The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1905-06-29
Facts, Fancies and Fabrications of
Other Pencil Pushers.
SOUNDS FUNNY-BUT ISN'T TRTTE

vote the Democratic ticket.-Frank M.
Eddy, in Sank Centre Herald.
inns Item is commented upon by the
st. Cloud JOurnal-Press republican
newspaper, in manner that meets
our approval so heartily that we take
great pleasure i'm copying it. As that
paper states, democrats are quite as
independent as their opponents, and
they have shown it over and over
again from the time OF the split be-
tween Douglas and Breckenridge
down to the present. 1t is cheap
SANDER that does duty in many repub-
lican papers that all democrats vote
their ticket straight and without using
any discrimination. This is not true,
as every democrat knows, the members
of that party exercising their individ-
ual Judgment in regard to every can
didate on their ticket. The reply to
Frank Eddy's slur is as follows:
"While the above was written in
spirit of jest, it contains the germ of
insult to the independent voters of
great party. The insinuation that
democrats Will vote their ticket any
old time and all the time, has been re-
peated so often that many people be-
lieve it true-and thereby do injustice
to thousands of men who are just as
honest and just as patriotic as the
members of any other political party.
"This sorry old stereOtyped joke
should be relegated to the hell box,
because it has had its face pounded SO
often by the mallet of facts that it is
badly battered and worn out.
"There might have been a time
when the democrats took their party
ticket as they did a popular Kentucky
beverage, but that time has long since
passed. In the past few elections
thousands and hundreds of thousands
of democrats have walked to the polls
and voted their honest convictions,
when those convictions were contrary
to the platform of their party and the
teachings of their candidates. William
Mckinley was twice elected by the aid
of democrats, and Theodore Roosevelt
received many democratic votes in
every state in the Union.
sin Minnesota at least IS 900 demo-
Gratis voted for Roosevelt, and 10000
voted for the republican candidate for
governor. Frank NJ. Eddy, when a
candidate for congress in three cleo
tions, received the votes of many
democrats and populists, and we
hardly think he disliked them for
doing it.
"The Minnesota election returns for
1904 are certainly an object lesson in
Independent voting. Roosevelt re-
ceived 216,6 51; Dunn, lac, 100; Hanson,
secretary of state, 181, 7O5. The Han
son vote represents the strength of
the republican party in Minnesota un-
der normal conditions. The difference
between the Hanson vote and that
cast for Roosevelt will pretty accur-
ately give the number of democrats
who were not "coaxed Or cajoled"
into voting the democratic ticket.
''The vote for the democratic candi-
dates throws more light on the extent
of the Independent voting: Parker,
So, 1877; Johnson, 147 1892; King, secre-
tary OF state, IS $50. Kings vote is
the regular democratic vote. He re-
ceived $4,000 more than did the demo-
cratic candidate for president, while
the democratic candidate for governor
received 62,942 votes more than did
King. In this connection it may be
observed that there were $4,000 more
votes cast for the two candidates for
governor than for the two candidates
for secretary of state, and this falling
off was mostly from democrats who
knew that King could not be elected
another illustration that democrats
even when they 60 to the polls do not
always vote all the ticket.
1.-The managers of the republican
and democratic campaigns agree that
at least 10000 democrats voted for
Dunn, the republican candidate, while
about $4,000 republicans voted for
Johnson, the democratic candidate.
These figures certainly are proof
that there are thousands of democrats
who have independence enough to
break away from their party ticket
when that ticket does not suit them
and never in the history of the coun-
try was there better example of pa
triotic voting than that given by the
| democrats who voted for William
Mckinley and an honest financial
| system.
| ''It is about time that this SANDER
about democrats voting the ticket
straight all the time was killed off. 1t
is neither true nor humorous, nor is
the spirit of ''stick to the party, right
or wrOng,' to- be commended, even if
it does meet the approval of the editor
of the Sank Centre Herald, who never
would have been elected to illuminate,
grace and Eddyfy the national house
of representatives had the democrats
and populists of the old Seventh dis
trict voted their ticket straight
Morris Times.
1t is seldom that we reply to crlti-
cism or respond to praise. We noticed
Alvah Eastman's rather scorching
criticism to our little squib but we
took no notice of it. We do not
regard Alvah any better authority on
democracy than he is on republican
ism. He is the self-authorized mentor
aud common. scold of Minnesota re-
publicans, but whenever prominent
republican conforms to his idea of
republicanism the republicans of the
state look askance at the one who
incurs his favor.
But when lifelong democrat like
Mr.. McElroy insists that we ''slur,"
ISLANDER" and "insult" democrats
by saying that they are always loyal
to their party and stand by their
nominees we think it is time for us
to sit up and take notice.
The cold fact remains, and everyone