The Mankato free press., 1894-10-26
MANKATo FREE PRss
DEMOCRATS MEET.
Love Feast of the Inter
rified.
Chairman Hammond SIyIy Apologies
for Candidate Bakers Change OF
Heart-General Becker Pleads for
His Party to Stand Firm.


rally occurred as Observation-Disclosures
ming in the Mankato theatre.
The Mankato band played numbe
Of sweet selections upon the street
after which it marched to the theatre
where a good sized audience hat
already assembled for fear of a crowd
only to find ample room for everybody
On the stage were Gen. Geo. l.
Becker, Democratic candidate fol
governor; Gen. j. II. Baker, candidate
for congress: John Ludwig, w. s.
Hammond, chairman Of the Demo,
cratic congressional committee; Chas.
O'Connor of St. Clair; ;E. Il. Champlin.
eX-speaker of the house, of Garden
City; p L. Vranizan, secretary county
central committee and chairman
Himmelman, chairman county central
committee.
About a third of the audience was
composed of Republicans, led thither
by curiosity and disposition to give
the speakers an opportunity to tell
how the Wilson bill has brought re-
turn Of easy times.
The program was commenced with
out music, Chairman Himmelman in
Producing w. S. Hammond. "There
isno time from January to December"
began the speaker, "when the voters
can so calmly and conservatively con-
slider the political situation as just
prior to an election" He then
referred to the bitter denunci-
ations of the party by the
Republican press. He spoke
not as partisan, but sincerely on
his own convictions, and he wasn't
here to assail anybodys candidacy. He
praised each party candidate in turn,
saying he had nothing against them
as public men. He did not propose,
however, to vote for either Nelson or
Owen, but for a man who had been
identified with the interests of Min
neSota from her territorial days down
to the present prosperous statehood.
He would support man against
whom no one had yet dared to assail
or say one word to besmirch-Gen.
Geo. L. Becker.
He then began to define his position
in regard to fusion. Hesaid the watch
word of Democracy four years ago was
anything to beat the Republican can
didate. They did not stop to consider
that by uniting on their own stand
ard-bearer they made his election pos
sible. With this object in view Demo
Gratis generally at that time threw
their strength to Owen. He cautioned
his partisans to stand by their nomi
nee as against wandering into strange
folds and causing their defeat, and
said la Patrick Henry, "We have
no light to guide our steps but the
lightof experience"
He quoted few figures to illus
trate how it was possible for the
Democracy by standing solidly to-
gether to elect its candidate. The
total vote cast in Minnesota in 1890
was 100000: in 1892, presidential
year, when the full strength of the
voting populace was brought out, it
was 255, 600. 1t is safe to say that the
vote cast this year will be 25O,OO0, 10,-
600 of which will go to the prohibition
candidate, basing his assertion on the
fact that two years ago the leader of
that party received $1,000 ballots,
leaving 100000 votes to be divided
among three candidates. The fortu-
nate one, he said, must therefore poll
a vote in excess of $4,000. Dan. w.
Lawler polled 80, 900 votes in '92, which
is about IA, 900 more than the divided
vote this year. In '93 Wilson re-
ceived $4,000, and in 92 Donnelly re-
ceived 31,000. In go $4,000 ballots
were placed to the credit of Owen. If
Owen shows the same strength this
year he will be about $4,000 short of
the necessary vote to elect. He con-
sidered it the height of folly for Demo-
Gratis to vote for the other candidates
in an effort to beat the other fellow
when their support was needed so
much at home, and he again pleaded
with the Democrats to be true to
their own flag and standard bearer
even if they did sometimes believe the
Populist candidate had better op-
portunity of winning.
1t had been stated, he said, from the
Republican platform and press, that
the Democratic party had done moth
ing. He pointed with pride to the
fact that that the Mckinley law was
wiped from the statutes, and that the
Wilson bill had been substituted
in the face of the most vigorous op-
position, but he failed to state that
this opposition came from his own
party. He only regretted that the
Democratic party had not gone farther
in the direction of tariff reform.
He referred to the sugar bill by say
ing that the Democratic congress had
ont tho tav ,,n6ar tho McK inlav HI