The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-20
MINNESOTA POLITICS

L Republican leaders are inclined to favor
an early state convention. Their principal
reason is that the preliminary state cam
paign should be out of the way as soon as
possible, SO as not to BECOME tangled with
the congressional and legislative battles under
the primary law, which will begin to assume
a heated phase by the last Of June. The
time that is favored is early in June, not
later than June 15
I The state committee will be called in ses-
| sion in aboutsa month to determine this mat
| ter. 1t will also be settled then on what
basis the representation shall be fixed. 1t
will doubtless be on the old ratio one dele
gate for every $50 votes or major fraction.
and II the country still stands together for
| the unjust practice, the five delegates-at-
| large will be retained Based on the Van
| SAINT vote Of 1900, this would make a conyen-
ton Of 1,O21 delegates. Basng 1t on the Nc
$kinley vote, the convention would number
I1,172
The democracy will, as usual, hold off until
after the republican convention, in order TO
profit by knowledge of what the ruling party
| indorse Van SAINT? AS tar as state issues
issues, and will make them In the platform.
The democratic platform will, Of course, have
| to be anti
By the way, if the populists want to indorse
some for goernor, why shouldn't they
l.
| go, he ought to suit them pretty well. In
| fact, good many individual populists are
declaring their intention to vote for Van SAINT,
| whatever their party does.
There is this difference between the new
primary law as 1t was operated in ST. Paul
Tuesday and the old primary law, under
which Minneapolis voted in 1900 Under the
new law the voter must declare his party
utilization, and is given the ballot of his par
ty This is soft snap for campaign commit
tees. In st. Paul, for instance, 10, 400 voters
have recorded themselves by name as demo-
Gratis and $500 have declared themselves re-
publicans This is about IS per cent OF the
total vote. The committees can easily check
up from the registry list and know exactly
where every man stands who voted yester-
day. The other Is per cent the unknown
| quantity, but after they have registered and
| their names are secured, it will be an easy
matter to canvass them. ...
| 1t was the staunch party men who voted.
The independent voters stayed away, and it
| is their votes that will decide the election.
Friends of the new system say that under
the old law Of separate primaries, voters had
to declare themselves just the same. That
| is true, but for that same reason the indie
| pendent voter never turned out on those oc-
| casions.
| C. J. Berryhi1l served as an election judge
in his seventh ward precinct, and he says
| the new system worked beautifully. I'VE
! registered 304 Voters.' he said, and there
| were only two who made any kick. One Of
| them wanted to split his ticket and vote for
Smith, but for the other republican offices.
i The other said he did not know anybody on
| the ballots, and it was no use to vote. No
| one that showed up made any protest on
| declaring his party af1iation, and we regis
| tered nearly our full vote.' ..
| The complaint usually came from work.
| ingmen. Many of them do not like to declare
politics the opposite of their employers, and
for that reason keep out Of the primaries.
| Frank M. Eddy's sixty day jaunt in Europe
| during the session Of congress has revived the
rumor that he will not be candidate for
congress. This is probably unfounded, but
! his political enemies point out that Eddy
has never declared positively that he would
| be 4 candidate and has not FLED his affidavit
| yet. They hint that he has business deals
| on hand that may result in his moving from,
I Minnesota
1t is whispered that dark horse is on the
! trail of Jim the Tawney.
! The Branerd Dispatch remarks:
| Joel Heatwole denies having said he would
| not be a candidate for reelection to congress.
II he thought the chances OF defeatlng van
| good ne would not care to continue his con-
gressional career. -.s..,...s .-.-- --.:.
i Since Ole Myrsn's statement withdrawing
I from the senatorial field In the sixty first,
friends of w. F. Street Of Bemidji are be-
ginning to make noise. Red Lake county is
! making itself heard, however, and DR.. Wat
! son of Red Lake Falls is apparently their
man. &C. b. q.