The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-28


bitionist. Had either Wilson or owen
made the single-handed fight against
Merriam, the latter could not have been
saved.
In 1892 Knute Nelson was elected by
109,22O out Of 255,921 votes cast for
governor, and in 1894 by 147,s43 out OF
96,249-a minority of votes in each
case. In the presidential year, 1892,
nominee, then a young man for the
first time brought into public promi-
nence, came within 1880 votes of the
strong and popular Norwegian leader,
now United States Senator Nelson, and
in a year, too, when the Populists made
strong Independent campaign and
pclled near 10000 votes. In 1894 all
that prevented S. M. Owen from vic
tory at the polls was the nomination of
Becker by the conservatives and the
DIVISION of the anti-Republican forces.
Then began the three successive
campaigns Of John Lind with L. A.
Rosing as campaign organizer-1S96,
1898 and 1900-which for six years
have demoralized Republican claims to
ascendancy and forced the Republican
machine to the most desperate straits
In order to divide gubernatorial honors
by the narrowest margins.
In 1896, the presidential year when
when the Republican national organ
lzatlon poured into Minnesota quanti-
ties of money, David NJ. Clough, one
or the ablest and hardest fighters the
Republicans Of this state ever had.
with the resourceful Tams Bixby as
manager, was able to poll only 1885,
SO6 out of total of 337, 1929 votes cast
Tor governor, about 5000 less than half.
and beat Lind by only 1852 votes.
which were readily accounted for by
strenuous and doubtful methods in
the lumber camps.
In 1898 John Lind was elected nv a
plurality of over 10000 over the popu-
lar Republican spell binder w. H.
Eustis, mayor of Minneapolis, and by
clear majority of over 1900 over
all opposing candidates-the only ma
| Jorlty governor, with the single excep-
ton of Merriam in 1888, that Mime
| sofa has had since 1883. In this con-
| nection it is well to bear in mind that
Lind's plurality of 2O,184 was from
four to six thousand larger even than
those with which John S. Pillsbury
was honored in 1875, 1877 and 1879. and
that Lind's clear majority Of II. 1898 was
more IMAM double that of the popular
and brilliant Cushman K. Davis in
1873.
In 1900, another presidential year of
lavish Republican expenditure and
strenuous organization, all that pre-
vented John Lind from defeating Van
SAINT was the technical error of per-
hitting the term Social Democrat to
go on the official ballot, thus causing
several thousand Lind votes to be
thrown out by the election judges by
reason of the fact that Democratic vot-
ers had been deceived by the phrase
Social Democrat" into voting for too
many candidates on the ballot. 1t is
to this technical error and nothing
else, that S. r. Van SAINT owes his po-
sition as governor. If the peoples will
had been counted as the voters them
selves sought to register it, John Lind
had Van SAINT beaten by fifteen to
twenty thousand plurality. AS the
vote was finally counted after the
throwing out of thousands of Lind
votes by this technicality, Van Sant
had the miserable margin of only 1884
votes, and thereby became the fifth
minority Republican governor, elected
by 1000 less than half of the total vote
cast for that office.
In 1902 we have another loft year."
AS in 1890 there is a popular revolt
against Republican high tariffs and
trust prices. AS their standard bear
er, the Democrats have in L. A. Rosing
stalwart and brainy man of the peo-
pie, the organizer and manager of the
three campaigns which have destroyed
Republican dominancy in this state,
and one of the keenest and hardest
fighting campaigners that the North
west has ever produced. His opponent
is the fifth of the line of minority Re-
publican governors and the feeblest
OF them ala man who is governor
by the accident of an error in the
makeup and printing Of the official
ballot. If the people of Minnesota be-
lieve that the people should rule, and
that the will of the majority, unde-
feated by technical errors, should be
represented in the Office Of governor,
their opportunity to correct the error
Of two years ago lies in the ballot to
be cast in November.
Every once in while some one ad-