The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-13
GO ON BY PETITIONS
COUNTY DEMOCRATS, THE COUN-
ny ATTORNEY HOLDS, HAVE
LOST THEIR IDENTITY
HOW He HAS FIGURED IT OUT

Neither the Democratic Nor PeO-
pies Party Conventions Was
Made Up of Delegates Represent
ing Any Political Party That
PoiIed One Per Cent of the Vote
Cast at the Last General Election.
County Attorney Anderson rendered
his ungrateful party one last service
yesterday in declaring, in an opinion
furnished County Auditor Sullivan re-
garding the preparation of the county
ballots, that the Democratic nominees
were not entitled to a place on the
ticket except by petitions Of nominal
ton. He bases his opinion upon the
ground that the Democratic and Peo-
pies party conventions were not made
up of delegates representing any po-
HtiCal party that pOlled one per cent
of the vote at the last general cleo
ton, holding that the fusion Of the
above two parties loses each its iden-
tity.
In view of the opinion, the Demo-
cratic nominees must now get on the
ticket by petition, or recourse must be
had 10 mandamus proceedings to COM
pei the county auditor to place their
names upon the ballot. Following is
the opinion Of the county attorney in
reply 10 the question Of the county
auditor:
have the honor to advise you, in response
20 your request fer an opinion as TO the order
in which the names of candidates shall appear
on the county ticket, that the law provides
that the tickets TO be printed under your d.
rectiOn shall be prepared near may be
substantially In the same manner as provided
for the state ballot, and that the names shall
be arranged in the same order as on the
state ballot, regardless of the vote polled in
any particular county.
This would be plain and easy to follow, did
the state and county tickets correspond to
political parties. But the state ballot has no
candidates Of the Democratic or the Peoples
party, but is the same as it was at the last
general election, that is there is fusion of the
two parties. Whereas no fusion exists In this
county. The candidates are Of each distinct
party. Hence You are confronted with this
question, have those candidates been placed
in nomination by assemblies or conventions
OF delegates, constituting organized assem-
blages of delegates representing political par
ties. which at the last general election pol. ed
at least one per cent Of the entire vote cast III
this county? The law provides that in order
20 ascertain the vote you shall take the av-
ersge vote cast for such candidates Of the
party as were not Endorsed by other
party. In this county two years ago there
was not one man on either the Democratic
or Populist ticket not Endorsed by any other
party. Hence no such average can be ascer-
taiued. I am informed that the attorney gen.
STdl mas l5IU IlaL luG TWO parties SQOuIu Dc
treated IN making up the state ballot, as
single entity, that Is, as one party That
opinion l shall fellow, as to any candidates
who have been placed in nomination by both
parties for the same place, and under like
circumstances. But assuming that position
70 be the correct one, you will see that that
ENTITY" party has no county ticket in
this county, except as to q very few, and
that this conclusion must logically follow,
thar the county candidates on both the Demo-
cratic and Peoples party tickets are not nomi-
mated by such conventions as to warrant
their names to be printed the official bal
lot. They must be nominated by petition.
Hence you are advised that IN making up
the ballot, you should place the names on
the ballots OF candidates nominated by dele
gates acting pursuant to the statute and rep
reserting political parties, which, according
to the rules referred to cast the requisite
number Of votes, and then the names Of the
candidates nominated by petition in the order
Of the filing of their certificates
I have rendered you this opinion promptly
by your request, so to enable interested
persons to take such action as TO them may
seem proper and before the time for filing
certificates has expired.
Among the Democrats the opinion
was discounted. 1t had been antici-
pated that some such move would be
made before the ballot was made UP,
but as the announcement only took
the form Of a procurement by Coun-
ty Attorney Anderson no one paid any
attention to it yesterday. Even in Re-
publican circles no particular jubiIa-
ton was INDUCED, for the Republicans,
quite as much as everybody else, are
DO not go far. Mr. Sullivan has not
yet acted officially in the matter and
his action will be awaited.