The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1894-09-13
MINNESOTA DEM0CRAcYlN THE
HANDS or WEAkLlN0S.
Light Thrown on the Official
Record of Auditor Bierman.
What viii the Democrats Do
With Judge Willis, Who
Takes Pride in Being q Third
Party Man. .s9s3 ls.

0kS~~SSSNAOs
weeks beforehand, the Democrats of
the state had thought Of nothing else
but the issue-to fuse, or not to fuse.
In spite of the melancholy experiences
of two years ago, there was . very
large element of those hungry for local
Office who insisted on another joiut
campaign with the Populists. To the
credit of the party it must be said, how
ever, that there were enough stead
Easily opposed to this pregnant to defeat
it. When the convention assembled
there was no one who dared stem the
tide of anti-fusion sentiment, or give to
the fusion scheme anything more than
a covert support. This would have been
more praiseworthy if the party had not
given the lie to all it's fine pretensions
at the last moment by indorsing one of
the candidates, and that one perhaps
the most Objectionable of them all,
named in the Populist ticket.
Official Record of Auditor Bierman.
The only two candidates of any par
ticular interest in this convention were
those of Mr.. Bierman for state auditor
and Judge Willis for associate justice Of
the supreme court. The remainder of
the offices are filled with such Demo-
Gratis as would consent to accept NOM
nations; most of them quite respect
able, and most of them, except General
Becker and Mr.. Ludwig, known tovery
few people outside of their immediate
constituencies. Whatever may have
been his private reasons for fighting
Mr.. Bierman, Mr.. Doran's head was ex-
ceedingly level when he declared that
the Democratic party could not afford
to carry into the coming campaign the
handicap of it's present state auditor.
Huge frauds have already been I'M
earthed in the matter Of state pine
lands that have been carried through
during the incumbency of Mr.. Bierman.
A large amount of money has been re-
covered to the state from those who
profited by these illegal transactions. 1t
is said by one of the committee, now at
misappropriation Of state property dis
covered up to date will exceed a million
dollars. It would be a very difficult
matter to persuade any voter that mis-
demeanors of this number and amount
could be committed, and a record Of the
transactions passed through the state
auditors Office, without any suspicion
upon his part Of misdoings. If Mr..
Bierman's conduct of his Office has been
thoroughly honest, then he is too care
less a man to trust with the immense
interests of the state in it's public lands.
AS far as he is concerned, the Demo
cratic campaign must be a defensive
one from first to last.
What Will Democrats Say About Willis?
Less excusable will the straight-out
Democrats of the state consider the &C
ton of the convention in indorsing the
Populist candidate for associate Justice
Of the supreme court. If there is one
Populist should not be admitted under
any circumstances or on any plea, it is
its highest judicial tribunal. The Peo-
pies party has no respect for law. In
every state in which it has been in
power it has assumed that might
makes right" as thoroughly as any des-
pot who ever lived. To put such men
as this upon the bench is to say that
justice shall no longer be considered,
and that laws shall be interpreted &C
cording to the personal or political in
terests of these who administer them
Tried by this test, Judge Willis is as
good a Populist as any of them. His
record on the bench of Ramsey county
is the record Of ranting demagogue.
He has repeatedly prostituted his high
Office to the basest partisan ends = 1t
was service such as this that endeared
him sufficiently to the Populist party to
make him their willing and welcome
nominee. He has never disclaimed
their principles, and in accepting him
the Democrats of this state have as
sumed all the dishonor of fusion with
out receiving single compensating adj
vantage. Nothing can save them from
the consequences of this but a prompt
and public rejection on the part of
Democratic voters of the Populist cam
didate. 5.n~ 1 #
Democratic Platform Lacks Meaning.
The platform adopted does not con-
tain single definite and clear cut prop
osition. Any man Of any party might
take his stand upon its vague and gilt
tering generalities and declare that
they expressed hiss political faith. We
all of us believe in safe and sound
currency; in the rights of labor; in
equal justice to employer and employee;
in just pension system, and in arbi-
tration as a method Of settling labor
disputes; but as to the specific methods
by which any Of these general objects
are to be attained the platform is wholly
silent and wholly worthless. It is as
little inspiring as the ticket nominated,
or as the debates Of the convention.
They all have the funeral air of one
prepared and resigned to his fate.
The leaders of the Peoples party are
not a little chagrined by their failure to
make a ten-strike out of the observance
Of Labor day. 1t was down on their
bills to have speakers of their own har-
sngue vast crowds of working men