Said Senator Davis When
He Bolted Alexander RAM
sey's Nomination,
And Again When He Helped
to Retire the Late Seere-
tary Window.
But Republicans Who Oppose
a Caucus This Year Are
Very Bad Men.
Manager Severance Expresses
Himself Very Pointedly
on This Subject.

on InlS SuUJSCt.
"Down with the caucus, which means
death to all other Republicans and
personal lease to Window and the ma
chine"
This was considered good Davis doc
trine ten years ago in the famous con-
test that resulted i'll the retirement of
the late William Window and the cleo
ton of D. NJ. Sa5ln to the United States
senate. This quotation is from the edl-
torial columns Of the Dispatch of De-
cember, 1882. The Dispatch was then
owned and edited by Capt. Ii. A. Castle,
and was the personal organ Of Senator
Davis: and, indeed, it was for services
rendered at that time that Capt. Castle
owes his appointment as postmaster OF
st. Paul.
OF course the youthful managers of
Senator Davis campaign will deny that
Mr.. Davis took hand in defeating the
late secretary of the treasury, but fort
unately the proofs are at hand. In 1882
Senator Davis was not only against Mr..
Window, but he was actively in the fight,
going so far in his opposition as to en-
courage the candidates. Of several indie
pendent Republican candidates i'll va
riouS parts of the state and going into
their districts and urging their election
over the regular nominees. In one OF
these speeches delivered at VOsa. in
Goodhue county, Mr.. Davis, i'll urging
the election of Prof. Wilson. the indie
pendent and anti-Windom candidate, ~
Assaulted Nr. Window
so shamefully that he could not secure
quarters for the night i'll the neighbor-
hood and with several friends camped
in the meeting hall. Defeated through
out the state Mr.. Davis and his organ
then set out to prevent the holding OF
party caucus, we'll knowing that MIR.
Window had a large majority OF the
Republican members of the legislature.
How we'll the scheme succeeded the
people of this state know.
1883 MIR. Davis was simply following out
the natural bent of his inclina-
tions, for, in 1875, after going
into the caucus which nominated
Senator Ramsey. ne headed
boiling movement which resulted in
Mr.. Ramsey's defeat. In opposing a
caucus in 1888 Capt. Castle in the Dis
patch cited the contest OF 1875, declar-
ing that none of the men who had
bolted the caucus had even been pun
nished for his course. This editorial.
evidently inspired by Senator Davis, sap
peared Jan. 10, 1883. 1t follows:
Who's Afraid 20 Bolt?
One of the chronic arguments Of the
machine politicians is that 10 Republican
senator or member who has any regard for
his own political future can afford to stay
out of senatorial caucus. s--4--.aE
Let US see about that. Let us appeal to
history. In 1878 there occurred the most i'll
tensely bitter senatorial contest that has, up
to this time, ever been Waged in Minnesota.
Alexander Ramsey was the leading caifdi-
date. his opponents being G. * Davis. W d.
Washburn and Horace Austin. All of the
Republicans, some of them under protest,
went into the caucus. The anti Ramsey men
forced recess before a nomination had been
made, and large number of them refused
10 go back or to be bound by the final de-
cision of the caucus, which, on reassembling,
promptly nominated Mr.. Ramsey:
Among those who refused to go back, or to
vote for Ramsey in the legislature, were the
following gentlemen: L.. /. Hubbard, r. b.
Langdon. II. B. Clement, W. P. Huntington,
E. P. Freeman. G. II. Petit. r. II. Armstrong.
L. Fletcher. S. B. Hopkins, George A. Camp.
David Benson and A. e. Rice. These men
and their associations have been sligmatiZed
as ''bolters and disorganizers' ever since by
the $4,000 ST. Paul organ and its echoes.
Their offense if it were one, was mucn more
fragrant than the one now proposed by the
anti-W indom men. But how was their
Culture in the Party''
affected by their action? Read: L. F. Hub
bard. governor of Minnesota; l.. Fletcher,
speaker of the house; r. B. Langdon. II. B.
Clement and A. E. Rice. state senators; w. P.
Huntington. register land Office Red Wood
Falls; E. 2. Freeman. county attorney, Blue
Earth county; Petit, Armstrong Benson,
Hopkins and Camp, all Endorsed by their
constituents, and frequently honored since
1875 with high Offices
And how stand the gentlemen who adj
vised this action. or consented to it. in whose
interest 1t was made, and who were then al
legged by ring men and machine politicians to
be ploWed under and buried forever? Read:
G. X. Davis, chairman Republican state
central committee: w. ID. Washburn. mem
Der of congress for six years; Horace Austin.
late third auditor of the treasury, and now
| register of the Fargo land office.
| Has the political action of these men in
| 1875 ever been remembered by the people to
| their detriment?
| Have they ever suffered in mind, body or
| politics for their doings then? On the con-
| trary, does not the principal claim OF most
| of them to public recognition rest Oh the
| record they then made?
Let Langdon, Fletcher and Huntington,
| who are now bowling for the caucus, give
| the answer. Meantime, who's afraid?"
But this year things are slightly DIFF
| ferent, and Senator Davis and his man
uIC INV q
caucus be held. The man who bolted
his party caucus in 1875, thereby defeat
ing the best United States senator the
state ever had, and who shouted in 1883.
''down with the caucus" and forced
enough of his friends to keep away to
effect the defeat of Mr.. Window, is now
causing his managers to threaten the
political existence of all Republicans
who hesitate on the subject
of caucus. A sample of
the way MI. Davis and his managers
feel Oh the subject OF senatorial eau
Gus was given by 'Cordie" Severance,
the man who is bossing the Davis cam
paign, yesterday. A Republican said
TO him that there is some opposition to
caucus among the Republican men,
bels. In an instant the youthful boss
was quivering with excitement.
oh the Republican who refuses
to go into the caucus" he said, and then
he proceeded to roast the anti-Davis
men to a brown turn.
1t makes vast deal of difference
whose OK is gored in this case.
WRECK ON THE ROCK ISLAND.
DIES MoINEs To-, Dec. 14.-It is reported
here that there was a wreck on the Rock
Island DAD at some Eastern Iowa point last
evening, in which five persons were