The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1905-12-14
PLAIN SPEAKING.


"Faithful are the wounds of
friend but the kisses of an enem,
are deceitful." These words are a
true today as they were when spokel
thousands of years ago.
The doctor who tells his patien
that he is only suffering from
slight malady when as matter Of
fact fatal disease has fastened
itself on his vitals, is not frienG
of the patient but an enemy.
The lawyer who tells his client
that his case is sure when he knows
it is hopeless, is not benefactor to
his client but detriment to his
cause and robber of his substance
There Is time, and it is all the
time, in the history of individuals,
political organizations and nations
that their true friends declare to
them the truth no matter how un-
palatable that truth may be. We
have been patiently waiting for
some leader of the republican party,
one who by virtue of his reputation,
position and standing, could speak
with the voice of authority, who
would bluntly and plainly outline
to Minnesota republicans the situa-
ton as it exists today, but as none
of this class of men seem inclined
to speak we have concluded to
attend to the matter ourselves.
From political standpoint the
Office of governor is the most inn
portant in the state. He exercises
more influence over legislation than
any other and all other officials
combined. He has more patronage
at his disposal than the entire
Senatorial and Congressional dele
cation from this state. From a
political standpoint it would be
better to lose the entire state ticket
and save the governorship than it
would be to lose the governorship
and elect the balance of the ticket.
Through a series of unfortunate
circumstances the great republican
state of Minnesota, today, has a
democratic governor and a majority
of the appointative officials are
democrats and will in the next
campaign use their abilities, their
influence and their means to defeat
republican candidates for offices and
republican principles in legislation.
In the last campaign the republicans
of Minnesota were foolish enough
to surrender their heaviest piece of
artillery-the governorship-into
the hands of the opponents of their
party principles and the stern duty
that coDfronts them is to recapture
it in the next campaign. Minnesota
republicans ought to be ashamed to
send delegation to the next repub-
lican convention if they permit the
reelection of a democratic governor.
in the next campaign. Yet it will
be no light task to accomplish the
election of republican.
Governor johnson, the present
incumbent, is a man of marked
ability, marvellous campaigner, and
has given the state good admins
tration. The only reason in the
world that can be offered for his
defeat is that republican principles
and policies are better than demo-
cratic. If the campaign is made on
other basis we will lose and we will
deserve to lose. The unfortunate
discussions of the last campaign are
by no means healed. There are
many, very many, prominent repub-
licans in Minnesota today, that are
more DESTROYS of 'getting even"
than they are of winning success.
There is no republican organization
in Minnesota today and the
semblance of organization that we
possess we wonld be infinitely better
off without. There are no funds in
the campaign treasury and we are
glad there are none. This is the
condition OF the great republican
party of Minnesota today. 1t
couldn't be airy worse if the enemies
Of republication had outlined the
position thai they wished us to
occupy and we had bent every
energy we possessed to carry out
the outline. However the case is
not hopeless nor even dangerous if
we exercise reasonably good judg-
ment. Our convention should be
called as early as possible.
Certainly not later than the middle
of April. At the county conven-
tions great pains should be taken to
send men to the state convention
who represent their constituencies
and enjoy their fullest confidence.
Not an Office seeker, an Office holder
or representative of corporations
should be permitted to go. Each
county convention should by dele
gate vote select it's county com
mittee to have charge of the
campaign in the country consisting
of one member in each voting