The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1904-06-16
Van SAINT After a Third Term.

SAINT is not in the gubernatorial con-
test except as the chief hacker of Judge
Collins he evidently does not know
the man. Minnesota probably never
had a governor who so thoroughly
enjoyed the honor of the Office as Van
SAINT or who found such continuing
delight in the performance of its more
public duties. It was the consuming
ambition of his life to be elected and
reelected governor and possession,
instead Of abating the ardor of his
passion, has only int1amed it the
more. It was we'll understood, there
fore, that Gov. Van SAINT wanted very
much to be candidate for a third
term. and it was only after diligent
feeling of the popular pulse on the
subject that he reluctantly yielded to
the reluctant advice Of his privy coun-
Gil that it would not do to. talk about
a third term, at least openly, and con-
sented to the putting forward of Judge
Collins as his heir apparent and sue
cessor. He was generally known and
accepted as the administration candi-
date and so long as the question lay
between Collins and Dunn all the pat
ronage and influence of the admins
tration was arrayed on the side of
Collins. All its dogs of war were let
loose on the heels of his chief competi-
tor. r. c. Dunn. The governor had
some scores of his own to pay off with
Dunn, for Dunn had not only been an
outspoken critic of his doings, but
some Of the most important measures
Of Van SAINTS administration, which
his friends ascribed to his initiative.
were in fact originally recommended
by Dunn in his reports as State audi
tor.
So that if he did not personally in
stigate, he undoubtedly looked with
favor on, the slanderous attacks made
by his appointee, Public Examiner
Johnson. on Dunn's official record
Dunn's reply to the first attack of
johnson suficed not only to show the
malicious emptiness of his charges,
but recoiled with such telling point on
Judge Collins as to put the latter in
sorry plight. Then, as if by precon-
cert, the cry arose that the quarrel
between the two candidates was dis
graceful to both and had created such
bad blood between the opposing fac
tons that the good of the party re-
quired that both should be pushed
aside for a third man. These sugges-
tions, be it noted, originated in ad-
ADMINISTRATION circles. It was the State
administration which, through it's
stipendiary, began pitilessly pelting
Dunn with mud in the interest of the
administration candidate. When Dunn
wiped the mud from his shield and
threw some of it back at his assailant
and those behind him, it was an old,
but not ingenious trick for those who
began the quarrel to demand that the
victim and his assailant be subjected
to the same punishment. Whatever
quarrel there was originated with the
Van SAINT administration. 1t was
forced upon Dunn by the wholly I'M
provoked and groundless assault
made upon him by a servitor of the
Van SAINT administration. Neverthe-
less the stencil they had raised was so
offensive to the delicate nostrils of
administration circles that they pro-
posed to cleanse the atmosphere they
had themselves polluted by describing
both the candidates and nominating a
third man.. This situation suited Van
SAINT exactly. It promised an easy
fruition of his hopes and plans. For
what other third man could oppose
his Intellectual glimmer to the blazing
efulgence Of Van SAINTS fame? And
what could be more appropriate than
that he should reap the advantage of
a quarrel brought about by the con-
venient agency of his serviceable ap-
pointee? But to disgust people suf-
ficiently with the quarrel to insure the
rejection Of both candidates it was
necessary to keep it up by renewing
the attack on Dunn. This was ac-
cordingly done and that the contro-
versy should not flag for lack of fuel
a third installment of the so-called
investigation of his record is prom
ised soon:
This apparently accounts for the
persistency of these repeated assaults
on Dunn. It is true that after his
first reply Dunn has refused to be
drawn into further discussion of his
record, leaving it to stand as it's own
defense. It usually takes two to make
quarrel, but in this case. where it is
all on one side, the object of the as
sault is presumed by some people to
be even more guilty than his assail-
ant, and the quarrel is all the more
offensive on Dunn's part because he
refused to be a party to it.
The situation. therefore, when the
facts are stated, is not as promising
for Gov. Van SAINTS dream of a third
term candidacy as he had appar-
emily figured it out. There is no evil
dence that Republicans of any faction
are disposed to make Dunn in any
way responsible for the attacks made
upon him by the hirelings of the State
administration, and even if, as re-
suit of this controversy, both candi-
dates we're defeated, it is quite unlikely
11& g.