The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-01-17

keepers into the hall. The sight of
his impudence fired the blood of the
President; he knew that Fish had
had copies of his paper distributed
In every seat, in the convention, full
OF the fOulest attacks on the alliance
and himself. The members had care
fully gathered them up by arm-full
and carried them out and dumped
them in the hall. But the Presi-
dent regarded Fish's presence as a
challenge and defiance, and leaving
his formal report he sailed into him in
lively fashion. He boldly charged him
with selling out the peoples party, in
the campaign of 1892, for republican
Doodle; and that he was even now
under the pay of the plutocrats to
distract, divide and breakup the re-
form movement in this state. He
called witness and produced docu-
ments to sustain these charges.
When he had finished Fish demand
ed to be heard in reply. There was
some objection, but Mr.. Donnelly
said he would not have attacked Fish
if he had not been present, and that
he hoped he would have fair hear
ing.
Fish took the platform and for
over two hours he rehashed all the
charges he had made against Mr..
Donnelly, in his paper, during the
past year. There we're some who
thought he was going to kill time
and talk until midnight, but he got
through at eleven o'clock. Mr.. Don
nelly then rose to reply.
The Minneapolis Tribune said the
next day:
"Then came Donnelly's inning. It
was perhaps the most vitrOlic and
volcanic piece Of eloquence ever
heard in this city, and those who
were fortunate enough to possess the
little red pieces of pastebOard which
were the open sesame to the hall,
were given/a treat that does not come
often. Reporters were excluded, but
it was not hard to discern that some
|
That the Sage was treme mendOusly in
earnest was apparent on a peep
through the glass doors of the hall,
and that he was growing eloquent
was also patent to those who waited
in the hall, his voice frequently pene-
trating into the corridors, as he
reached some climax in his philippe.
The applause was weak, and at
long intervals when Fish was speak
ing. Not so when Donnelly got
warmed up. Demonstrations of ap-
prOval were frequent and thunder
Gus as the Sage enveloped his an
tagOnist with his cOpious vocabulary
and his wealth of ridicule, and sar-
casm and wit"
The Minneapolis Journal said:
"After Fish had finished, Donnelly
left the chair and began a TRADE
which lasted for more than an hour.
It was literally process of flaying
alive and hanging, drawing and
quartering. The Sage's vocabulary
of invective seemed to have been
carefully brushed up for the fray,
like best coat that is only put on
occasionally, but which only looks the
better on that account. The ap-
plause was not enthusiastic or pro-
lOnged while Fish was talking, but
under Donnelly's rhetoric there was
a marked change and the audience
evidently had the worst of the en-
counter"
| DONNELLY'S REPLY TO FISH.
We copy from the Minneapolis
Tribune the following partial and
imperfect report of President Don
nely's speech, supplementing it with
some extracts which the Tribune did
not get. Mr.. Donnelly commenced
very cody and quietly. He said:
FIsH's CHARACTER FOR vERAC1rY.
! "Mr. President, much of what has
been said by DR.. Fish against me
rests upon his own unsupported
statement; and it's value must de-
pend upon his character for veracity.
II can show that he is fabricatOr
and falsifier in one or two plain in
stances, everything which he has
said, and which rests upon his own
unsupported testimony, must fall to
the ground.
He has just said to you that he
never was hostile to Mr.. Owen, and
that he never abused him. 1 have
been told, since this discussion began
that a member upon this floor is
ready to state that Fish called S. M.
Owen, after he was nominated for
governor, by the Alliance a son Of
a b-h. That gentleman ia here
present; he is one Of those who spoke
to you this morning; he is a promin-
ent leader in reform ranks. I call
upon Mr.. Wallraff to say whether 1
have correctly represented him."
Mr.. Wallraff here took the stand
and said that he regretted to be drag
ged into the controversy but that Fish
had used precisely those words to him
in conversation, in reference to Mr..
Owen.
FISH'S LOSSES IN THE CAMPAIGN.
DR.. Fish also told you that lin the
campaign last yeaf he spent 81 $50 of
his own money, over and above the
sums received by him from the peO-
pies party, and that he was out of
pocket that much. call upon the
assistant secretary of the peoples
party, in that contest, Robert Eek
ford, who with Mr.. Hanson had
1 r a - y