The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1906-09-26
! FROM THE STATE CAPITAL !


Tuesday was a unique affair. The
programme which Governor Johnson
and his cabinet mapped out went
through swimmingly. The programme
was in hand from start to finish and
there was no interruption from the
SECULAR order. The hall was made
quate to seat the delegates on the
main floor In arranging the delega-
tons Ramsey and Hennepin counties
were given the parQuet and they occr>
pied the greater part of it and the
around the edges. There was good
deal of kicking about that, but I am
not sure but that the arrangement
was all right. 1t was these two dele
cations which had the burden of the
convention ON their shoulders. For
weeks they had been getting together
and they had spent lots of gray mat
ter in preparing a platform which
would not offend the old line Demo
Gratis, the Demo-Pops, the Bryanites or
the Hearstites, and then they needed
to be handy to the chairman to see
that the programme went through.
Mr.. F. G. Winston was elected chair
man, and speaking of that the state
senate escaped having a presiding
officer wisD had but small legislative
experience when Mr.. Winston was de-
feated for lieutenant governor two
years ago. The simplest parliamentary
problem seemed to puzzle him. He
was not posted on what the leaders
had decided upon, and it was laugha-
BILE to hear him mix up the names
that we're printed in the morning pa
pers. 1t is presumed that he was so
busily engaged in preparing his ex-
temporaneous speech that he had had
no time for these little matters. If
Mike Kane and Frank Day had not
been within easy distance there would
have been q good many jangles at the
love feast To his credit be it said
that after he had been given a tip of
what was to be done he had a varied
assortment of parliamentary rulings
ON tap which he could muster that
would do the business. A little thing
like reversing his rulings did not seem
to bother Mr.. Winston. He simply ex-
planned it BY saying that this was a
democratic Democratic convention"
and the game did not seem to be
worth the while of anyone appealing
from the decision of the chair. I was
told the position Of chairman was only
given him because of his desire to
again head the ticket with Johnson,
but the nationality question forced
him to retire and the Craftsmanship
was given him to let him down easy.
In Mr. Winston's speech, to which
I have referred, there we're some evil
dences that the leaders had used the
"blue pencil" Some pages were read
30 much quicker than others that it
was evident that something had been
omitted. One thing probably escaped
the censorship, but he may have in
sisted upon putting it in, for he is an
intense partisan. He referred to the
independent" voters, whom Johnson
is quite anxious to cater to at cleo
ton time, as the very uncertain and
tickle body Of citizens generally known
as mugwumps or conservatives. y
There were several knowing looks that
expressed the opinion that politically
that was bad break.
Then the convention got down to
the business of nominating the ticket.
1t was all done by reclamation. Only
in one case were there two nominees
and that was for treasurer J. A. Nc
Dermott, Johnson's oil inspector, nom
mated D. II. Evans Of Tracy and ]. A
NOVEL; of st. Paul nominated A. M
Becker of Adrian The chairman hard
ly knew what to do with the two can
didates, but finally he tumbled to the
fact that a roll call was what was
wanted After half a dozen counties
had been called Evans appeared in
front of a box on the right of the
stage, announced who he was and
wanted to withdraw. The fact that
! MCD0TInOCt ndu nominated Evans
made the chairman feel that it would
be a violation Of parliamentary pro
cedure in such case made and pro
vided for him to get out of the race
McDermott also protested against al
lowing him to withdraw. After con
siderable jangling the roll call was
proceeded with and fellow back I'm
der the galleries asked who are we
voting for?" Under the galleries little
could be heard of what was doing on
the stage. Frank Day left the plat
form and whispered to NOVEL; and
some of the other fellows. Evans ap
peared at the box and made his own
nominating speech and it was a good
one When he was through every
man in the hall knew he was Dem.
ocrat from principle" for he himself
said it, and that he had the Johnson
o. K. was evidenced by the vote. The
delegates had in the meantime been
Informed as to what was expected OF
them and as the roll call proceeded il