St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-25
REPUBLICANS LEAGUERs OF
THE STATE.
BIG MEETING FOR TONIGHT,
WITH ADDRESSES BY ORATORS
FROM THE RANKS OF THE
PARTY.
GEN. M,ALPIN IS FOR MORTON
He Says New York Is as Solid for
Levi as Minnesota Is for Nc
Kinley,

At 10 o'clock this morning the state
league Of Republican clubs will con-
vene for its annual session in the great
hall Of the st. Paul auditorium. All
Of the 2,700 seats on the ground floor
the convention, and the galleries
promise to be we'll filled with Twin
City Republicans who will be attracted
by the discussions to come before the
meeting.
In addition to the election Of officers,
which promises a lively contest be-
tween D. w. Bruckart, Of st. Cloud,
and Eli Warner, of ST. Paul, with the
chances about even, there will be some
discussion upon the proposition to
adopt the Iowa plan of organization, by
which, instead of the state convention
comprising delegates direct from all
the clubs, there will be an inter-
mediary system of subordinate con-
VentonS, one in each congressional
district. This will serve, if adopted, to
remove the evil Of massiveness which
now attends the state conventions,
without, it is thought, impairing the
usefulness of the organization as a
whole.
Tonight there will be a big mass
meeting at the same hall, at which the
speakers will be Gen Thomas McAlpin.
of New York, the national president of
the organization, M. J. Bowling, the
national secretary, and Frank F.
Davis, Frank NJ. Nye and Darius F.
Reese.
Gen. McAlpin is a wealthy manu-
facturer of the state of New York, but
there ie,
only one man in that state and, for
that matter. in the whole country to
whom the military is so much of his
real life. AS the head of Coy. Nor
tons military staff, Gen. McAlpin COM
mandS more soldiers than can be found
in the military divisions of the
Missouri, of the Atlantic, or of the
Pacific, in the regular army; in fact
over half as many men as are en-
braced In the army of the United
states as now organized. More
soldiers turn out in camp at Peekskill
on the Hudson, at one time, than have
been gathered together by the United
states since the war. And it would be
an affront to the general, who COM
mands them, to say that they were
not as good soldiers as have ever
gathered under the American ensign.
What time Gen. McAlpin does not
'~York or work in connection with his
military duties and diversions. and is
not positively required by his business
he gives to the National League of Re
publican clubs. How much that is NAV
be guessed by a few figures There
are ut this time between $4,000 and
10000 clubs. If each club on an aver.
age has membership of 100, that
means over million and a half mem
bers. This is considered a conserya-
tive estimate because there are many
ciuos IN the country that have a mem
bershlp of several hundred, and two
with 700 members. The work of the
league of clubs is one entirely Of or.
ganlzation and education; it does not
dabble in personal politics, does moi
make platforms and does not dictate
nominations. 1t distributes literature
sees that Republicans register and vote
and does the wheel-horse work of tbe
party without fear or favor or hope OF
reward. At present it is at work in the
South. The Kentucky victory Is
cialmed py the league; Delaware and
Maryland, too elected Republican gov.
ernors.
Minnesota has contributed her share
toward this work, the secretary. M. T
lowing, having been chief clerk ot
the last legislature and one of the moss
popular newspaper men in the state
Gen. McAlpin was an interested snec.
tator at the state convention yester.
day He was called upon for a speech
but he gave the chairman the wink
and succeeded in shirking the task al
aoaresslng a meeting SO overchargeG
with Mckinley sentiment. when nar
sonally Mr.. McAlpin could not heir
hope that another prominent Repub!
mean, Levi P. Morton. might be Sc.
lected as the standard bearer of the
republican cause in June Said he.
made quite sacrifice to come tC
Minnesota at this time. New York has
state convention today, and I haG
hoped to have been there, but [ think
am iully repaid for coming here. The
sentiment for Mckinley in Minnesota
confess, was something remarkable
10 man who comes fresh from New
YORK 1t was almost startling. In New
York there is as much warmth and en-.
thus1asm for Morton as there is here
for Mckinley. New York has no sec.
ond choice: 1t will go into the conven-
t1on Tor Morton, and if another man
is nominated at st. Louis, the name OF
Lew L. Morton will go down at the
masthead.
Some people have a mistaken notion
that Gov. Morton is getting too old
Ihere never was a greater mistake in
the world. He gets down to the execu-
tive chamber in the morning at
o'clock, and stays there until o'clock
L nave never seen such a worker in the
governors office in our state. There is
nothing in the state or any Of it's de-
partments that Morton does not keep in
touch with. He is as hearty as a buck
and his mind is as clear as any in the
state. Senator Foley, the Tammany
senator from New York city, said to
me the other day: I have never seen
such man in the governors office.
He is gentleman, a statesman, a
scholar and an honorable, honest man
in every respect This, coming from
political opponent of the most ex-
treme type, seems to me to be the high
est compliment. Gov. Morton has never
been the tool of any machine. He is
not dominated today by Platt, and in
all his course he is perfect independ-
ent. He would make an ideal presi-
dent