New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1894-09-26
Wednesday September se 1884,
Editorial.

Editorial. >,@.~..
To explode the claim that Peterson is
the nominee of regular convention.it is
only necessary to review this tangle from
it's start. Such review can have but
one effect that Of showing up Peterson
as skillful practitioner in bluffs and
tricks.
In the call for the Republican county
convention held at Sleepy Eye on the
28th of June. there appeared a clause
stating that senatorial delegates should
be elected at the time This was before the
senatorial convention call had been is
sued, and the clause was inserted by the
county committee for the reason that the
chairman had been partially assured that
the call would be issued fer a senatorial
convention previous to the holding OF
our county convention. For some rea-
son this was not done, and when the
chairman called the convention to order
he made the statement that senatorial
delegates could not be elected at that
time because it was not known on what
basis the senatorial committee would ap-
portion the delegates. H. G. Warnke a
member of the senatorial committee sus-
tanned the county chairman as did also
other delegates, but faction, head"
ed by Peterson, Silverson. Hays and 9TH
ers, insisted Tat the convention had the
right and proposed to exercise it. They
were in the majority and twenty dele
gates were elected and empowered to Sc
lect from or adj to their own number
sufficiently to comply with the senator-
al call when it shauld be issued. On the
18th of July the senatorial committee,
consisting of D. L. Bigham, E. G.. Koch
and H. G. Warnke,. met and apportioned
the delegates on the basis of one for
every tifty-fve votes cast for Harrison
electors at the preceding election. This
was the same basis on which Senator
Petersen, as chairman of the senatorial
committee based the call for the conven-
ton which nominated him in 1890, and
the apportionment gave Brown county
twenty delegates and Redwood twenty
one. The Redwood county convention
was held on the 18th Of September. Pet
erson was present and made an effort to
secure the delegates for himself, but
when twenty une delegates were chosen
and instructed for E. D. French, he set
about to start an independent movement
for himself in the following disgraceful
manner. The Brown county convention
for the nomination of a county ticket
was to be held on the 18th Of September.
Nothing appeared in the call relative to
a new set of senatorial delegates, but at
. the very opening of the convention the
resolution was sprung, which contained
the names of twenty new delegates, who
were instructed not to 60 into any con-
vention with Redwood county except on
basis of one delegate for every fifty
votes cast for Knute Nelson, and if this
could not be done to hold convention
of their own and nominate whomever
they might see fit. The resolution also
set forth that the first delegation was
elected without warrant, inasmuch as no
call had been issued for a senatorial con-
vention and further that inasmuch as the
office of senator was state office the ap-
portionment should be based on the vote
cast for state officer, namely, governor.
The first excuse was directly contrary to-
the ground they had taken in the Sleepy
Eye convention and the latter in conflict
with all precedents of the Republican
party and even of that established by
Peterson himself, four years ago. The
resolution passed. however, not only be-
cause it was introduced in hurry but
because no one appeared to explain its
ultimate object-the paving of the way
for bolt under the cloak of an illegal
ity in the original convention that did
not exist. But it mattered little to Pet
erson how his purpose was attained, and
when the delegates were once elected he
started about his long-laid plans III the
manner described elsewhere in these COL
umns. What his object was is plain
enough-simply to make Redwood and
Brown county act Independently of each
other. In this he was foiled, and by the
honest members of the first delegation
whom Peterson could not use as tools.
There has not been the least bit of reeu
larity about his proceedings and the peo-
pie know it. And if he gets his name on
the ticket as q Republican cond;5o+o -