Willmar tribune., 1900-08-01
FROST OF RROS7S
Is THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CAM
PAlGN OPENING

Uader Republican League Ausploss-A
Record Breaker Of Absolutely Barren
e Roaults 49,. Other. State. and N.Atou>,
Points-The Railway Corporation Press
Show Their Hands-rhey Relieve the
Courts of Arduous Labors by Their
Wise and Unprejudiced Decisions-"On
60 Indianapolis" for tho Democratic
Campaign Openine-Governor Lind and
tho Indian scare-Numerous Omens of
stato and National suocess-The Weeks
Roundup.
Reform Press Bureau,
st. Paul. July %, 1900.
OF all spiritless, uninteresting, tame
and Improbable affairs of national pro.
portions, the State and National Re-
publican League convention holds the
record. The most striking comparison
to it was the grand fizzle ratification
meeting at the Minneapolis Exposition
building, following the Mckinley nom
lnation in 1896. which was presided
over by Pine Lumber Magnate T. B.
Walker, and which, held in the heat of
July, was so chilly that Mr.. Walker has
never presided over another such meet
ing, and in fact has been in California
almost ever since.
The State League convention was an
absolute fzzle, with the slimmest of
audiences in attendance. This might
have been laid to the weather, but not
SO the slim attendance of national del
egates to Tuesday and Wednesdays
convention, for that had been adver
tised throughout the country for the
past year as the great refreshing time,
when the good weather Of the North.
west invited the outing. The delegates
came not, and all the hotels, which for
weeks had made ready for immense
delegations, had their trouble and
empty rooms for their plans. Indeed,
the convention wound up Wednesday,
cutting off whole day.
The sessions were tame and feature.
less, not even relieved by Senator Mel
sons voluminous address, read in his
schoolboy style Ito use the expression of
one Of the Republican editors of the
state who fgetted through the senator's
platitudes). and only momentarily re.
ieved by the brief presence of the ex-
pected great star of the occasion, Gov.
ernor Roosevelt. He spoke but q mo-
ment to the convention;~in gingerly,
grabbed way, as if,fearing to give away
the points he had prepared for his main
speech, the campaign "opener." The
"Rough Riders" impression upon the
convention was plainly of little effect.
Delegates openly expressed their disap-
pointment.
The evening Auditorium meeting was
a success, both in attendance and en-
thusiasm from the portion of the au.
dience in full sympathy (for there was
large portion of 1t that did not ''touch
off" at each suggestion OF the manage
ment composed Of people there to lis
ten and to judge for themselves). The
meeting was as large as the building
could hold, just about the equal OF, and no
greater than the recent pro- Boer recep.
ton. But there were no outside thou
sands, no impossible streets as on
Bryan occasions, and the overflow
meetings announced for each inviting
corner, did not occur. In fact the COM
ing of something like 1000 from Min
neapolis saved the meeting from the
chill of unoccupied seats. A few were
shut out by closing the doors, mostly
swearing Republicans who had been
excluded because not having secured
tickets, apropos Of which the fact that
Leaguers were obliged to pay so cents
before they could have the necessary
pasteboards made much bad feeling.
There is scandal about the ticket man.
agement, Republicans themselves max
ing very unsavory charges.
Some Republicans explain the tame
ness Of the event by the bad odor that
has ever surrounded the league in this
state, which goes back to the Goodnow
regime, when scandals regarding the
finances of the league were frequent
from the time that Goodnow got con-
troll down to the time he got his reward
from the Mckinley administration for
the dirty work done by him in the CAM
paign in the name of the league. The
talk that league officials sold tickets to
the Roosevelt affair, and put the money
in their pockets, is quite like the pre-
vious scandals of the league. Other
talk is that the affair would have been
of greater interest had different men
locally handled it and had charge of the
person of Roosevelt. That he was dined
by that great warrior of The Pioneer
Press, who served in New Brunswick
during the Civil war, dampened the
military spirit. Others kicked because
Lumber Truster Tom Shevlin, as ma
tional committeeman, was high push to
go and bring the star here.
The whole affair, judged from the
standpoint Of national event, fully
justifies the view presented by our car.
toonist, that Roosevelt contended with
Minnesota blizzard in starting the Nc.
Kinley campaign. Says The Globe:
I'm point of numbers the convention
was frost. Not more than 400 dele.
gates from q distance were in attend.
ance. when it was expected that the
convention would bring several thou
sand people to the CITY,"
The most doleful reports were cirou.
lated among leaguers about the pros
pect of having much of campaign
fund this year. That Hanna was fall.
ing down with the corporations that he
milked four years ago was conceded,
and that the gigantic trusts organized
since '96 must be relied on was admit
ted. And that was given as one of the
~ooooro xuhv Hanna bod MoK;~1o,~