The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-10-14
ST. PUBL COLUMN.
At st. Paul Mr.. J. p. White will re,
ceive subscriptions for THE REPRE-
SENTATIVE, at his tffice, o49 East
Eighth street.
Edited by j. G. HANLEY.

W
ener whom we have known ever since he
was child, having played as boys together.
Mr. Wagner was horn in st. Paul IN tn,
year 1852. His father John Wagner.
war one of the early settlers Of the city.
who was universally esteemed by all who
knew him. He was a man of tireless en-
erGy. and by his inaemitable pluck and
close application to business accumulated
fair fortune. He was known among his
friends as Honest John Wagner" 1t
was from such stock that our young friend
sprung. and 10 those who know Mr.. John
Wagner. Jr is Is useless to say that he
is the worthy son Of worthy father. Hav-
ing succeeded to his fathers estate n has
shown more ability in the mana cement of
the same, and has at the present time
grocery and fuel business which. he con-
ducts on strict business principles. He was
educated in the local schools of the city,
which. with the practical business training
he received from his father, it IS safe to
say that he will bring TO the Office of sher-
iff. to which he has been lately nominated
by two conventions (and will be surely
elected,. q fund of practical knowledge
and useful information that will peculiarly
fit him to carry on the office of sheriff OF
this great county with honesty and ability.
Mr.. Wagner is known among his German
friends as the grand young man., and is
universally popular. He has already hiied
the position of city treasurer with marked
ability. Mr. Wagner is considered tower
of strength TO the ticket. and will certainly
be elected by handsome majority.
Among the pleasant features connected
with the present county ticket is the alb
sence of the old gang politicians and
office holders and office seekers" The
new candidates are nearly all young men,
and first termers.
This condition is delightfully."- refreshing to
the "young men," who thought that the
old ones who formerly held the offices
would never die, and few resign that
their chances were far down in the future.
This condition has changed, and we now
find set of delegates attending the
conventions. and the States" which were
being made daily by the 'old barnacles"
were daily broken by this new but powerful
element in the local political arena. We
hail with delight this new condition of
things and venture the prediction that the
young fellows. as they are cOntemptu-
ously called by the ''old back numbered pol
iticians'' will show a creditable record in
this campaign for hustling, enthusiasm,
zeal ana victory. " atch them.
Mr.. Hubert A. Wallraff, the Populist
nominee for county auditor, who also re-
ceived a Democratic Endorsement, is also
a young man. and native of this city.
Mr.. Wallraf is of German descent and a
man who rose from modest beginnings to a
successful business man. He is the head
of harness manufacturing establishment,
located on Rice street. near Como avenue.
as a man of scrupulous nonor and integ-
rty. He also was educated In the local
schools and received a practical business
education by attending the business col
leges of this city. He therefore brings a
valuable acquisition of intimate knowledge
of bookkeeping and accounts to the import
ant office of county auditor, who IS the Of
fetal bookkcelmr of the county. Mr.. Wall
raft Is Il MAN of considerable accomplish
ments, among which as q singer he has
somewhat of reputation. being for many
years one of the main singers in the choir
of the Catholic Church Of the Assumption
and later in St. Agnes Church. Mr.. Wall
raft occupied the peculiar position of 1.-THE
office seek the man as he was in no sense
n candidate for any office. and was as
much surprised at receiving the nomination
from the Peoples party by acclama ton as
any one MIR. Walraff has always been
an uncomnrumising and Jealous Populist
and has done much in the past for the up
building of the party, when it was a very
unpopular thing to be known as a Populist
Mr.. Walraff is bringing 4 valua bic acouisi-
ton of strength to our party, and is doing
great work for the whole county ticket
An unfortunate occurrence has Just
taken place. and which promises to give
much trouble to the local managers to the
county campaign, and that is the action
taken by that new element in county pol
tiles. and known as the Independent De-
mocracy of Ramsey county. They were
lost sight Of in the consideration of the
fusion of the reform forces, and now they
have come forth from their hiding place
and place nearly an entire county ticket in
the field. Some of the local candidates
have been ndorscd. and new candidate put
in the field, among whom they have sin
eled for their hostility is Mr.. II. A. Walt
raft. whom they nominated Mr.. II. H. Full
Ter for the position of county auditor; also
they nominated Judge c. L. Otis "a gold
bug) against r. A. Walsh and nominated
Mr.. Brown for Judge of probate against our
popular young friend. Mr.. Frank Roberts
Considerable bad blood was stirred up by
the local Populists (among whom was our
self). at this act of what appeared at first
thought act of trea cherry. And We
were not slow i'll conveying our suspicion
to Mr.. Townlcy. the chairman of the local
Democratic county committee, that the
IopuliSts were being treated with treachcry
and that we would resent this act of the
Independent Democracy by cutting the flu
sion candidates if we found that the flu
sion Democracy was party 10 the nominal
lions of the so-callod Independent Democ-
racy. We found that the Democra tic coun-
ty committees were as much surprised and
annoyed as The Populfsts were, as they
considered the Independents dead with the
last city campaign And Mr. Townley
gave us the assurance that his committee
would do al! they could to withdraw those
candidates. ard repudiated the whole deal
as matter of q small faction. who were
actuated only by personal motives. As
Mr. II. II. Fuller and ourself had been en-
gagged in reform matters in former occa-
sions. we deemed It matter which we
owed to cur party 10 use whatever influence
we had to lay the matter before Mr.. Fuller
and explain what Significance his attitude
might have in defeating the parpose Of fu-
sion in the county. as he was recognized
among the Popaiists as leading Democrat
and that this suspicion prevailed in Ger
tain quarters in our party that the whole
fusion deal was an attempt to deliver the
Peoples Party over to the Democrats and
that this action OF his in accepting q nomi-
nation as an independent Democrat for
county auditor was confirmation of that