The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-09-07
ANCIENT HISTORY.

N aug. ~, 1879, the IOllOW1nS arucle,
which may be Of interest to 1.-The old
bettlers." who can remember the cam
paign Of 1882. While substantially cor
rect, Mr.. Cleveland falls into some nat
nral errors. The fact was we fought
1.-THE wheat ring through the entire
campaign. We were defeated by lot
Df hard-shell Democrats deserving us
nnder the persuasion of Republican
money. I'D.
1t is one thing to have the key to the
Baconian ciphers; it is another to know
when to keep your mouth shut. Reports
from the West say that Ignatius Donnelly is
about to reveal new ciphers to the Shakes
pearean world; ciphers more lurid. entang-
ling and deceptive than those with which
he Is years ago amazed and then saddened
, cipher hating world. Mr.. Donnelly's ex-
traordinary capacity for work, his remark
ably genial personal character and his won
derful oratorical abilities unknown to the
rising generation of today never made him
politician nor successful aspirant for
ONCE. There was a time when he cared
more for seat in congress than for all the
Baconian ciphers to be found within the
confines Of Robinson's complete arithmetic
Seventeen years ago the Democrats and
anti monOpolists Of the old Third district Of
Minnesota nominated Mr.. Donnelly for con-
gress. His opponent on the Republican
ticket was Maj. Horace B. Strait who was
then in Office and had represented the dis
trict for some IL of IA years. The farmers
OF the district were with Donnelly. The
time was ripe for the election of Demo-
crat No one knew at that time that Grover
Cleveland was to be the next president,
but that lobe fact made it certain that II
Minnesota secured a Democratic congress-
man he would stand very high at Wash
lngton in 1884.
Coming out of the convention hall which
nominated Mr.. Donnelly one of the dele
gates said to me:
"If Ig. will talk only when the central
committee tells him to, Well carry this dis
trict on rum.
At that time the central committee had
already gained the ear of Donnelly and
was counseling a still hunt on his part.
There was then In Minnesota cOmbina-
tiOn of grain dealers and millers which was
suspected Of meddling in politics whenever
1t was to it's interest to do so. The COM
bnaton had a respectable front, great
wealth. and even if it did illegal things
was too we'll intrenched to be detected or
punished. Mr.. Donnelly had fought this
combine for years. Now he was a candi-
date for congress-. He was to be elected,
II successful. by farmers votes.
Said his political advisers to him:
Whatever you do, let the millers' COM
speeches Yon don't need to- The combine
Is not in this district, and you can afford to
keep quiet about it until you are elected"
So Mr.. Donnelly went out and made quiet
speeches to the farmers and won their good
will as only he could. He was then the
best personal campaigner in the state.
week before election a careful canvass
of the district revealed that Donnelly was
certain of election by about 500 majority, II
nothing untoward happened. He himself
l,As1 -
ready successful author. his first Baconian
cipher book was about to come out, and to
crown all he was to be congressman, and
after that-the senate.
He journeyed over into the Ortonville dis
trict to make few last speeches before
election day. What tempted him to forget
caution no one ever knew. But he suddenly
attacked the millers. the wheat buyers and
pll the friends of the combination in his own
Mimitable way. He literally fayed the COM
-bine alive. tickled his agricultural hearers
and apparently advanced his own cause.
His speech was telegraphed to the st. Paul
and Minneapolis morning papers and read
the following day by the millers. What
they did can only be surmised Some of
them were good men and some might have
been good men. But that day. as the story
runs, there went out of Minneapolis a spe-
cial train which travelled very fast until 1t
was in the Third district. There came to it
various politicians who went away with
their hands in their pockets. There were
mysterious conferences, hasty hiring Of
leans and wagons, sudden displays of rolls
Of money, and then the beginning of that
kind of political work known In Montana as
'fmperceptible Influencing of the vote.
Mr.. Donnelly was defeated. His friends
made quiet investigation and found that
Z took just $4,000 to change 500 votes.
They found that the money appeared in
the district after the anti-combine speech
Was made. They shook their heads Mr.
.Donnelly's last opportunity to be a con-
gresham had passed away.
Which after all goes to show that while a
.6aconian cipher may be found by a wise
man, many wise man has never learned
bow to bride his tongue. place the Mexican
hit upon It, when a free rein means good for
no one. and i'll for himself and the cause
H. /. CLEVELAND.