Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1904-10-28

DARE TO BOLT. ND
{ The Northwestern Agriculturist,
has the following: =s=
on the first day after the nomina-
tions Of Hon. John a. johnson to IS
the democratic candidate for governor
Of Minnesota, We penned our editorial
enforcement Of him, which was pub
lished In the Issue Of September 10.
We did no wait to see what other 70.
publicane thought about the situation,
but We declared that We believed Mr..
johnson was q man far superior to
Mr.. Dunn as a prospective governor.
Our so.cal]ed "bolt'' has not pleased
the Pioneer Press and other straight
party organs. Since our bolt, it has
transpired however that there are
many-verv many-good republicans
who take similar views regarding the
candidates. In fact, 1t seems to be
epidemic. The Pioneer Press really
thinks something ought to be done
about 1t. Hence 1t has brought for.
ward the remarkable accusation that
the editor Of The Northwestern Agri-
culturist had once before refused to
support party nominee for governor
Perhaps it is crime for hide.
bound party organ like the Pioneer
Press to exercise independence Of part
lines, when it comes to state Offices,
but The Northwestern Agricultural
is not party organ.
AS we stated in our editorial Sep.
TENDER 10. when Hon. John A. John
son ran for the legislature in Nicollet
County about 1883, and the writer was
publishing a republican county paper
in that county, we supported his re-
publican opponent, and it is true, as
the Pioneer Press asserts, we were
instrumental in securing the defeat
of Mr.. Johnson.
But, even then, we would not say
that Mr.. johnson had ever helped
timber trespassers to defraud the state,
nor set himself up as superior to the
law. We never knew Mr.. johnson
then, nsr since, to get drunk and dis
grace himself with street brawls, and
bring shame upon his supporters. We
never knew Mr.. johnson to solicit or
receive support of public utility mo-
nopolists, nor to herd delegates to
the state convention like flock of
sheep, while they rode to the conven-
ton on a blanket pass provided by the
very railroad which had violated the
anti-merger laws Of state and nation.
We never knew him to be in collu-
sion with men who have to be sued
for $s4, 900 for trespassing public
school lands and cutting timber lille.
gally, nor to seek to compromise such
claim hy accepting q, 600 IN direct
variance with the law.
The fact that for three years it was
in the line Of our editorial work to
discover the STRONGEST reason possible
for not honoring John A. Johns5h,
and yet W. could find nothing affect
ing his honor as man, or his faith
full performance of every trust con-
fided in him, is certainly no reason
why we should not now prefer to see
him made governor Of Minnesota in
preference to the man whose hackers
robbed the republican party Of its
state convention, and, by chicsnery,
permitted a boiling minority to defeat
the will of the party as expressed in
its election of an overwhelming ma
jority opposed to Dunn. R. G. Dunn
is not the choice of the majority of
the legally elected delegates to the re-
publican state convention. He is the
tool of the railroad merger and the
lumber trespassers. nominated by
boilers from county conventions. His
nomination therefore, sets ap example
even for boiling. and pnts not the
slightest obligation on the 'straightest''
party men to support him, since his
nomination itself Is a huge bolt from
the party. :
Is is like the republican nomination
Of Ames for mayor of Minneapolis by
trickery at the primary election
through looseness in the law at that
time. when democrats slipped in and
chose Ames-a democrat-to be the
republican nominee. There were
many republicans then who felt the
disgrace Of having to ''save their rec
ord by voting for Ames because he
was on the ticket ana 1t was presiden-
tial year, but it is hard to find any Of
them now willing tn cnnfaaa tha% <hov