The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-09-18
THE STAKE WAS A
SEAT In THE SENATE
Results That Depended Upon a Certain
Game OF Poker.
AN EXCITING NARRATIVE OF CARDS
The Game in Question Was Played
in Minnesota During a Canvass for
n United states senatorship, and
the Election Was Settled by Four
Kings Held Against Four Queens.
From the New York Sun.


From the New York Sun.
Poker has often been called the ma
tional game of America" said the gray
haired, middle-aged man in the club
smoking room, but 1 fancy there are
few citizens who fully appreciate how
much influence 1t has exerted on the
destinies of the nation in one way and
another. We hear stories now and
again of the winning and losing of for
tunes, and sometimes how large es-
tates and mining properties have been
staked on the chances lying between
two hands. And every lobbyist in the
country is familiar with the old device
of losing large sums in friendly game
with a legislator whose vote is desired
on one side or the other. Such things,
naturally enough, sway public interests
as well as private to no small extent,
but have seen a seat in the United
States senate lost on four queens"
"Of course, you are not talking seri-
ously," said one of the party.
But / am" was the answer, "seri-
ously and literally. 1t happened in
Minnesota soon after the war. Politi-
cal conditions in that part of the west
were very different to what they are
now, and in fact all other conditions
were, too. 1t was at about the begin
ming of the real growth of the north
west. The value of the wheat fields
had been learned, but the Swedish and
Norwegian immigration was in it's in
fancy, and the lumber industry, that
afterward grew to such enormous pro-
portions, was then making compare
lively few men rich. Minneapolis was
small town on the south side of the
river, and st. Anthony was a town of
the same size on the other side. Now
it's all one city, but then nobody
dreamed of st. Paul being eclipsed in
size or Importance.
Il was knocking about late one sum-
mer at that period, and had made many
friends around st. Paul and Minneapo-
lis, some of whom were state officials,
and ] had heard much talk of the
struggle there was to be in the next
legislature over the election of a SEN
ator. Two men were in the race, and
as they were both popular the contest
was likely to be a close one. Party
questions did not enter in, for the state
was strongly Republican, and no
Democrat stood a show. But which of
the Republicans would carry the legis-
'otuic was d llldlteT Oh great uOuDt, ana
/ saw bets made on the issue as early
as the first of September AS the time
OF election drew near it was evident
that the choice for senator was going
to govern the nomination of candidates
for the legislature, and as both the sem
atorial aspirants were long of head as
well as long of purse they were using
all the influence they had in the county
conventions which were to be held
early in October.
LUMBERMEN'S INFLUENCE.
Right there was where the import-
ance of the lumber industry came in.
The money on which the lumbermen in
the upper counties lived came to them
mostly through Minneapolis and st. An
thony, and the perfectly legitimate
business relations between them and
the business men of those two cities
naturally gave the latter much influ-
ence among the former. There was a
rollicking, happy-go-lucky man in Min
neapoliS whom everybody called Doc
Martin, for no reason that / could dis
cover except that he wasn't a doctor
lie was part owner of a sawmill and
spent the most of each winter in the
woods with his men. He was credited
with being as influential as any one
there was, among voters, but he had 6
rival In another man named Gilnartin
who was a logger himself, but had fol
dozen seasons been foreman Of one
gang or another. Martin was a rict
man, but Gilmartin was seldom flush
excepting in the spring, when he hac
drawn his winters pay. These two
men were known to be strong parti
sans, one favoring one Of the would b,
senators, and the other the other, anC
1t was generally thought that the!
would both go electioneering when tn,
county conventions were held.
The week before that would happel
/ was one of party who drove from
Minneapolis to a road house Oh tn,
Fort Smelling road near the Minnehahi
Falls, partly for the enjoyment of tn,
moonlight and partly for a game sup
per such as the house was famous 70
providing. Martin was one Of the party
and as there were TWO or three othe
high rollers with us, l had made III
my mind that it would be daybreak be
fore we would get back.
II was right. but before the nigh
was over we had more excitement tha
/ had expected. We had had the sup
iNi uiih dil Ol BOOu WING
with 1t, and We're sitting around tn
table enjoying some rarely good pune
when somebody proposed poker. No on
objected, and in a few minutes ther
were two games in progress, for ther
were eleven in the party. Six playe
at one table, and Martin and 1 an
three others were at the other. Th
game was a fairly stiff one, $40 bein
the limit, and the cards ran we'll en-
ouGh to build up some heavy pots. w
had all INDUCED freely enough to Civ
ourselves thoroughly to the enjoymer
OF the hour, though we had not bee
drinking heavily, and there wasn't
man there under the influence. Alto
gether it was a delightful occasion
Suddenly the door opened, and Gilman
Tin looked in.
81 don't want to trough in," boys
he said, but stopped here to get SUI