The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-09-27
ROUTED !!
French Delegates Run the New
Ulm Fox Into a Small
Hole,
their Man Unanimously
and Decidedly Harmon
i0us1y.
Slippery Sam Peterson FI0Cks by
Himself Behind Closed
Doors.

From Saturdays Extra.
It was not a battle, it was a rout.
The Redwood supporters of Judge b.
D. French who went to Sleepy Eye
Thursday expecting to see political
contest were treated to a surprise.
With a fairly elected majority of dele
gates on the ground, Judge French
was nominated without any apparent
opposition, receiving all the votes cast.
Slippery Sam was there, and up to his
old tricks. Outvoted in both counties,
he resorted to fraud in order to GUST
the anti-Peterson delegates in his own
county, and foreseeing that he had no
protest for obtaining possession of the
convention, he took his New Ulm fol-
lowers into a room at the Commercial
House, locked the doors, and declared
himself the Republican nominee for
the senate in this district.
Immediately after the arrival of the
Redwood county delegates at Sleepy
Eye, caucus was held by Judge
French's supporters, which included
all the Redwood delegates, chairman
Bigham, of the Republican Senatorial
committee, and Jacob Klosner,
Brown county delegate. Chairman
Bigham explained the matter of the
apportionment of delegates in Brown
and Redwood counties, which the SEN
atorial committee had based on the
vote for President Harrison in '92.
Peterson and his henchmen, finding
that they were clearly beaten by this
basis, as pretext had demanded that
the basis be the, vote for Knute Nell
son, upon which basis Brown and
Redwood counties would have the
same representation. The senatorial
committee had reconsidered their ac-
ton so far as to rea6rm their decision,
having found it in accordance with all
precedents, which included the SEN
atorial call for 1890, signed by S. D.
Peterson as chairman of the senatorial
committee at that time, which call
made the basis on the vote for Harri-
son at his first election.
Following Mr.. Bigham's statement,
Jacob Klosner, of Brown county, made
brief statement of the foxy way in
which the credentials of the Brown
county delegation had been put out
of the way, the responsibility for MAX
ing way with the document being di-
vided between Editor Hays and
Messrs. Hess and w. w. Smith, of
Sleepy Eye, all of whom denied any
knowledge of the whereabouts of the
credentials hence the senatorial dele
gates originally elected from Brown
county could only present afidavits of
the above facts to support their claim
to seats in the convention.
The caucus, over which G.. E. Nc
Kay presided, agreed to organize pur-
suant to the original call, and secure
the nomination of their candidate ac-
cording to established forms, in which
they we're assured of the cooperation
of Messrs. Klossner, Miller, Larrabee
and other Brown county delegates, at
least four of whom had seats in the
convention held afterward, and under
instructions from the committee on
credentials, ratified by the convention,
were authorized to cast the 20 votes of
their delegation for Senator.
Promptly at 3 p. m. Chairman Big
ham raped the convention to order.
The Redwood delegates sat in solid
array to the left of the chairman,
while the little cluster of Brown coun-
ty regulars sat on the opposite side of
the aisle, the main body of the dele
cation being conspicuously absent,
the cause for which was afterwards
explained. Ex-Congressman Lind,
Attorney Somerville, Messrs. Koch
and Warncke, the two Brown county
members of the Senatorial committee,
Representative Turrell, D. J. Shelf
field and others were interested spec
tators.
After reading the call, Chairman
Bigham asked for nominations for
chairman. G. NJ. Browne, of Delhi,