The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-03-25
Gen. Baker Talks.

Gen. Baker said that this is not a
convention, but merely a conference.
1 am here without credentials, but
merely as a Republican. What
brought you here, if you did not be-
lieve that there was danger to the
party?Your presence from all counties
of the district is the veritable certif-
cate that there is danger. l have
no ambition to serve, and shall sup
port the nominee of the party. There
is danger. The red flag has been
hoisted by half the papers of the
state. What is that danger? 1t is
the danger of the machine coming
and taking firm hold on the party. 1t
is as palpable as the monday sun. l
have lived to see two Republican
governors partially nominate their
own successors, and I live to see an
other try it. Are we to be the sub
servient slaves of a limited number
of men, or going to cast u bal
lots for whom we please for governor?
We are here to break up the sascend-
ency of machine rule in the state. l
am not alone in this, but if 1 were l
W Guild assert my convictions the same
you are confronted this year with an
off year. 1t is always the most dan
gerous to the party in all the states.
You must be prepared for this. You
will probably nominate a machine
man, and 1 will probably be impelled
by loyalty to vote for him, but you
can't elect him. In thirty years 1 have
been member of state conventions,
and a dozen men have controlled
them. Four times your gubernatorial
candidate has been on the edge of
defeat. Nothing but accident pre-
vented defeat. Gen. Baker spoke of
the history of the Clough-Van SAINT
alliance. He said that he vas here
to lift his voice against this, and if no
one else in the state did, he would
lift his voice in protest. (Applause.)
Ii you will look at the report Of
the last election you will see some of
the dangers of the situation. Clough
fell 629 votes behind his party vote in
Blue Earth county. This is but a
little Of what Van SAINT will fall be-
hind if his alliance is pushed. In
Nicollet county Clough fell behind
PSI votes, and this will have to be
confronted with maxim guns if the
machine candidate is presented for
our votes. In the Second district,
Clough fell behind 4,S7O votes, and
that in a presidential year. You gen.
tlemen are arraigned machine and
anti-machine. In the whole state
Clough fell behind q 1897 votes be-
cause he was the recognized machine
candidate. In the name of God, how
many will fall away in an off year?
You are counting defeat. you are in
wiling disaster by such a course as
this. Republican ascendency in the
| state Is needed to attain the greatest
need of prosperity.
Behind this, said Gen. Baker, are
seven congressman to be elected, and
how are you to elect them with a ma
| chine leader? In one off year you lost
all but one congressman, but he has
gone over to the enemy since, and
f1aunts his gaunt power in the face of
the people. Think of ali this before
you dare to ally yourselves with the
machine. 1 do not believe two dis
tricts In the state could be saved
with Coughs nominee in the field as
a leader. Can you lay the national
prosperity in the altar as a sacrifice to
the men in the capitol? You are lay
ing our hands on the arc of the