The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-05
UNDER THE SPELL OF ERWIN
HE HAD A MAJORITY OF THE
POPULIST DELEGATES


And Secured the Nomination of the
COnventiOn-StrOn but Unsuc-
cessful Fight Made Against the
Bell POpulists-M. j. Costello,
Louis Nash, r.. A. Walsh and
Other Leaders Repudiate.
The eminent Populist and member Of
the Journeymen BARRIERS union, w. w.
Erwin, known Familiarity as BILL" was
last evening nominated for mayor after
a conflict which puts in the shade the
remarkable petty wars of the Populist
party in convention assembled in the
past
For three hours preceding the NOM
ination Assembly hall was the scene of
a sort of travesty on pandemonium.
Gentlemen were called by their names
= and out of them, and the convention
was easily in the possession of crowd
of Erwinites who could have brought
off the nomination without the least
trouble, if it were possible or good pol
Icy, for the actual Erwin strikers to go
on the floor. AS it was the straight
Populists, under the lead of M. j. Co.'S
tello, r. A. Walsh, M. r. Prendergas st
and a few others kept them hard at
work for couple of hours.
The rulings of the chair were so re-
markable that at one stage of the pro-
ceedings Mr.. Costello felt constrained
to walk up to the chair and shout in a
voice that could be plainly heard in
spite of the tremendous uproar:
Sir, If that is your ruling, your rul-
ing is scoundrelly."
The nomination did not go to Mr..
Erwin by the good will of the middle
IL i Il I,
legality of the convention as conStitut-
ed and as acting under the rulings of
the chair, and formally protested
against the nomination of any but
Populist. 1t was commended that Mr..
Erwin was not a Populist and had no
standing in the convention.
Later in the evening Mr.. Erwin put
in an appearance, and in a speech, in
which he reviewed the various systems
of economy, from that originating at
. Sinai to that which now obtains in the
city, said that he was such Populist
that he accepted their nomination and
would be their candidate even if he
did not receive any other nomination.
The offices acted upon were few
only that of the mayor, the comptroller
which they propose to fill by the cleo
ton of ]. E. Eckman; the municipal
judgeships, A. E. Bowe and E. c. Card
being the nominees, and a couple of
minor O1flceS.
The Erwin-Bell crowd withdrew af-
ter Erwin had made his speech, and
there was little interest taken in the
other nominations.
The event of the convention that de-
stroyed all the good work of the Erwin
workers came just at the close Of the
vote on the nominations for mayor,
when it had been announced that Err
win was the nominee
There was comparative OniRf when
NJ. j. Costello forced the attention Of
the chair, and said:
Legal Notice of Protest.
'fMr. Chairman: I arise to a point
of personal privilege" He was accord
ed the floor and read this protest,
which commanded close attention, as
the Erwin crowd did not quite get the
idea until the close, when they grasped
the fact that legal notice of protest
had been served
The undersigned, delegate to this con-
Vention, whose allegiance to the PEOPLES
party and whose membership in that party
is unquestioned, does hereby protest against
the action OF this convention and regards
the same as in no sense degree binding
upon him, for the following reasons:
F1rst-That its nominee for mayor is not
now and never has been a member of the
Peoples party.
- Second-That he is not and has not been
al dIuSHl advocate OF the cause or free Sill
yer, or an advocate or adherent at all of
that cause, and that the convention declared
by resolution that no candidate could be
nominated Endorsed by this convention
who has not been such advocate.
Third-That the action of this convention
and its chairman was illegal and unwar-
several wards Of their right under the law
to cast the full vote of their delegation
Fourth-That all parliamentary law and
usage was violated, and the wishes of the
convention disregarded through the arbi-
trary and illegal ruling Of its Chairman.
Delegate from the First Precinct of the
Seventh Ward
More Reasons for 1t.
The delegates who voted for M R.
Prendergast and who refused to be
bound by the convention urge the fol-
lowing reasons for repudiating the con-
vention, in addition to those set forth
by Mr. Costello in his protest they be-
ing agreed to in e meeting held imrne-
diately afterward:
We further protest against the action of
the convention because it was a packed
body, and in no sense representative of the
Peoples party.
Because its deliberations were controlled
by body of men who not identified
with the Peoples party, but were sent there
mayor. who declared May 4, 1885, over his
own signature: 81 will give you my lie
if Doran does not give you an honest gov
ernment," and thus became responsible for
his election and the present corrupt ard
corrupting condition Y municipal govern
ment.
Because the control of the convention by
those men was, in our opinion an organized
and probably paid conspiracy to perpetu-
ate Republican control of our city govern
ment, and
Because are opposed to the domination
IN the olaces Of our city government of