St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-01-15
THE SENATORIAL REBELLION.

THE SEN REBELLION.
To a man up tree the senatorial sit
uaton in this state looks to have cleared
somewhat within the last day or two.
The murky atmosphere in which it was
enveloped for time has drifted OFT for
lack OF any substantial anchorage. The
opposition within the Republican ranks
to the regular Republican nominee has
gradually dissolved for lack Of a cour-
ageous leader. Without such leader
cohesion was impossible. 1t was abso-
lutely necessary to have Republican
candidate or character and courage with
whom to antagonize DAVIS, around
whose standard all the elements of OPP
position could rally. Gen. CLAPP was
beSought to take this leadership; but,
while the genial eX-attorney general
would have been pleased to be made
senator, he did not feel like playing
the role of stool-pigeon. He was
shrewd enough to understand that
he who should step forth as
the leader of the guerrilIas, to challenge
in battle the regular forces under DA-
Wis, could at best do nothing more than
possibly make the election Of the latter
impossible, without making his own
election even a probability. For the
bitter antagonisms which he would
necessarily create in bringing about the
political assassination of the chosen
leader of the party would in turn have
accomplished his political death-and
another would, as was intended by the
schemers. have gotten the plum.
In turn, NELSON was appealed to; but
whatever opinion may be held of the
new governors attachment to political
principles, there is no difference of
opinion as to his attachment for good,
fat Office. HIS present Office has in it
more of both money and patronage than
90 with seat in the senate.
Gov. MERRIAM was anxious up to the
point of indiscretion to see DAVIS
beaten; but he, like CLAPP, fully real
lied that failure would be treason and
political death, and success meant the
elevation of some man who had created
no antagoniSms 10y remaining out of the
fight. A level-headed and cool man in
it is quite amusing what an ostrich the
| ex-governor has made of himself in this
senatorial squabble. With his head
deeply buried in the sand, the whi L.
state has been convulsed with laughter
at the portion of the figure left in the
open air, surmOunted by an unmistaka-
bic lightning rod. But the senatorial
electricity has shown no affinity with
the rod, although the latter, it is
claimed, was heavily covered with gold.
So ends the great rebellion against
the chief leader of the Republican party
| III Minnesota.
Senator DAVIS has been Republican
| of Republicans. He stood by HARRI-
son on every measure which was ap-
proved at The White house. In his sup
port OF the MCKINLEY bill, of the force
bill, OF every species of political legisla-
| ton, Mr.. DAVIS was found at the front.
| He had the courage of the convictions
OF his party, and he Loyalty stood by
them on all occasions. He has not been
half-hearted in his support of the most
| bitterly partisan legislation. Unlike
| NELSON on the tariff question, he has
not played either the hypocrite or the
coward. Unlike MERRIAM, he has not
pandered to the DoNNELLY vagaries of
| government, nor has he found it neces-
sary to keep any of the leaders of that
gang of political and blood-sucking pi-
rates on his payroll. DAVIS is not an
ideal statesman, but he is an ideal Re-
publican; and the Republicans of Min
nesota would have shown themselves
both ungrateful and hypocritical if they
had replaced HIM by man devoid of
political convictions, or one who had
not the courage to defend the pr.nci.
plies of his party.