The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-06-13
Grist Of the
Political Mill

The Seventh congressional district
with It's large and promising crop Of
candidates for Republican nomination
to state office may also furnish the
interesting spectacle of two Repub-
l1can editors striving for the nominal
ton that Secretary of State Peter E.
Hanson prefers very much should be
considered his own to have and to hold
until 1907 at least.
q q
Editor Charles C. whitney. of Mar
shall. has been touted as a candidate
for secretary of state since early last
year. 1t is not beyond belief that
Whitney would consider the nomina-
ton fitting recognition of his service
as co-manager Of the state machine
and expert printer. Last winter it
was given out, however, that If Mr..
Hanson decided to try for a third term
Whitney would stay out Of the run
ming. Mr.. Whitney is a man Of his
word and if he gave any such pledge
would, Of course, not try for the nom
ination unless circumstances so shap-
ed that Hanson appeared in the light
OF loser to a third man.
q q
Editor Julius Schmahl, Of Redwood
Falls, has given no pledges nor is he
accused of anything of the kind. He
has an idea that he would make an
excellent secretary of state and has
a lot Of friends who agree Schmahl is
good enough for any old thing the par
ty has to give. If they make their as
surances strong enough there is very
little reason to believe that Schmahl
will not take a flyer for delegates.
q q
If either Whitney or Schmahl, or
both of them, become active candi-
dates, 1t will materially befog the sit
uatton. Both will have to start With
a handicap. The Seventh district
woods are full of candidates who will
be struggling more fiercely than they
now are for control of the district del
egation. They range in degree of as
piration from head to foot Of the ticket
and while it might be possible for the
Seventh district to secure two places
on the ticket several Seventh district
Barkises are due to get left, and the
preconvention fight in the newly ar
ranged district promises to be the po-
litical event of the year.
q q
One of the Seventh district strong
men, Representative Frank Clague, Of
Iamberton, yesterday set at rest much
of the speculation about which state
office his sudden ascendancy on the
politicel horizon would induce him to
seek. Mr.. Clague made hit as a
hrst-term member Of the house and
since the adjournment of the Iegisla-
ture enthusiastic editors throughout
the state have doomed, mentioned or
offered to support him for any old
thing on the ticket, from governor to
the railroad and warehouse commits
sion.
Such spontaneous recognition Of his
merits could hardly fail to be pleasing
to Clague, but it has utterly failed to
turn his head. Mr.. Clague evidently
believes in the moderate but sustained
pace which wins substantial prizes in
politics, as it does in the other races
of life. He seeks no place on the state
ticket He can afford to wait, as there
is no apparent danger of his falling
from the public eye or popular grace
and while he may not figure it that
way, will undoubtedly add to his lau-
rels and his vote-getting powers by
serving at least one more term in the
legislature. Mr.. Clague yesterday very
frankly said:
IT shall be very much pleased and
entirely satisfied if the people of my
district see fit to send me back to the
house.
His constituents will undoubtedly be
pleased to know that he is willing to
serve them again in the house.
q q
A number Of legislators met ipfor-
mally and entirely without prear-
rangement in ST. Paul yesterday.
Among the prominent members Of the
last house at the Merchants were Rep
resentatives C1ague, of Redwood; An
derson, of Renvflle; Ryder, of Morri-
son, and Haugland, Of Chippewa.
Clague and Haugland were completing
business in st. Paul. Anderson was
ION his way to the Rainy River district
and Ryder is preparing for tour of
the Pacific coast with his family.
q q
The st. Paul appearance Of Secre-
rotary Of the Senate Sam Langum, ar
rayed in stunning spring attire, is
said to have no bearing on the latest
Ray Jones gubernatorial boom. And
at that Langum now thinks Jones one
of the best fellows in the world.
- q
Postmaster-Edito Sam Sweningsen,
of Austin, leads a pretty. strenuous life
conducting his postoHce, a newspaper
and fighting the factions in his own
party that have been out to get him
for years; but for all that he has found
time to figure out the real third party
situation in 1904, as follows:
I'm 1904 the third party which will
attract most attention will be the So
cialist. In the elections Of 1902 the
Socialists Of the country at large cast
something like 100000 votes. There
are, of course, two or three divisions
of the Socialist party. The larger
branch, the Social Democrats, polIed
nearly 10000 votes for Debs in 1900.
Judging by the strength displayed in
the congressional and in some state
canvasses since then, the Social Demo-
Gratis ought to be able to cast 100000
or 100000 votes next year. For a man
like Debs that party would be able to
make a canvass that the country
would be compelled to notice"