The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-10-09
PARTIES PROTEST
HANSON'S ACTION
Question Right to Demand
Filing Fees for Presiden-
tiaI Electors

Payments of filing fees by Prohibi-
lion. Government Ownership and Pop
.ulist party presidential electors were
made yesterday to the secretary OF
state under protest, and in the case of
the fees paid to the state by the rep
resentatives of the Government Own
ership party, the formal protests left
no room for doubt that the question
will be raised in the courts whether or
not a presidential electors berth is
within the meaning of the law an office
for which compensation is received.
]. E. Nash, of Minneapolis, who
seems to be at the head of the Govern
ment wnership-formerly the Social
ist-Labor party-in Minnesota, wrote
the secretary letter, accompanying
the remittances for his party's presi-
Dental electors, in which it was made
plain that the money was paid only
under protest and that suit would be
started in the courts to determine the
validity of the action of the secretary
of state in demanding the filing fees.
No satisfactory explanation has ever
been made by the Office of the secre-
tary of state of the reasons that inn
PEELED the secretary to insist on the
payment of a fling fee by the candi-
dates Tor 6lSSlOl eAAO AAfO
different party tickets.
Attorney Generals Opinion
At the request of the secretary of
state, the attorney general gave an
opinion covering the matter. This
opinion was to the effect that presi-
dental electors, who receive only mile
age and per diem when actually en-
ployed in going to and returning from
the electoral college at Washington,
were not salaried officers and that
their compensation could not be con-
strued as bringing them within the
meaning of the law exacting fees for
filings for offices for which there is
compensation.
Suddenly the secretary of state an
nounced that he would not be guided
by the attorney generals opinion; that
another law had been found which put
the law under which the attorney gen.
erals ruling had been made at naught.
It was then said that F. B. Kellogg, ma
tionaI Republican committeeman for
Minnesota. had had an interview with
Secretary Hanson in which he had point
I'd out that since the Minnesota cleo
.oral vote would in all probability be
east for the Republican candidate for
The presidency, there must be abso-
utely no question about the legality of
The electors. By compelling payment
Of filing fees assurance would be made
loudly sure, the national committee
man argued, and the secretary of state
followed tie advice.
Against the angry protests of the
four other parties managers he has
compelled them to pay $50 for the fl
ing of each presidential elector. The
Republican electors are for the most
part wealthy men, and it was no hard
ship for them to pay $50 each. The
Democratic committee naturally -expe-
rienced difficulty in finding $3.50 to pay
for the filings of its candidates for
electors, and the Prohibitionists, Pop
ulist and Public Ownership parties did
not file a full list of electors as re-
suit of the change of view in the Sec
rotary of states Office.
H. F. Vessel, of st. Paul, was the
last Democratic candidate for elector
to file. His filing was made yesterday
along with those of Thomas Jefferson
McDermott, of st. Paul, Democratic
candidate for attorney general; Byron
J. Mosier, of Saltwater, Democratic
candidate for state treasurer, and II. e.
Hoard, of Montevideo, and w. T. KelSo,
Of Hallock, Democratic candidates for
the railroad and warehouse commits
sion.
o. E. Lofthers filed as candidate
for lieutenant governor; j. Ed Carlson
for secretary of state and G. w. Buck
lin and B. Marchner filed as electors
on the Public Ownership ticket
Charles W. Dorseth filed as candidate
for governor; ]. F. Heiberg as candi-
date for lieutenant governor and H.
A. Ryge as candidate for secretary of
state on the Prohibition ticket, and D.
W. Weld and George F. Wells as can
didates for presidential electors on the
Prohibition ticket. L. c. Long, John
R. Campbell and Alan r. Brackinreed,
Populist presidential electors, also filed
yesterday.
The copy for the sample state ballot
will be sent to the printer Monday by
the secretary of state and the sample
ballot will be posted Tuesday in the
office of the secretary, as provided by
the election law.