Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-08-25
SIDELICHTS ON CONVENTION
Burlington Politicians Turn a heat Trick
on Voters Of Stats.
HAND THAT DEALS CARDS CONCEALED
Prejudice of voters Too strong to
Come Out In the open, but Norris
Brown f. Made when
the Time Comes.
CFrom a Stan Correspondent }

| anu 'lns hotel Corrldors are deserted, OOt
the political veterans who witnessed the
engagement are still sitting around the
camp-fres talking over the strategic
moves of the .contending hosts and the
impending political revolution, that has
placed Nebraska by the side of Kansas as
a free and independent state.
'It was a superb piece of strategy"
exclaimed one of the veterans who trained
with the Lincoln machine, "the way the
Burlington handled it's forces before and
after the battle. 1t was given out at
headquarters and all along the Burling
ton line that it's preference was for Rose
water over Brown, and its agents, lawyers
and passholders industriously spread the
report among Rosewaters former sup
porters, who were incensed and disgusted
over what they thought was the treacheiy
and desertion of the cause of the people
on the part of the editor. Very naturally,
they rallied around the standard OF Norris
Brown, who made roaring campaign
speeches against the Burlington and
Union Pacific tax shirkers and filled
every village and farm with inhafnmato- y
literature. 1t was an easy thing for the
Burlington politicians to lose out in al-
most every county in the Republican VAL
ley as well as in the First and Fourth
districts. where they knew public sent'-
ment was running high against the rail-
roads and particularly the Grain trust In
all these counties no serious resistance
was made to instructions for Norris
Brown"
That's so," chimed in a Nebraska City
merchant 81 was on the train that car
ried our delegation to the county con-
vention that was held at Syracuse. When
the conductor passed Judge Jessen, who
was a presumed candidate for congress
against Pollard, the judge gave a wink
and the conductor passed by. When the
Judge was called on to address the coli
vention, after he had been unanimously
endorsed for the empty honor, he made
the most rantankerous anti-pass and anti
railroad speech I have ever heard in many
a day, and his Me too Major Hayward
pushed through an instruction for Norris
Brown, although four-ffths of the people
of Otoe county were for Rosewater."
Fooled by Press Bureau.
THAT is about the way 1t went in other
counties" said a commercial traveller. who
happened to be within the circle durins
this discussion. 1T stopped over in sew
eral towns in Hamilton and Seward coun-
ties lust before the frensied farmers In
! report circulated by Browns press bn-
reau that Rosewater was tied up With the
Burlington"
"Bv the same signs" said grizzly pol
itical vet. 1.-The republicans Of Butler county
were led by the nose into the bull ring
The amusing part of II was that the anu
pass shouters In wahoo and David CITY
were notorious political pass distributors
and corporation attorneys
You have broken the thread OF my
story" exclaimed the first strategist the
real aim Of the Burlington was to defeat
both Brown and Rosewater by pitting them
} against each other so as to finally prevent
, the nomination of a senator in the con-
yention. At any rate the password to the
passholders on every railroad line was 10
stop instructions, except where the coun-
ties could be rounded up for the stalking
horses. who were expected to hold back
votes enough to make impossible the NOM
ination of any senatorial candidate. This
was the role of Currie, Meikeljohn, Crounse
and DR.. Evans, none OF whom stood
ghost of a chance of being nominated"
MiiIard Is Overlooked.
you forgot to name Mllard." exclaimed
another vet Didn't he present most
humiliating and pitiful spectacle7 Have
any of you ever seen a United States sem
ator walk through the aisles of great
convention and take seat on the stage
without being noticed and without single
man raising his hand to applaud or calling
him by nameT'
"I happened to know" said another vet,
'that nearly all the votes for supporters of
: the dummy candidates were nominated TO
vote for Rosewater after the first compli-
, , mentary vote. but they were held back pur-
! posely with the idea of creating deadlock
~ An praventinR nomination
Had they been voted in accordance with
their pledges and instructions, Rosewater
! would have won hands down"
THAT may or may not be So" said the
man at the head OF the campfire but
happen to know that the knife was put
into Rosewater by the order of Holdrege
You remember that the Gage county dele
cation, which had promised to deliver from
. fifteen to twenty votes TO Rosewater, by
: some mysterious agency only gave him
four while Brown got sixteen from the
start You remember that instructions
were prevented I'm Saline county which IL
II, Burlington territory, through the quiet bui
effective pressure from Foss. the Burling-
. ton boss, but at the same time 1t was given
. out that the delegation would be solid for
Rosewater and II was solid UP 10 within a
few hours before the meeting of the con
vention. Then four or five of the delegates
who always do the bidding OF the Bur
IinEton became attached to Brown and
would not bulge. You probably also re-
member that Good named his own dele.
CATION in Nemaha- Every one of those
| votes. including Tom Majors, was at the
disposal OF the Burlington. Tom Majors
; himself had conhdentialy admitted that hC
would vote for Rosewater. II he was re-
quested to do so for the sake of Good. II
isn't likely that Tom threw the delegation
to Brown on his own motion. I happen tC
3 know that he threw II only after Jim Keloy
r had appeared on the floor OF the conven
g ton few minutes before the final ballot
: Lets Cat Out of the BnE.
That reminds me-" said the Commercial
traveller, that one OF the Omaha Fontanell,
2 men predicted the nomination OF Brown tht
day before the convention He said Kelbs
: was talking out loud Iii Ed Maureri
. Omaha saloon Monday night and be
q tween drinks said the Burlington
y would throw to Brown, If there was an,
I danger OF Rosewater making it,"
You've hit It exactly" said the first re
4 lator. lit was a piece OF superb strategy
, and It was neatly executed. Don't Civ,