The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-03-04
State Democratic Committee Does Not
Favor Publicity Idea.
C. D. 0'Brien Says Scribes Are min
ions of Capitalists"
Frank Day Did Not See Them ir
That Awful Light
Grover Cleveland Is Not Favored By
Minnesota "Unwashed"
From Saturdays Daily.

1t looked like old times around the
Merchants hotel today, when between
fifty and seventy-five prominent Demo
Gratis of the state congregated to eX-
change opinions and cast as cheerful an
eye as possible across the chasm of a
forlorn hope.
Three or four propositions were dis
cussed more or less, by the faithful.
1t was apparent that there was prac-
tically no sentiment in favor of holding
two conventions in one.
The majority held that it would be
folly to hold a state nominating conven-
tion before the coming state campaign
was clearly defined by the action of the
next Republican convention.
Duluth put in bid for one of the con-
ventions, and it was agreed that the first
convention should be held in that city,
and there seemed to be no sentiment in
opposition to this.
A delegation headed by j. R. Bennett,
of st. Cloud, and Charles E. Vasaly, of
Little Falls, was engaged doing mis-
sionary work for the cause of William
R. Hearst, pointing out the propriety of
Minnesota indorsing the Hearst candi-
dacy.
The Hearst boom did not take the
committee by storm, and it was evil
dent that any Hearst proposition sprung
on the convention would precipitate a
fight. The Duluth delegation and sew
eral others favored the candidacy of
Judge Parker-but the general feeling
was that it would be mistake at this
time to announce presidential choice.
There was same division of opinion as
to when the delegate convention should
be called, but most of the members
seemed to favor as late a date as posi-
BILE.
The state nominating convention will
hardly be held before Aug. l.
The committee had strenuous time
getting itself untangled for. business.
Exhausted by the fierce intellectual
waste of the roll call some of the mem
bers were in an ugly mood
C. D. O'Brien, who did his best to oc-
cupy two seats in the meeting, insisted
that the newspaper representatives be
excluded from the meeting.
F. L. Glotzbach, of Faribault, said
that the Democratic party was not
afraid of publicity, and wanted the press
to stay and get all the "doings;" that
the wisdom of the Minnesota Democracy
might be scattered abroad for the de-
claration of mankind.
But Mr.. O'Brien declared that the re-
porters were "minions of the capitalists"
and should be excluded from the sacred
precincts wherein the Democrats were to
do their cogitating.
He regretted that he hadn't thought
of the menace of publicity before the
roll call had been taken.
The matter was fought out and a vote
taken, and by a vote of fourteen to
eleven the press was thrown out of the
meeting.
Chairman Buck thought the papers
had never given him enough personal
prominence, and James R. Bennett didn't
want his allies in the Republican party
to know how strenuously he was plug
cling the Yellow Journal for Billy
Hearst, and they Joined in heartily with
the movement to exclude the press,
while Frank Day made an effort to have
the meeting kept open, as he couldn't
see what horrible crimes were likely
to be perpetrated which might appear
hideous if narrated in cold type.-St.
Paul Dispatch.
J. G. Pyle attempted to Clevelandize
the committee, but the committeeman
couldn't hear The Globe editor. The
only Grover came in for some rich,
brown roasts.
Rosing maintained that it was Cleve-
land who defeated him for governor.