The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-09-02
THE GANGS DOWNFALL.

come. to grief all around. 1t was
their intention to seize upon the
State Central Committee of the PeO-
pies Party, and the Executive Com
mittee of the same, and in the event
of Mr.. Bryan's election, control the
federal patronage nf the whole state.
They were aware that Mr.. Owens fu-
ture usefulness was greatly crippled
by the exposure OF his duplicity at st.
Louis, on the question of the Initia-
tive and the Referendum. but they
hoped in this way to achieve the sub
stantial. results Of power. And so,-
quietly and cunningly.-they proceed
ed to undermine and overthrow Thos.
J. Meighen. by setting up one Of the
gang" an obscure lawyer named
Lynch, for the position held by Mr..
Meighen for some time past, as chair
man of the State Central Committee
Mr.. Meighen had given his time and
money literally to the cause. and no
one anticipated any such attack; but
when the members of the State Gen.
trail Committee met On Aug. 9th, at
the Brunswick Hotel. Mr.. Owen and
all the gang were on hand, lobbying in
dustriously; and to Mr.. Meighen's
great establishment he received but
9 votes, while Lynch had and there
were two scattering, one Of these be-
ing given to F. G. Gibbs. Of Water
vile, LIE Sueur county, MINI. On the
third ballot Mr.. Meighen, unambi-
tious as usual, rose and Withdrew his
name and urged his friends to vote for
Mr.. Gibbs, and he Gibbs, was elected,
greatly to the disappointment of the
schemers OF the Temple Court who
had been partitioning out the patron
age for a month past. The executive
committee was then chosen as fol-
lows:
Thomas J. Meighen, chairman.
Members: e. J. Meilicke, Jackson
county; II. A. Swain, Rice county; G.
P. Aid rich, Ramsey county; A. A. Sc
gerstrom, Hennepin county; A. F.
Rudolph, St. Louis county and Louis
Hanson, Clay county.
This gives one member to each con.
gressional district, but neither Lynch,
nor Aver, nor Dobbyn, nor any other
of the "gang," appears on the COM
mittee, which is to conduct the cam
paign, and have some voice after the
4th of March next with Mr.. Bryan.
There are three things to be said,
for Mr.. Gibbs-he is q thoroughly
honest man; an earnest, jealous
Populist, and a devoted advocate OF
the Initiative and Referendum. He
it was who when Mr.. Owen came out
of the committee room at St. Louis
and tried to persuade the Minnesota
delegation to instruct him to oppose
that plank, or at least to modify and
whittle it away, spoke up earnestly
and told him to go back and advocate
1t unqualifedly. And, as he had al.
ways been a strong supporter of Mr.
Owen lie doubtless thought he had
done so. Our readers can imagine the
profound disgust with which he learn
ed, by the testimony of four disinter
ested witnesses, that Owen had made
a speech in the committee on resolu
GlOuS D6ISudu0 ftOt " UUC W "
| the plauorm' To a man of MIR. Gibbs
honest nature this was committing
| the unforgiveable sln-the crime
against the Holy Ghost. He regards
direct legislation as greater Ques
tion than even free-silver! And he /:
right about it. Free-silver is an In
cident; direct legislation is funda
mental. With the former prices vii
rise; without the latter the nation
will sink in an ocean of corruption.
We are glad that Mr.. Meighen II
still, substantially, at the head of AT
fairs; and If victory crowns our labor.
he will stand very close to Mr.. Bryan
while the little Lynch will have tt
larry in Jericho until his beard b<
grown, and Mr. Owen will have to buy
a bottle of bicyle cement to repair thu
holes in the pneumatic tire Of hi
punctured reputation.
| OWEN AND DIRECT LEGISLA.