The representative., 1896-02-05
4 STARTLING Revelation.
HOW CAMPAIGNS ARE CARRIED
ON IN MINNESOTA.
Our Article OF Two Weeks AgO-It
Makes a Big Sensation.

other,--"When will this cup pass
awayo"
Some of our subscribers write us to
know what authority we have for
those significant and terrible figures:
they believe item to be true, but
who gave them? That is the absorb
ing question. -
To satisfy this reasonable curiosity
we give the entire article, as it ap-
peared, January 9, 1S96,in the "Minne-
apols Timas.'' 1t will be found in
teresting reading and an eye-opener
to the uninitiatcd Here it is:
- STARTLING REVELATION.
Editor Mitchell. of the Alexandria
Post" who has been making so much
trouble for the Republican state central
committee and more especially for its
chairman, has made the principal basis
of his fight the demand for an account
ing of the funds received and disbursed
by the committee III the campaign of 1894.
While Mr.. Mitchell is correct in many of
his statements and conclusions, it is plain
upon the face of it that in others he is
far from right. In the first place. his
charge of incompetency against Bixby
will not carry conviction or hold water
before any jury of practical politicians
that might be empaneied anywhere in the
state. No man who has ever taken part
| In the politics OF Minnesota has been fav-
ored with the unbroken series OF successes
| which has marked the career OF the pres
| ent chairman Of the state central commit
| tee Only few years ago, within the
| recollection Of some v5ry young politicians
| indeed, he was keeping peanut stand
| in Red Wing. and from his first pro-
| motion to the position Of secretary Of the
| railroad and warehouse commission, his
steady march OF success has been un-
| broken by single failure. In 1890, when
| there was nothing in the situation be-
| yond a repugnance TO the methods Of W.
| r. Merriam that gentleman was certainly
| a defeated man UP to within "a hours Of
| he election.
SOME OF HIS SUCCESSES.
1t was Bixby who originated the great
| colonization scheme in northeastern Min
| nesota which saved the day for the Re-
publican ticket If Merriam never was
| grateful before OF since, he was grateful
| then, and he took Bixby under his charge,
| or went under the charge OBJ Bixby for
nobody knows to this day which Of the
| two is master and which is man.
When Merriam was to retire and de-
| sired to name his successor and perpetu-
| ate his administration SO far as it re-
| lated to the office-holding machine, it was
| i'ixby who selected Knute Nelson as the
legatee, and BiXby who packed every
county in the state that all other
| candidates were practically forced out of
| the field, and it was BiXby who managed
| the campaign which gave Nelson a plu-
| rality of $4,000 when he would have given
| worlds to have been assured of narrow
| margin. When Merriam began to set his
| pins for the United States senate, it was
| 3ixby who cut Davis majority down to
| the bare margin of one vote. just to show
| that the state wasn't particularly wor-
| ried about Davis and it was BiXby who
| then and there conceived and set in op-
| GRAFTON the plan to elect Knute Nelson
| to the United States senate In 1895, thus
| giving the country senator and bring
ing it back to the cities in time for Mer-
| riam to finish up Davis in 1899.
| TAMS AS A SOOTHER.
| When the friends Of Washburn smelled
| bad faith with Washburn in the cam
| paign of 1894, it was Bixby who soothed
| them into sense of security and set
| them down on red-hot stove TO cool off
| and made them believe they were cool,
TOO. Then, when the final struggle came,
| when it be ame question of carrying out
| the plans of the ma"hin1, even though
It involved the nisdemeanor Of placing
| in the executive chair a man who was
| admittedly wholly unfit by nature or ac-
| quirements for the position and who
| would unQuestionably be a discredit to
| the state and the party, Bixby did not
| hesitate. The fact. that he was over rid
| ing the will of the people was stimu-
/ an
| seemed to go into the fight with an in
| creased relish. The history of that con-
| test and it's results are too recent to need
| recapitulation. He won again. BiXby
| abandoned peanut methods when he quit
| the peanut business and went into
| politics. No man can justly be called in
| competent who can point to record like
| that of BiXby.
As to the moral question involved in
his methods. that is matter for the com
| mon people. and not for professional pol
| iticians, to Quibble over.
| WHAT MITCHELL WANTS.
! But if Editor Mitchell wants true and
accurate statement Of the receipts and dis
| bursements of the state central committee,
| he will get it from other sources than the
| chairman of the committee. That is not
| one of Mr. Bixby's methods and further
| more, Mr. Bixby has reached a point in
| his series of successes where he is not re-
| sponsible to such an authority as Editor
| Mitchell. He is not responsible to anybody.
| A man who has maie three governors, OF
| at least two governors and an acting gov,
| ernor and a United States senator half
| baked in the oven and almost ready to put
| the top crust on, Is not likely to pay much
| heed to so humble an individual as an
| editor and a country editor at that.
| However, If Mr.. MitcIlell wants a state
ment that is reasonably accurate in deta3,
| and has gone through nc doctorng process
| in the making up, he will find that which
| follows TO be within very few hundred
| dollars of absolute accuracy, both as to
receipts and expenditures.
| The statement was made, largely from
| memory, it is true. by former employe Of
| the state central committee, who fell out
| with the committee shortly after the sen-
! atorial election claiming that the commit
| tee had not paid him in full. This clerK
| gave the statement to the writer more
than three weeks ago. declaring the fig
ures to be absolutely correct. In givinS
| them he stated that he was giving them
| from memory, and in doing so he consult
| ed no records or m7mora ndum. A few days
| ago the writer asked him about the mat
| ter again having written the statement
! down on the first occasion. and he repeated
| them exactly, with the exception Of three
| items. stwo IN the receipts and one IN the
| disbursements, and these were so trif1ing
that they would hardly be considered ma
| teral It is not likely that any man could
| keep such figures in his head unless he had
familiarized himself with them by an act
| ual experience.
| WHAT ABOUT RAILROAD FARES?
l. It will be observed that no railroad
fares are charged for, and whether this
item is included in that of the expenses Of
| speakers or was done con account of the
| legislature. like the expense in the SELL
| atorial fight, is only matter of conjec. .ure
AS regards the item of $4,000 pail the
| Democratic committee there is both direct
and circumstantidl evidence to support 1t
The first Is that of the Duluth member Of
the Democratic committee. who has more
| than once made the-seatement in public
and the second is in the fact that the Den-
ocratic committee threatened to close It's