St. Paul Daily Globe

MERRIAM'S DICKER.

There is a rumor afloat in political circles, which seems to be well authenticated, that Gov. Merriam has made a dicker with the Republican bosses of Hennepin county whereby the latter agree to turn over the Hennepin county vote in the Republican state convention to Gov. Merriam in consideration that he shall use his influence to squelch the proceedings against the Minneapolis census enumerators. If such a dicker has been made, the evidence of it will be carefully concealed by the parties to the contract until the state convention is held. Yet the Globe is in possession of sufficient facts to feel justified in making the statement that such a proposition has been made by certain parties professing to have the authority to represent Gov. Merriam's interests, and if the deal was not accomplished it was no fault of the governor or of his friends. Later developments will tell what success has attended this effort of the machine to barter away public rights in exchange for personal gain. If the coincidence should occur that the Hennepin county vote went to Merriam in the wind-up, and that the census proceedings should finally peter out, an intelligent public would have no trouble in establishing the proper relations of the two occurrences to each other.