The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-07
MINNESOTA POLITICS

MINNESOTA POLITICS
F4ennepin Delegation Has Chance to
Decide speakership Contest by United
"a Action-candldate Dunn's Letter to
Democrat Being clrcuIated--Mcceary's
Challenge to Miler-supreme Court on
Blanks In Primary Ballot. s-. ..
Legislative candidates in Henncpin |
county are hearing from the candidates |
for speaker, and it is reported that some
halfway pledges are being made. The
old members, however, are urging all |
to keep free, so that the delegation may
act as unit and accomplish something
when the time comes.
The fight Is young, but the situation has
already developed into one of Clague
against the field. Frank Clague of Lam
number of pledges from the old members,
and the chief concern of the other candi-
dates, is to pull away from him. The
friends of Julius Schmahl, candidate for
chief clerk, who also comes from Redwood
county, are naturally opposing Clague.
N. Z. hugo III Dulutu VINO mas no OppO-
sttiOn either for nomination or election, Is
very busy and has gathered quite little
support, so that he seems now to be
Clague's chief competitor. R. J. Wells Of
Breckenridge, w. B. Anderson of Winona
and w. "A. Nolan of Grand Meadow are
prospective candidates, in case they Sc
cure the nomination at the primaries.
Eventually it is believed that the opposi-
ton to Clague will concentrate on one
man in an effort to beat him, unless
Clague makes a runaway race of it..
AS the situation stands, it seems likely
that3the Hennepin delegation will be able
to settle the speakership if it acts as a
unit. This means considerable prestige
for the local men. There mas been some
talk of entering George W.. Armstrong as
a candidate, but it is thought that he will
keep out, and the delegation will be free
to choose among the outside. men, The
principal concern of the old members now
is to keep the delegation unpledged until
after election, when a caucus will. be held,
and the fourteen to sixteen republican
members from this county will unite on
one of the candidates. This would give
! Hennepin chance at some good commit
tee places and also some important po-
sitions in the house organization. =, -
I$tf - - 5Ss5 --- AZ
| Some excitement was created among
| the delegates to the recent democratic
state convention by the circulation e. g
letter written to one of them by R. G
! Dunn the republican candidate for gov.
ernor. The letter was written under
misrepresentation. The man who received
was not and is not now Dunn man
and he was indignant when he read thu
letter, which was evidently Identical will
a, nurnber of others sent out to demOcrati,
workers. The letter read in part as fol
lows:5a T. :. tl~% - ~,
| "a friend Of mine in your county has infornne
me- that. althp4 you are member of the opposi
ton party, you feel. kindly to my candidacy 70
the goyernorship. I want to thank YOU Il
the preconvention fight some of my warnest
stanchest and most powerful friends were demo
crafts. = They could not vote for me. but the
assisted me with their means and by their activ
personal work in my behalf
II would like to know who these demo
Gratis are that have been assisting Dunn
, by their means and their personal work,
said the recipient of the letter. IF the
are really democrats, they ought to say
! their money and their energies for tn
service Of the party. I understand NJ,
l Fill is a democrat, and that may be wlfa
he refers to, but if there are other trail
tors in the camp we would like to kno1
) who they are
Copies of the letter have been circu
, lated and some have come into the hand
y of republicans who opposed Dunn In tn
= preconvention fight. They knew tlls
i many democrats were helping Dunn a
r the primaries, but it is rather CALLING t
: see the successful candidate boast Of tina
fact.
i. +: Congressman McCleary has carried OF
: the intimation made when he returne
: from the east, and has challenged HI
t opponent, H. ]. Miller, to a series of joir
r debates on the tariff revision question. A
n McCleary is loaded to- the guards wit
n facts and figures, and Is ready debate
:. Miller's friends will hardly consent to HI
y accepting the challenge. The challene
y gives new zest to the second district cor
!, test, which is really the only interestir
: and spectacular congressional fight in tt
4 state. -, .@e-
:, There is an interesting situation
Y Mile Laos county, the home of R.
g. Dunn, where there are two candidates
Re the field for the house. Emmett Mark
Princeton has filed for denomination, al
If A. G. Wilkes Of Milaca is out again
n him. Wilkes intended to be a candida
= two years ago, but was kept out by son
= Princeton men with promise that ]
= would have a clear field this time. HOY
:, ever, Mark filed again, saying that
II II had not been consulted, and no one h;
J. any authority to make promises for hi
III This has created some bad blood, al
both candidates have invoked the pc
5. sonal influence Of Candidate Dunn. He
I. disposed to keep hands off, but that do
not satisfy either Wilkes or Mark, W
~ are both on their mettle.
lie
~ Considerable comment has been stir
of up over the ruling Of P. A. Ewert, a
IN sistant attorney general deciding that
blanks need to be printed on the prima
~ election ballot. However, Mr.. Ewert
a fortified by a decision of the suprel
is court two years ago, in the quo warrar
ne case Of the State ex rel Gulden, VS.. Re
" ert L. Johnson, county auditor of Nov
ne county. The decision is found in t
S7th Mimi, 221 It raised the same po
e r. exactly. In the case cited there WI
:. two filings already, and Gulden demand
~ - a blank space SO that his name might
- written in. The court decided that Il
~ was not required. The decision said IL
~ a constitutional question might be rails
rs In cases where no filing had been ma
IL for the, office, but this was also discuss
rs. and the court decided that the omiss
of blank spaces would not violate a
constitutional right, because the ballot
for a primary election and not gene
election. In the case of a general elect
the voter has the right to write in q
a : name he p1eases, but the primary elect