St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-10-13

states injected with the new hereSy, so
that i'll the contest for delegates the Re-
| publicans were warranted in their hopes
of carrying majority. 1t is probable
| that the Democrats rested too confident
! III their former strength. At any rate,
when the elections were held it was
! found that the delegates were so evenly
divided between the parties that the
contests would give the control to the
! one or the other according as they were
decided.
| Fifty-nine Republican members and
| flfty-three Democratic members gath
! cred in st. Paul before the Monday OH
! which they were to convene in conven-
ton. Party feeling ran high. Each
claimed the majority; each was deter
| mined to have it. The shadow of the
coming contest was hanging over the
! country. and its bitterness entered into
! the minds of men. To be Republican
was to be an abolitionist, negro wor-
shipper, a disturber of the peace Of the
nation. To be a Democrat was to be
partner with thesslave driver; an enemy
lot human freedom. Kansas was in the
thfoes of the great conflict between the
Republicans and Democrats for control,
and the New England society was send
lug out emigra1ts with Bibles in one
hand and SharpS rifles in the other
to meet ''border ruffians," men who
went there merely to insist on rights
guaranteed by the laws and the courts
1t is probable that the New England
society felt that young Minnesota needed
aid and granted it. Big stakes were at
risk. State sovereignty. squatter SOW
ereignty, free soil were locked in strug-
gle.
1t Is easy to imagine the scenes of
the Saturday and Sunday preceding the
Monday meeting. There were gather
lngs in the hotels, hot discussions, loud
claims. smaller gatherings in secluded
rooms of the leaders, and discussion of
methods OF procedure. 1t is plain that
the Republicans had no confidence
in their Democratic brethren. They
evidently believed them so ca
pable of unfair tricks to get ad-
vantage that they felt justified in re-
sorting to the same method to gain the
same ends. Before midnight on Sunday
the Republicans went to the capitol and
took possession of the hall of represent
atives. Whether the Democrats had in
tended to make the same move, or
whether they had caught on'' to the
Republican move, does not appear,
but the Democrats came also and
shared the room with the Re
pubiicans. Into it little be-
fore II a. m. came Charles l.. Chase,
the territorial secretary, who had come
in with Medary's administration, and
began to call the roll of members. John
w. North. Republican delegate. rose
and began to call his roll. Amid the
confusion the secretary put motion to
adjourn. declared it carried, and the
Democrats filed out, leaving tho Repub-
llcanS in possession, who organized by
electing st. A. ID. Balcombe president
and l.. A. Babcock secretary.
The Democrats fiually decided to Or
-ganize by themselves, and met in the
senate chamber, elected Henry Il. Sib-
ley president and j. j. Noah secretary,
and proceeded to frame constitution.
Meanwhile the Republicans were SIM
ilarly engaged, and it looked as if the
tflal OF strength was to be referred
back to the people to decide be-
tween the two constitutions the
merits of the controversy. But better
counsels prevailed. Each party insisted
on maintaining its distinctive existen ce,
but conference committees were ap-
pointed, who met and discussed the va
riOus sections of the con situations
adopted by the two bodies, with the re-
suit that each body adopted the same
constitution, but each preserved its au-
tonomy to the last, each submitting to
she people the constitution as if it were
the only convention sitting. AS it made
no difference in the result. Democrats
voted for their constitution and the Re-
publicans for theirs. and the precious
dignities of each body and party were
thus preserved intact, and, by vote
which was practically unani nous, the
present constitution, minus its patches,
was adopted.