The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-02-24
SENATOR FROM WYOMING.
Governor Osborne Appoints A. G.
Beckwjth of Evanston.
A COMPROMISE CANDIDATE.
The Governor Gives His Reasons for
the Selection.
He Intended to Delay the Matter a Few
Days but a Telegram from Senator
German Advised the appoint
ment at Once.

CHEYENNE, Wy, Feb. 23.-[Special. !
-Asahel G. Beckwith of Evanston was
this afternoon appointed United States
senator from Wyoming, the appointment
to take effect March 4. Governor Osborne
had not intended to make any appointment
today and had said as much to callers at
the state house who made inquiry about
the matter, as he had some doubts as to
the propriety of an immediate appoint
ment and did not intend to make it. This
afternoon he received a dispatch from
Senator German of Maryland telling him
to appoint at once, that the governor of
Florida had just done so, and his right to
appoint was undoubted. Accordingly Mr..
eBeckwith S commission was made outand
he himself informed by wire of his eleva
ton to a public Office of the highest rank.
Governor Osborne was seen shortly after
the appointment was made and when
asked the reason compelling him to ap-
point Beckwith, spoke of it as being
compromise between Thompson and New,
the two leading candidates in the sena-
torial struggle. General Thompson, the
governors aide, was supported chiefly by
the people of central Wyoming, while
Mr.. News support came from the west
and northern parts of the state.
Icould not appoint both, continued Gov
ernor Osborne, and thought it best to go
outside of the two leaders in the fight.
The whole responsibility was placed upon
me by the legislature failure to elect
and acted as thought best for the party
and appointed Mr.. Beckwith, who would
be more acceptable to the people generally
than either General Thompson or Mr..
New, after the bitter fight that has
occurred.
"Do you not consider Mr.. Beckwith's
appointment about tantamount to that of
Mr.. New, as it was he who managed Mr..
Beckwith's campaign?''
sNo, l do not. Mr.. Beckwith was
never candidate and his appointment
should no more be regarded as equivalent
to that of Mr.. New than should the selec-
ton of one of General Thompson's sup
porters be looked upon as tantamount to
that of the general himself. regret very
much that the whole responsibility ever
devolved upon me. / did everything in
my power to bring about an election by
the legislature and wheeled the Carbon
county delegation into line for General
Thompson when their preference for Beck
was unmistakable,
81 urged the necessity of an election
upon the members of the legislature indi-
vidually and collectively in caucus, but it
seemed utterly impossible for them to
unite on man and now that the whole
responsibility has become mine 1 have
done what thought in the best interests
OF the party and state and appointed Mr..
Beckwitn. who possesses every qualifica-
ton required to fill the position with dig
nifty and advantage to the state.''
A. G. Beckwith, the man who has thus
been honored, has been a resident of
Wyoming since 1867 and has grown rich
in the live stock and general mercantile
business. When he first came to the
territory which is now the state of
Wyoming, he located in Cheyenne, and
was elected a member of the first city
council when the city was incorporated.
Later he located in Uintah county, where
he now has one of the finest stock farms
in the state.