Morris tribune., 1904-09-03
WARD STONE REPLIES TO
OPEN LETTER MENTIONED
LAST WEEK.
FAVORS CLAPP'S RETURN
ALSO STATES HIS POSITION
ON SOME RAILROAD
MATTERS.


nomination for representatives in
the legislature. In this letter Il num-
Der of Republican voters asked these
candidates to state their position
upon some questions that may be
called issues in the pending CAM
paign. The three candidates now
in the field meet the q issues in such
a frank and candid manner that no
one can doubt their position. The
Herald has received communications
from each of them. The communica-
tions from Ward Stone in full follows.
Morris, MINI Aug 9th, 1904.
To F. A. Johpson, Ole o. Canes
torp. II Sampson andW. b Ian
Gentlemen:
To the questions you ask IN your
open letter published in the last issue
of the Hereld, and to which you and
every voter in the district have a
right to expect cordial answers, l re-
ply as follows.
M. Moses E. Clapp in bis candid
acy for reelection will have all the
help can give him, whether | am
elected or not.
fN The anti-merger law is all
right and my vote will not help to
repeal il.
~. Ny vote was cast for the re-
submission of the gross-earnlngs
question at the last session OF legis-
]ature, and if I am elected, will be
again. should it become necessary,
but I hope that it will not he necess.
airy.
az. This question, concerning the
so called "pass system" is not so
easy. I am not convinced that the
system is being mnch abused 50 far
at least as undue preference to
shippers is concerned. That kind OF
abuse has never been practiced
on me: think I could stand little OF
it, and am at present one OF pro-
badly but very few members of the
Minnesota legislature living on the
Great Northern road who does not
have a Great Northern pass; but
there may be some abuse of the pass
system-abong political lines. 1t
certainly does not appear right that
state officials and especially the law
makers should feel under obligations
for valuable gifts 10 railroad com
panies of officers of corporations of
any kind which are largely interested
in legislation. That phase of pass
system should be abolished, and I
think the mileage fee paid by the
state to it's officials should be re-
duced from 15c to Sc and that the
state should furnish transportation
to all it's officials for certain num-
Der of round trips between their homes
or any points where the states
business calls them, and the capital
A bill including fall these features
would have some chance of becoming
a law, but if it included only the
first or the first two, it would find
"hard sledding."
(5). [ favor so restricting trusts
and large corporations that they
cannot demand for their products
prices uDreasonably high or kill off
competition with prices unreasonable
low, but I don't know bow such re-
strictions can be made or applied,
and dent believe anybody else does.
(6) Regarding nomination of
candidates for state offices, three
plans have been propos' d; ~, To
extend primary election TO Include
candidates for he state Offices. (2).
To elect at the primary election dele
gates to nominating conventions.
81 To nominate as now by con-
veution but give to the second best
men if they got certain percentage
OF the total vote cast on the decisive
ballot, the privilege of appealing to
the primary election. ] don't know
which is the best but would probably
favor the one most likely to pass.
To conclusion / wish to express the
hope that there are influential men
in every Legislative district in the
state who will write and have pub
iished just such letters as yours.
They have good effect.
Yours truly.