The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-03-04
MIR. Fletcher's Protest.

Attention Is called to a. communities
ton on this page from Loren Fletcher.
There are good many statements
made In that communication to which
The Journa ] will be disposed to
take exception. A few of them will be
referred to.
Mr.. Fletcher appears to have been
quite well satisfied with the treatment
he received at the hands of TIL e
J ma ! until the last preliminary
campaign, when, he says, r h ] o u r.
n a. made a Sudden discovery Pos
sibly his impression is not the best
evidence as to the suddenness Of the
discovery. He makes a statement in
another part of the letter which sug-
gests a fact which may throw some
light upon the appearance Of this dis
covery. as he calls it, at that time-he
says that If he had been elected in the
last campaign he would not have
sought further favors of the people Of
his district There is something
familiar about that. 1t seems as II
we had heard something like it before
something to the effect that MI.
Fletcher wanted to be returned Just
this once more" And as memory
dwells upon the matter there floats
thru the mind an impression that Mr..
Fletcher has been telling the people
of this district that he wanted the Of
flee of congressman "just once more
for about six or eight years.
He is doing it again. This time
Iof "a wat dc nf 10
feat. @ .as% s s%
@ t he J u rn a regrets that these
remarks must be so largely of a per-
sonal nature, but inasmuch as Mr..
Fletcher has introduced himself per-
sonally into the situation Ct h J u r.
n a ! editorial to which he replies did
not do 500, it is difficult to avoid this
alternative.
The Journ al protests against
the charge of having misrepresented
Mr.. Fletcher's position upon any pub
lie question. 1t never went behind
the official returns. And as to the
bitterness engendered by T h J u r.
n a and the candidate whom it ia
vored two years ago. Mr.. Fletcher's
charges are hardly justified in view OF
the support he received later in the
campaign from that candidate II
there was any bitterness engendered
In that campaign it was engendered by
another candidate whose attitude to-
wards Mr.. Fletcher has recently
changed to such a degree and has re-
suited in such harmony and mutual
approval as might be inferred from
the fact that Mr.. Fletcher's portrait
done In his dress suit, adorns that can
didate's business desk. a
If the editor of r. he J o.urn a
We're fully convinced that the compli.
noentary suggestion as to his own can
didacy and qualifications were not in.
tended in jest rather than seriously
& he might think It worth while to pro.
test that not only has the office no at
fractions for him, but he does not re.
Il gard himself as qualified to fill it.
Mr.. Fletcher is eminently correct
when he says he has been treated very
kindly and generously by the ,republi.
+ cans of Hennepin county That
statement will hardly be disputed Ir
any quarter. What we particular,
j regret is that Mr.. Fletcher has MOI
been able to appreciate that fact in al
4 It's bearings as keenly as we believe i,
is appreciated and felt by the grea1
mass Of republicans of this district.
1t might be added that Mr.. Fletch
! er's is the only protest we have re-
ceived or heard Of to the article tf
/ which he takes exception.