The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-04
MINNESOTA POLITICS

: The republican state committee will prob
ably be called together during the last week
in April, and will then issue the call for the
state convention to met six weeks later,
bringing 1T near June 15. There is general
sentiment in favor of this date. There has
never been any serious talk about May
convention, and in view Of the, state wide
primary election 1t is thought best to have
tn state ticket nominated by the middle OF
June.
There is one candidate who would well
come lategconyena ian!A IIe.tis Odin Halden
of Duluth, candidate for state auditor. The
principal thing operating against his candi-
dacy is the location. The general impression
is that a Duluth man is necessarily under
the influence of the steel trust
Mr.. Halden's friends say he will disprove
this when it comes to assessing the ore prop
critics this summer. Two years ago they were
raised, but this was before the stee! trust
acquired the mines, and no one outside of the
owners realized their value. Last year the
real estate could not be assessed, but this
year there Is really the first opportunity to
place a true valuation on the property The
real estate valuation Of the mines is now
placed at 100000 600. The prediction is made
in Duluth that when the St. Louis county
board OF equalization gets through, this
valuation will be at least doubled and $685.
900 is frequently mentioned as the figure
The county auditor, who is Mr.. Halden, is the
ruling spirit OF the county board, and will
| insist on this radical increase.
I The trouble is that this will not be done
until late in July, long after the state CON
vention. The local assessors will make their
| returns in May and June, but they are not
likely to show very great increase, and
ST. Louis county will not have any tangible
proof of its independence from steel trust
domination till after the ticket is nominated
and the state campaign well under way.
| This raise is bound to come they saw.
no matter what the convention does with Mr..
Halden. If he is turned down, it will make
no difference with his action, There will be
little left for State Auditor Dunn and the
state board of equalization in that direction.
| If present plans work out in ST. Louis county
| While Senator Potter continues to keep ST.
ence as to his intentions, it Is not thought
likely that he will make any effort for the
nomination for lieutenant governor. He does
not discuss it seriously. Fourth warders pre-
dict that he will keep out until after the
state convention, and then file his certificate
for another term in the senate. This will be
a serious disturbance to the plans OF Repre-
sentatives Roberts and Smith, who had
planned a pleasant little tete a tete contest
for the upper house.
10 !.
The social democratic party is not dead, in
spite Of the action of the last legislature,
That is, it is not dead unless it chooses to
| die natural death and merge into the new
party organized at Louisville to take in all
the isms 1t was supposed, when the last
| legislature passed law forbiddng the use
of any party name by another party, tina.
! this meant the finish of the social democrats,
Leading attorneys who were in the legislature.
1 I,o ~
| to parties subsequently organized. The social
democrats have used the name and are there
fore entitled to use it as a vested right. So
there may be another Tom Lucas this sum
mer, after all.
Editor Dean OF the Owatonna Journal de-
votes column to writing down Governor Van
| SAINT He admits that the governor helped
himself by his attitude against the merger.
but sums it up as follows:
The fact of the matter is, and it is difficult
to understand how anybody can be SO blind
as not to see 1t, that the attitude of Governor
Van SAINT on the merger question is his one
source of strength. 1t Is quite true he has
been unable to accomplish anything that
would prevent the proposed railroad CONSOLE
dalton; that his attempts to do. so, where
they have not been absurd or theatrical, have
been impotent, and that if he We're the only
obstacle In the way Of the contamination Of
the plans Of the railroad combination it
would have practically free hand.
Nevertheless, he is generally given credit
for having done what he could, if not in the
best way possible, in the best way he knew
and to put an obstacle in the way of monopo-
" is always popular. Most people would
forgive the governor much for the fight he
has attempted to make against the consolida-
ton of northwestern railroads.
It is, however, asking too much when 1t is
demanded that the manifest failure OF his ad-
ministration in almost every other direction
should be condoned because in one thing he
appeared to want to do right,
The rest OF the article is an arraignment
of the governors appointments. There is the
milk in the cocoanut Editor Dean cannot
forgive the governor for failing to appoint
his man dairy and food commissioner.
| Senator Roverud in his Caledonia Journal
| remarked recently that the republican party
would have to be on the defensive in the
coming state campaign. In reply the Albert
Lea Tribune says the records will show that
the senator did his full share toward placing
Il