The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1900-07-14

There was revival Of the county
seat division question yesterday when
word came from St. Paul to the effect
that Governor Lind had issued prOcla-
nation as provided by law directing
that the question Of the creation Of the
proposed new county of Iron" which
it is designed to set apart from st.
Lewis county and divide the range
towns from the balance Of the county,
be submitted to vote of the people at
the general election on November 9Th.
The proclamation which bears the
date Of June 21, 1900, appears in an
other column of this issue. Just why
the issuance of the same has been de-
layed until this date is not at once ap-
parent. However, the petition which
is the cause of the PRONUNCIATION Of the
proclamation is said to be the first Of
three which may be submitted to the
governor and is declared to be in the
interest of Virginia as the county seat.
A second petition favors Biwabik and
the third, Eveleth. The question which
was agitating a number Of people in
Duluth yesterday and last evening
was, whether or not more than the one
proposition would be submitted at the
forthcoming election. While none of
those whom representative OF
The News Tribune interviewed last
evening could speak with authority
there was an impression that the
voters would be confronted by but one
proposition, the one in question, on
election day. Should one or two more
be submitted the situation would be
rather complicated not to say unusual.
The ruling of the supreme court in
case of this nature is such that under
certain conditions q comparatively
small number of voters would be able
to carry proposition. To illustrate:
Should there be two competing propo-
sitions submitted to the people and
same territory but each calls for diff
ferent county seat, less than one-half
Of the votes might carry for division
although the proposition received less
than one-half of the combined votes
cast on the two propositions. To be
palmer a hypothetical case might be
cited. Suppose that proposition No.
receives 1000 "yes' votes and 5000 mo-
votes, and proposition No. 2 receives
| 1900 affirmative and 1850 negative
votes According to the ruling of the
supreme court proposition No. would
| have carried because majority of the
votes cast On proposition NO. were
cast in favor of county division. Thls
seems somewhat remarkable when 1t
appears from the total mo" vote on the
two propositions, there are $3.50 OPP
posed to any county division. In other
words the 6.15O negative votes would
demonstrate that there are 6,150 voters
in st. Louis county who cast their bal
lots against any division, yet under the
4 anf @1rot &c
have been so arranged as to decide IN
favor of county division.
Most all the laws Of Minnesota pro-
vide that where propositions are sub
mitted before they can be said to have
carried they shall have received ma
jority of all the votes cast at that cleo
ton In fact the statute on county di-
vision is about the only one that pro-
vides differently.
There are those in Duluth who as
sert that so much jealousy exists be-
tween the rival range towns that IT
will be difficult to carry the proposition
in question or either Of the other two,
should they come up for consideration.
This is mere conjuncture, however. and
no one appears to be making any rash
predictions over the result.
1t was learned late last night that
while the petitions favoring Eveleth
and Biwabik as county seat have re-
ceived quite number of signatures,
they have not yet been presented to
the governor, but in order for that Off
cial to act upon them legally they must
be in his hands at least 80 days before
| eloction or bofo,.o Auo,,c+