The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-13
MINNESOTA POLITICS

agreement. Hennepin's fifteen, oper-
atfng as ia unite, Will WELD a powerful in
fiuence in the organization Of the house
Ramsey county only has five republican
and will be decidedly minus.
There are three members of the delega
tior. who would like to make the race for
speaker, provided they have the indorse-
.1nent of their colleagues Any one Of the
three would BE a credit to the position,
and would reflect honor on his home city.
All have had previous legislative expert
ence. - " so -. =. = ~: - d. .'-1:
The three are P. c. Deming, elected for
the >thid consecutive term from the thirty
ninth district; Lawrence II. Johnson,
elected from the forty third district for
his second term, and Loren 6. Stevenson,
reelected from the y forty-frst district.
Each one has friends in the other districts,
gained either in business or in former leg
islative sessions, AMI would command con-
siderable strength. The question is large
1y, which one of the three would get the
largest outside support. r.
It Is not certain. however, that Hene-
pin will present a candidate for speaker.
There is some luke warmness toward
the proposition, and one Of the new mem
Der is outspoken against Gt. There is
some feeling that the delegation as whole
would be better off by going after minor
patronage, and taking good committee as
too, operating against speakership cam
paign. Already tentative plans are being
laid for another. campaign. Hennepin may
want to present candidate for governor
or some other state office. A Hennepin
man may be a candidate against Moses E.
Clapp two years hence. Influences at
work with this in view discourage going
after a purely honorary position like the
speakership.
Men Want Their Old Places.
More immediate considerations weigh
with the members. There are several To-
cal men who would like good places in the
organization Of the next senate or house.
S.~W. Melendy, who was postmaster Of the
last Legislature, would like a reelection
to that position. John T. Jones, reading
clerk Of the last house, is wiling to fill
that trying position again, as he did before
to general satisfaction. Swan johnson,
who was assistant sergeant at arms for the
extra session, would like to be Ed Mann
ing's right hand man again. All these
places go into the same pool from which
the speakership comes, ana are used for
trading stock. If Hennepin goes after the
speakership, practically everything else
will have to be traded off.
The house caucus settles all the places,
although only nine are elected besides
the speaker. These are chief clerk, his two
assistants, postmaster, sergeant, at arms
and his assistant, chaplain, enrolling
clerk and engrossing clerk. The post
master appoints his assistant, and the
speaker appoints the other employees, who
are created by resolution, but the speaker
generally promises all these places as a
condition of his election.
The senate caucus settles on all the
employees Of that branch, except the lieu
tenant governors secretary. The list
is the same except for the postmaster.
Just now the interest centers in the con-
test for secretary of the senate. s.. A.
Langum is candidate for reelection. G.
S. Schurman of st. Paul, a member of the
last house who was defeated for re-elec-
ton, is an active candidate for the place,
by the three st. Paul senators.
a. The old assistant secretaries Of the SEN
ate are not in the race this year. A. H.
Sutherland Of Cambridge, member of the
state central committee, and Senator Bar
ker's law partner, IS out for one Of the
places and Edward Johnson, file clerk of
the last house. would like the other. !;
DR.. Babcock was in st. Paul yesterday
and met several members, among them J.
B. Kelly, the Dakota county wonder who
carried democratic county single hand
ed, and led both the democratic candi-
dates. Mr.. Kelly say the third has not
set any" date for caucus. DR.. Babcock
thinks his chances look good, and that he
will get the ninth district as we'll as the
sixth and eighth. He has arranged for a
sixth district caucus to meet at the Wind
sor Tuesday night
The seventh district held an Informal
caucus at Wilmar last night, without
definite result Gandrud, Benson and
'Ofsthun were appointed a steering COM
mittee. There was talk of Haugland of
Chippewa for speaker, but he was not in
dorsed and no Babcock sentiment de-
veloped. There is an impression that, as
soon as Julius Schmall's reelection as
chief clerk is assured, the seventh will get
in line for one Of the speakership candi-
dates, and not put forward it's own man.
The principal consideration that should
weigh in selecting speaker is the man,
and not the locality. The geographical
argument can be used with force against
any of the candidates. All of them come
from districts we'll supplied with Offices.
except Hennepin which has only the lieu
tenant governor. The first, which brings
out Burns, has the governor, two judges
of the supreme court and many appoint
i've places. The sixth, which is behind
Babcock, has g. United States senator,
secretary of state, and a supreme court
justice.
Returned to Their First Love.
There is a mournful note in the post
mortem" reflections of the Minnesota
Forum, state organ Of the popu1ist party,
that is hardly relieved by its expressions
of vague hope for the future. Editor
Lawson, who is also chairman Of the
populist state committee, refers to the
election as a Disaster to Peoples Or
ganization.' He says:
"The election results speak in no uncer-
tain way regarding the peoples party or
ganization in the state. While we have
the vote on governor only in a few coun-
ties, this is sufficient to prove that the
party organization has ceased to be ef-
fective.
1.-THE result of the election has demon
strated that what we have said of western
Minnesota is true, that democracy could
never hope to assimiate the larger share
of the populists. In the proportion that
the populist organization has lost prestige
the populists have returned to their first
love, which in western Minnesota was
generally the republican party, That the
remaining populists had little faith in the
pretensions Of either Of the old parties
their independent nomination testify and
we do not believe that the campaign Just
| closed has changed their opinion. We
will endeayor to keep our powder dry
shoot straight when occasion offers, and
await new deal which will come In
1904" 4
Easton Is Candidate. ..-. t..
Guy A. Eaton of Duluth, chairman of J
Adam Bede's congressional committee, is
the latest entry in the contest for surveyor