Morris tribune., 1900-09-15
A DISMAL FAILURE
DEMOCRATIC STATE CONVENTION
BCANTILY ATTENDED AND IN.
I IEREsT IN THE EVENT
TOTALLY LACKING.
OVERsHADOWED BY STATE FAIR
conventlon Made Up Wholly of
Ohiceholders and Professional
Politicians. and the whole
Programme Manipulated
by Rosing Machine.

The Democratic convention which
met in the great Auditorium building
IN ST. Paul on Thursday Of last week
might easily have been accommodated,
% far as room was concerned, In any
enc Of a dozen small halls in the Cap
atal City.
When the roll was called, half an
Aour after the hour published for call
ing the convention to order, but little
more than half Of the accredited dele
gates
Answered 20 Their Names,
and the chairman experienced great
difficulty In making up the committees
by reason Of the slim attendance from
the outside counties.
The convention was managed and di.
Fected by the professional politicians
and offlceholders Of the state admins
4ration, and motions were put and
passed in a listless way by the dele
gates, who were in hurry to get
away and go out to the state fair
grounds. The party managers had ex-
peeted q vast attendance from visitors
TO the state fair, and had counted
Aeavily ON this source to make ire
mendous showing of interest and en-
thusiasm. The result demonstrated
that q great mistake had been made,
aor, instead of the fair visitors going
20 the convention the delegates to the
convention went to the fair as su-
Derior attraction.
The Auditorium building 10 supposed
70 furnish seating capacity for 1000,
and when. the Republican convention
was held nearly every seat In the
building, Including all the galleries,
was filed. When Gov. Roosevelt was
IN st. Paul it was estimated that 5000
people were turned from the doors be-
cause there vas not room for them. In
the Democratic convention last week
there were twice as many empty seats
as there were full ones. and the little
ehrong Of delegates down On the main
floor looked all the smaller for the
long tiers Of vacant seats that
the
Balcony and Galleries.
Il was probably this slim attendance
that dampened the spirits Of those who
did attend, for the interest was at no
time great or the enthusiasm such as
80 pass beyond control.
The prearranged plans were carried
out with clock-like regularity, and
complete control Of the organization
was retained by L. A. Rosing, chair
man OF the state central committee.
who personally directed the business
OF the day, supplying the chairman
the names for the committee, deSig-
mating the delegates who should nom
lnate the various candidates and in
ell ways Tightening his hold upon the
party leading strings.
Col Rosing was assisted In his
Enhancement of the Convention
by such Democrats as Thomas D.
O'Brien Of st. Paul. John O'Brien Of
saltwater, Ed O'Brien of Minneapolis,
Maj Bowler, e. M. Pope, J. A.
O'Shaughnessy, T.. H. Austin, A. N.
Lanphere, P. M. Ringdal and other
state officers. The governor, who has
SO often declared that he was "just as
good Republican as ever on all mat
tiers except the silver. question" re-
qulred his managers to steer as far as
possible from that dangerous issue,
huU1 6CCOIu1ASlyS Lie LO1Ol VA IAlC NS"S
were not denied to the sound money
Democrats Of 1896, men who. were can
didates for electors on the Palmer and
'Buckner ticket being drafted as dele
gates at large.
The convention at no time displayed
The enthusiasm which marked the
Minneapoli convention two years ago,
and when the proposition was made to
q 49,
paper at Minneapolis,
Ten Subscribers Were Guaranteed,
and a motion to call the roll and re-
port subscriptions by counties was
voted down by an overwhelming ma
FORTY. Chairman Rosing announced
that the syndicate with which he had
been negotiating had agreed to start
the paper if the committee would
guarantee 10000 subscribers, and he
said that he had promises Of 4,000+
With the ten guaranteed on the floor Of
the convention this left $3.50 to be Sc
cured before the terms Of the syndi-
cate could be complied with and the
paper established. The delegates in
interviews expressed great
hostility to the st. Paul Globe because,
Of it's bolt on the national ticket, and
all agreed that they would not trust
1t with Lind's interests, but at the
same time they did not seem prepared
TO go as far as to subsidize great
daily paper. The fact is that the state
central committee has already invested
more than $780, 900 In the newspaper
business, and the chairman has in
formed members OF the committee that |
It will take $4,000 to make the general
campaign, and that until that amount
shall have been raised there will be |
no more newspaper appropriations. At |
! conference Of Mr.. Rosin8, the three
O'Briens, Mr.. Heinrichs. Mr.. Mosier,
Maj. Bowler and one or two other lead
ers Of the party 1t was decided to pro-
reed with the campaign much after
The Fashion OF 1898,
namely, to devote all the work OF the
campaign and all the funds Of the
" <ho nInrfinn 0f Lind and