The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-17
'GRIF" IRRITATES THEM
REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE SPLIT
OVER HIS SUPPORT

Working SmOOthly-Part of the
Committee Think the Fourth
Ward Saloon Man Has No In
huence, but the Others Know Bet
ter and Insist ON Cultivating 1t.
Freddy" Griffin is bone Of conten-
ton, officially. to the Republicans He
Is not the only bone they have to
wrangle over, but he occupies good
deal Of attention considering his very
humble sphere when the Republicans
are not feeding at the public trough.
He is an incident in the row that Is
on between the city committee as rep
resented by the committeeman from
each ward and the executive commit
tee The Republican machine consists
Of wheels within wheels and these two
committees which should act as one
are divided as to which is the real
thing.
The executive committee is practical
ly appointed by the candidate. Kiefer
appointed his political enemies on that
committee. The cheiftain thought their
appointment would tie them up, and
If they did not run straight why the
other committee, consisting Of two
members from each ward, they to be
elected by the precinct committees,
would keep them in line.
Now there is a clash Of authority.
The executive committee has certain
ideas. Griffin, for instance, was an
idea of theirs adopted on q tip from
the head Of the ticket.
The men from the wards don't like
the Griffin connection. They don't I'M
derstand that 1t Is possible for q man
with MIR. Grif6n's connections to have
any influence. Mr. Griffin's idea Of
them is summed thus succinctly:
''They are yaps: they're so used to
walking on ploughed ground that when
they come down town the sidewalks
make their feet sore and they have to
wear muzzles to prevent them from
blowing out the gas
Still they are members Of the COM
mittee and they have something to say
about how the campaign Is to be run.
When they got into the joint commit
tee meeting. Friday night, they began
bowling with one voice about Griffin.
They were really worse than the silk
stocking push for they were opposed to
Griffin on moral grounds. while the
others just objected to him socially.
They were pacifled by the assurance
that "Griff" was necessary to the well
fare of the party and that his influence
was needed mighty bad in the Fourth
ward. A resolution that one Of them
introduced declaring that the party
had nothing In common with Griffin,
was withdrawn by the man who intro
duced 1t.
The meeting that was held Friday
night will be the last joint meeting. 1t
was evident that there would be too
much friction in the joint body, and
Horton and the other anti-Kiefer peo-
pie on the committee threatened to get
out sooner than stand the dictation Of
hn ma ha
wards. It was arranged that the ward
men should look after the ward mat
ters and permit the executive commit
tee to do the business at large.
Griffin made little comment on the
row that had been started about him.
He had agreed to stand his ground
without regard to the protests of the
uninitiated, but he was sore.
after all I've done for the Repub1i-
can party It's enough to make any guy
sore to have these cheap stiffs try to
interfere with the game" he said.
'sThey5 think that the alderman of the
ward they live in Is abigger man than
the president Of the United States:
They're political pikers. Here I've been
rustling for two years to keep them
from spending their money for gold
bricks, and now they want to throw
me down. They'd have been in proper
good shape If it hadn't been for me.
it'd let the gang go on and burn the
town up I'd have been thought just as
much of, and I'm tired. Suppose this
town had been without police protec-
ton of such sort as have given 1t In
the last two years? Why, If 1t hadn't
been for me every member Of that COM
mittee would have had an assortment
Of gold bricks and funny padlocks that
would have been a wonder to behold. I
tell you that when a guy does what he
thinks Is right, he's always bound to
get the worst Of it, and If Kiefer wasn't
a friend of mine I'd quit this minute"
Some of "Reddy's" friends were more
outspoken. Sloppy Mike" Wallace had
been having few drinks perhaps one
too many, when he expressed himself:
eff wuz Crit" said he, I'D clean de
burg up an blow it. It's a lobster pot
an dere amt a live one in it. Wots
de use er pikin' round wild lot Of
skates wot amt got muffin anyway?
I'll make a small bet dat de dip dere
cud go up an frisk dat central commit
tee, err whutever dey calls deirselves