The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-20
That Was How 1t Hap
pened at the
Caucus.
Minneapolis Man Held
His Strength to the
Very Last.
Most Sensational Scene
When the Climax
Was Reached.
Sketch of the Man Who
Goes to the U. S.
Senate.
BY III. II. HALL.

II "dS d sldmpeue Wllnln a stampede
which Clapped the climax yesterday aft
ernOon at the senatorial caucus.
Now that it is all over everybody knew
that it was going to happen. AS a
matter of fact nobody knew it. 1t was
like TOpsy, 'ft never was born, it Just
growed''
And Lowry held his strength too.
When Speaker Bowling called the eau
Gus together at 2:25 p. m. there was a
roll call and every one was present, ex-
cept four who had sent in their proxies.
Then the fifteenth ballot began. When
the roll call ended it was almost the
counterpart of the midnight ballot Friday
night. Clapp had 49, Evans 81, and Low
rvs forces ranged up with their three
votes with the heroism displayed at Bala-
klava.
But that ballot was never announced
and there never will be any Official rec
ord of its existence.
There had been rumors all day that
Tawney's strength was going to break
for Evans and within minute after the
last name had been called the intended
only fire cracker of the six punches
for quarter variety.
Senator Lord arose and with a dramatic
air worthy of Mansfield or Edwin Booth
exclaimed:
Mr. Speaker: Before that vote is an
nounced I wish to avail myself of nv
privilege and change my vote from James
A. Tawney to Robert E. Evans"
Then the Evans men howled with de-
light.
Senator Thompson followed with SIM
liar change from Tawney to Evans.
And the Evans men rose and yelled
in manner which would have lone
credit to BiXbys Indians if they were
scalping Heatwole
Next came Senator Knatvold with a
change from Tawney to Evans.
And the Evans men jumped up and
down and doubled up and screamed like
boys with the collie from eating green
apples, only it was yelIs of delight in
stead of pain.
There were five straight consecutive
changes from Tawney to Evans. and #
really did look as if the band WAGON had
started for a finish
Then there was a rustling in the bull
rushes, and Moses bobbed I'D sereneIv
from below. Three or four came over
thom Tawney to Clapp. Then one of
two BiXby votes came over, and the
Clapp men danced and yelled like
Comanche Indians. Tams Bixby wo11l,7
have thought he was on his native heath
If he had been there and would have
gone out and scalped some one, lust as a
matter of habit because the yeIls made
him feel so much at home. There was
an occasional change from Tawnev TO
Evans but the Clapp men We're getting
in their work. 1t was a race of oand
81 wagons to see who would go uader the
wire first Finally Clapp's vote reached
40. 1t required Il to nominate.
Speaker bowling had been voting for
McCleary, but he had been keeping tab
as well. When 20 bobbed up serenelv he
announced that he changed from Nc
Cleary to Clapp, and thus made the, nom
nation. There was a box CT pandemo-
MUM opened in honor of the sneaker.
but the changes went on CIapp's vote
climbed up to "A, and then Dean, Of Mic
ollet put on the finishing touch. He
L
change my vote from Robert 6. Evans
10 Moses E. Clapp." That was the first
open break in the Evans ranks. and it
made the seventy-fifth vote for Clam.
The Clapp men danced, they shouted,
they laughed, they shook hands. they
hugged each other they yelled, they
screamed-in fact in the exuberance
of their joy, they actually made a noise.
The climax was clapped by Sherman
Smith, one of the Evans managers from
Minneapolis. AS soon as he could be
heard after Beams vote he shoutc.
Il move to make the nomination of
Moses E. Clapp unanimous. That's the
kind of people We are"
The last sentence was uttered not as
part of the original motion, but proba-
bly, as an amendment
The whole caucus, with only struggling
exceptions was on its feet Books and
papers We're thrown in the air, hand
kerchiefs We're waved; Ferris, of Brain
erd, pounded on a desk with a seIf-bind
in5 file until the file looked like 80 cents
and the desk was badly punished. Every
one seemed to be as happy as if he had
been an original Clapp man.
AS soon as a trifie of quiet was secured
the speaker put the motion, ana declared
it carried, amid another outburst of en-
thusiasm, which indicated that they were
glad they had done it and if they had if
TO do over again would have done 1t