St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-01-09
PopuIists Said to Have Been
Instructed to Vote Against
Democrats.
The Position Of Beeeher Is
Now the All-Absorbing
Question.
An Investigation to Be Made
Of the Doodle Charges
at Bismarck.
A Couple Of Editors Will Be
Asked to Tell What
They Know.

Special to the Globe.
HELENA, Mont, Jan. S.-Within the
past twenty-four hours the three Popu-
lists in the legislature have received in
structions from the leaders of the
party, presumably from Washington.
not to vote for Democrat for United
States senator under any circumstances.
1t is also stated that the Pop
ulists in Wyoming and Califor-
MIA have received exactly the same
instructions, with the view of
preventing the Democrats from secur-
ing an absolute majority in the senate.
By holding out the Populists hope to
get into a position to force the Demo
Gratis into promising some radical legis-
lation on silver. 1t is known that two
of the Montana PopulIsts are intend
ing to obey the request which has
come from the East, but the third,
Beecher, has made no promises, and be-
cause he is in position to elect DEM
ocrat, great deal of worry is felt as to
his attitude. He walked out of the
and has more than once said that he
would vote for a Democrat for senator.
The Republicans are hard at work try
ing to get him to pr omise to be
neutral at least for the first few
ballots. but he has suddenly taken
to keeping his own counsel and saying
nothing one way or the other. 1t is the
intention of the Democrats to force a
ballot on Tuesday, az according to the
decision in the senate in the Dubois
Claggett case in Idaho the law directs
that the balloting shall begin on
the first Tuesday after the legis-
lature is organized. Both the Dixon
and the Hauser men take this
view of the matter, and they will be
able combined to swing the Clark men
into line. The Hamilton-Leech case
cannot be settled until late in the SEES
sion, as the committee on elections has
asked for power to summon witnesses.
The name of neither of the gentlemen is
on the roll of the house, and,
except in the case of a deadlock,
they will .not be able to vote I'M
til the senatorial question is settled
This leaves the legislature with IS
Democrats, 50 Republicans. PopuIists,
and one seat vacant. If the Democrats
can secure the vote of Beecher, they
can elect a senator. Without him
they can do nothing until the
settlement of the Choteau county
contest, and If Beecher refuses to vote
with the Democrats on senator, it is
good guess that the three POpulists will
vote with the Republicans to seat
Leech, the contestant, which will leave
the former in position to dictate who
shall be elected or force a deadlock
to the end of the session, when
Gov. Richards, Republican, would APP
point a senator to serve until the legis-
Iative session Of 1895. The Democrats
are very nervous over the situation. and
are pushing matters for ballot to find
out just where Populist Beecher, the
king bee of the legislature, stands.
Hugh Wallace, of the Democratic ma
tional committee, who has been in Hell
ena about week looking into the SEN
atOriaI situation, left today for New
York. He says there is no doubt Of the
election Of a Democrat to the senate,
but declined to say who he thought
would be successful. The members of
the election committee decided tonight
to report finally to tine house tomorrow
in the HamiltOn-Leech contest, and not
to send for witnesses.