St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-18
FRED G. STEVENS WANTS TO SIT
IN 1T SO VERY
BADLY.
GREAT CLAM0R FOR REFORM,
WHICH, IN REPUBLICAN PARLANCE,
SEEMS TO MEAN ,R9TATION
IN OFFICE.
BUT THE COLONEL land FREDDY
Are Not the Only. Ones Who Would
20 East-seyenth Ward Alone
Has Seven.

st. Paul has, at various times, had
experiences of the devotion, in theory,
of it's Republican politicians to the
cause of reform. a The experience
through which the city is now pass
ing of investigating committees, con-
ference committees. retrenchment COM
mittees and the other customary appli-
ances of reform is due in great meas
ure to this local Republican avowed
love Of that somewhat airy commodity.
The people are to be the benefciaries
of it all; and it Is to have another
altogether needless eXemplification of
what devotion to the popular good still
prevails among the gentry.
This disposition of Republican local
politicians to do and suffer all things
in order that the people shall have the
most absolute control Of their own
concerns is also beautifully attested
through the present condition of po-
litical affairs in state and congressional
circles in this vicinity 1t is love of
the people, also, no doubt, which has
distributed among local statesmen,
twelve months or more in advance, in
minute detail all the pickings. great
and small, which are 20 be had through
the agency of the several conventions
to be held in the immediate future.
Those who are ION the inside" could
have told you twelve or fifteen months
ahead just who it is that will go TO
the next Republican national conven-
ton from this, and, indeed, from ev-
cry congressional district, as well as
from the state at large; who will sue
n 10
winter, and who will go to congress
next time from this district, if not from
every other district in Minnesota
There has rarely existed, even in
communities boasting the political lead
ership of such prize reformers as Quay,
Clarkson or even Plat. such charm
ing provision in the domain of states
mansh1p as exists at the present mo-
ment in this fortunate city. No slate
has ever been prepared with such
single-minded devotion to the popular
will, nor one that is more likely to
Withstand the missiles of the dissatis-
ned than we are provided with by the
reformers" at the state capitol, and
their auxiliaries and directors who are
not presently disturbed by thu cares of
ONCE. 1t may be ''trun down." but 1t
can never be broken-so at least say
the gentlemen who have constructed it.
The friends Of Congressman Kiefer
are neafd to declare, Notwithstanding
all this, that there is a fracture al
ready visible in this interesting ar
g1liaceous formation "A name well
known to the ''reforruers'' Of thesTenth
ana Eleventh wards appeared all over
1t. 1t is that of Field Marshal Fred
+ 1,or
now eight months or more and there
1t viii remain until it is blotted out at
the Republican primaries or at the
congressional election or is transferred
TO the columns of the Congressional
Directory.
Already the forces are arraying
themselves for the Forthcoming strug-
gle-the forces of the reform"
machine and those of our present
representative in congress. From all
present appearances the victory will
De with the machine, and Stevens will
pc the next congressional nominee of
the q. o. P. hereabouts. How long
these appearances will be maintained
or whether they will ever evolve them
serves into reality, it is too early to
judge intelligently. This much. how
ever, is beyond peradventure, that il
the machine wins, as it now promises
10 90, 1t Will not be without a bitter
personal struggle, the effects of which
Will be felt for a long time in Repub-
llcan politics in this city and county.
Ihese effects may, indeed, ultimately
present themselves to view in the
FORM of such a majority in this county
Tor the next Democratic congressional
nominee as will even set at naught the
maSslng OF the Scandinavian cohorts
or ItaSca, Kanabec and Chisago conn
ties.
K1efer has many friends, and they
are disposed to regard the defeat of his
Ieholnlnatlon as personal indignity.
They understand the nature of the on
position which was made to his nonnine-
ton originally, and they feel that this
is a repetition of it. They point to his
record and say it is good They urge
tnat having served SO acceptably while
his party was in the opposition IT is
unjust to remove him now when the
prospects are in favor of, a Republican
executive, and particularly to discard
MIN In FAVOR OF one who has no special
significance, and whose popularity has
never been tested in this city or coun-
ty' as against a score of other eligible
men, who have, if anything, a prior
claim to the nominationa good deal
OF the opposition, they add, Is because
k1efer is a German; and they insist
that should that opposition be effec-
tive, the German-American vote of
Ramsey and Washington counties will
be cast solidly for any acceptable man
whom the Democrats may nominate.
There are at present at least score
of ambitious Republicans, mostly in the
Seventh ward, and all but corporaPs
guard Of them lawyers like Stevens.
who do not propose to be laid on the
congressional shelf for a number of
years to come. There are, among
others e. G. Rogers, Leon Chamberlain,
James E. Markham, Harris Richard
son, Assemblyman Lewis and Senators
stevens and Ozmun. Then there's E.
E. Mcdonald. Henry johns and Fred
Zollman, besides many others no less
distinguished
On the other hand Stevens is, first of
all, backed by George Thompson, than
which there is no more potent factor in
local Republican political affairs. He
Is understood, too. to have the support
OF eX-Gov. Merriam, M. D. Mum, Tams
Bixby, D. F. Reese, A. C. Clausen. and,
indeed, of that entire school of young
and able politicians. somewhat irrever
emily spoken Of, in the aggregate as
the Capitol Gang" He has been loyal
and active in support Of party candi-
dates: has done a good deal of hard
detail political work, and has been con-
cerned especially in some of the most
effective missionary business. when
personal ambitions and hostilities have
threatened to raise disturbances on the
eve Of Republican conventions.
The arrangement which resulted in
the second nomination9sof Kiefer and
the nomination of Rogers for clerk of
courts-a case in points understood
to have been largely of ibis inception
and its acceptance largely the result of
his mediation. Besides, his friends tell
Island Kiefer partly corroborates the
etatement-that fhefferaan statesman