The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-19
Unofficial Returns Give Stranger Can.
didate Edge of 81 Votes Over
Dowling
YOUNG MAKES BAD FINISH,
1900 BEHIND PROCESSION
Complete Canvass of Fourteen coun-
ties Is Full of Surprises for the Po-
litical Prophets-RenviIe Man Has
Not Given Up and May Ask for
Recount.

A. j. Volstead, of Granite Falls, ap-
pears to be the Republican candidate
for congress in the new Seventh dis
trict. Unofficial, but complete returns
Tor the district, give the Granite Falls
Man lead of 81 votes over Dowling
and 1T will take the official count; pos
sibly a recount to decide the nomina-
tion.
Yesterdays returns from isolated
precincts changed entirely the aspect
OF the Seventh district race, and gave
Volstead, the last of three candidates
to be touted as the winner, a leading
position in the race which Wednesday
night looked like a walkaway for
Dowling. Complete unofficial returns
for the fourteen counties in the dis
trict give Volstead 1904 and Dowling
7,O43. Young is a bad third with 5.5O7.
Volstead will probably get the NOM
ination. Bowling has not given up
and his friends think the official count
may again put their man at the head Of
the list. If the Volstead vote Is not
increased by the official returns Dowl-
ing may ask for a recount, on notice
Of contest.
Surprises the Politicians.
district contest furnishes the strongest
commentary on the practical workings
of the primary election law under IA
vorahle conditions, and If Volstead is
nominated, as he probably will be, fur
nishes fine argument for the advo-
Gates Of the law who love to crate on
the theory that the people will, when
opportunity presents itself, select good
men for public office. 1t further proves
that the practical politicians know next
to nothing about the workings Of the
lay mind and threatens to deprive
scores of men who have posed as po-
litical prophets of their prestige.
Senator E. T. Young, of Appleton,
was picked by an almost exclusive ma
or1ty of the cleverest politicians in
the state to land the nomination by
comfortable plurality. Young is an able
man, long prominent in state politics,
and a recognized leader of Republican
thought Bowling is known in every
town In the state as one of the keenest
politicians, and was entrusted with the
seretaryship of the National League of
Republican Clubs. If the theory that
only the known man can win under
the primary system had applied in the
Seventh district, Young would have
the nomination by comfortable lead
over Bowling and Volstead would be
numbered among the missing.
No Record to Run Against.
The friends of the primary law might
apply with profit the statement made
by Congressman Frank Eddy few
days'ago, who, in speaking of the Sew
enth district situation, said:
"Volstead will make a good show
Ing because he has no record to run
against"
Volstead was practically unknown
outside Of his own county, Yellow
Medicine, where for ten years he has
held about half the county and vii
lage offices. When he announced his
candidacy he was laughed at from one
end Of the state to the other. An anal
ysis Of his vote indicates that he who
waits until the campaign is over stands
to enjoy a better laugh.
The Granite Falls man carried Chip
pewa, Grant, Lac qui Parle, Pope and
Yellow Medicine counties, and got
real vote in every county in the district
except Traverse, which was propor-
tionately nearly as strong for Young
as Swift county. Bowling led in Lin
coin, Lyon, Redwood and his own coun-
ty, Renville. The Redwood vote for
Bowling furnishes another object les
son on the power Of the political boss.
When Bowling went into the deal with
McCleary to wipe out Summerville and
pave the way to the United States SEN
ate for the Little Schoolmaster, the
Redwood politicians swore dire ven-
geance' for the switch which landed
them in the Seventh district.
Party Bosses Fall Down.
James Larson, julius Schmal and
other alleged leaders of the Republican
party gave it out cold that the BASS
wood" gentlemen would get it plenty
in Redwood, and he did, but not as per
the aforesaid leaders programme.
Bowling came within 100 of showing
a poll equal to the combined votes Of
Volstead and Young in the county
which was to do the bell ringing at his
funeral.
Further, If the figures are not chang
ed by recount, McCleary's work In the
new Seventh will be entirely undone
and the postoffices he and Dowling ar
ranged to distribute after Dowling's
nomination will undoubtedly be in the
market at an early date.
Returns by Counties