The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-06-15
THE GuBEENAT0RIAL CANVASS,

,s1z Thursday, June Is, 1871.
TsIE GuBEENAToRIAL CANVASS,
Alarmed BY the unexpected display
of public sentiment in opposition tc
the denomination OF Governor Austin
His Excellcucy's friends are engaged
in loudly trumpetiug his claims to a
second term. After reading carefully
the different articles written and pub
lishee in his behalf; We find that they
can all be condensed into this ono plea
that he is honest. Ignoring for the
time being the very wide difference Of
opinion which exists on this point, and
granting for him the Immaculate purity
of intention claimed, what then p
Honesty is prime viltue, and no man
should be elected to public Office who
is without it, but does its possession in
volve the utter lacking Of everything
else ? Has it been divorced for life
from craftsmanship, dlscernment, and
-Webster's Dictionary? If Govern.
or Austin is to stand as the embodiment
Of honesty, the difference would seem
to be irreconcilable.
1t is more than possible that Mime.
sofa possesses some man Who unites
. with this one quality others scarcely
less essential, so that the people may
not DO driven to the necessity of taking
again very ordinary Governor from
the fear Of having worse, or none at
all. Governor Austin's administration
presents no claims demanding for him
reelection. The most that no has
done has been negative. The veto
power, by which he overrode the
wishes Of the people as expressed
through majority Of both branches
Of their Legislature, has given him
whatever reputation he possesses -
aside from that gained by somewhat
limited correspondence With Democrat.
ic newspapers: concerning certain geo.
graphical pecu]iarities Of the State,
first discovered by personal research.-
He has arrogated to himself a wisdom
above all his associates, and presuming
on this has annuled, by the exercise of
the onc-man power, their most import
ant acts. 81 far, therefore, as tho
practical results OF his administration are
concerned, Governor Austin is just
the kind Of man the people of
Minnesota do not want. Especially is
this the case with the people Of North
ern Minnesota, to whose interests he
has placed himself persistently in d.
rect autagonism. They look for an Ex-
ecutive who can appreciate the wants Of
that part of the State which has re-
ceivea the least and deserves the most
; one who 10 determining his course with
regard to a public measure does not
throw it on one side of the scales and
the probable number of votes to be
cast by the locality to be benefited on
tho other, deciding for or against as the
votes 60 up or down one who will
not sacrifice the educational interests Of
one place to those of another, or to
the demands Of penitentiaries and TO-
form schools; ono who can address q
coordinate branch of the government
without deliberately insulting it; one
who will not allow his ill.teeling against
Member Of the Legislature, aroused
by true words itly spoken, to lead him
to avenge himself upon that Members
entire constituency; one whose letters
in the public press will not cause their
children's ridlcule by their wretched
photography and their wives bushes by
their coarseness. They believe they
can find Governor who will be honest
without having these other features so
largely developed. The Republicans OF
Northern Minnesota do not insist that
the candidate of their party in the
coming canvass shall be taken from this
part Of the State, or that he shall be
unduly pledged to its interests but
they do demand that he shall not
be man who has proved himself to be
opposed to whatever was most essen
tial to its prosperity. And these North.
western counties, which few years ago
figured scarcely at all either IN oonven.
tions or election returns, will have
vote next fall which it will be wiso Meth.
Or to despise nor defy.
! As = party measure, the re-nomina.
ton Of Governor Austin would be
great mistake. Two years ago, with
nothing to operate against him ex-
eept his personal canvass, his majority
in this State, which gave Republican
majority Of over fifteen thousand in
1868, and over sevon Thousand in 1870,
VA, IN 1869, less than taco thousand.
:, Thi, fearful falling off can be attributed
only to the popular feeling Of Gov
ernor Austiu's incapacity for the posi-
ton. The vote of last May, whereby
:; tho bond proposition was defeated by
over twelve thousand majority, notwith-
standing the tremendous influences
brought to bear in its favor, is also of
decided significance. In one sense,
Governor Austin was on trial. Had
tho names Of the members of the
Commission of Arbitration to be ap-
pointed by him been known aud ap-
proved, or had the people repossd in
! him unquestioned confidence, the fate
Of the proposition would have bier
we're differant. IT tho n0l,ticiona