The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-01

Tuesday after. the third Monday OF
june Before May l the state commit
tee is to fix the number OF delegates to
which each county will be entitled, and
certify it to each county auditor. Candi-
dates for delegate must file petition
with 10 per cent of the vote. cast for
governor in the county at the last cleo
ton. They may file joint petitions with
the names of several candidates. The
state convention date is to be fixed by
the state committee, and in the state
convention all nominations must be by
/ secret ballot, the unit rule being strict
! ly forbidden. The same delegates
chosen to the state convention will also
meet at an appointed time in each judi
cial district to select candidates for the
iudgeship:, The delegates from each
county will also name the county COM
mittee.
| There are several peculiar features
in the law. 1t is bound to eornplicate
| the state fight with the local contests In
each county, and also drags the judici-
airy into the same primary, which will
| result in combinations between candi-
! dates for state office and for district
l. Judge. The secret ballot makes it inn
| possible for the voters to know whether
the delegates they have chosen vote as
! they agreed to do. By leaving the date
! of the convention to the state commit
| tee, it is made possible for the controll-
/ ing power in the party to set the con-.
!. vention for the day after the primaries,
or to defer it three or four months, ac
cording to how much time is wanted for
fixing up states.
Must Make Yards Of Names.
The selection of delegates by counties
is the most cumbersome feature. The
largest counties have forty or fifty del
egates. If there are only two sides to
the fight in each county, then each fac
I ton will circulate it's petition and put
fifty delegates on the official ballot.
That will make hundred names, and
they must be printed in alphabetical or
der, without anything to show for what
they stand. If the situation, is mixed,
there may be $50 or 200 names for the
distracted voter to choose from. When
the time comes, each faction will, no
doubt, print slips with the names Of its
delegates, which, the voters will take
into the booth to help them mark, but
there are all sorts of opportunities for
confusion and trickery.
The secret ballot provision, it is
thought, may cut both ways. There will
, be no way to discover whether delegates
have delivered the goods, which will
hamper the slate making. The prohibi-
:, ton of the unit rule is generally re-
garded as good thing, tho there Is
J act itself carries evidence that there
, have been abuses in convention prae-
tice In the preamble it says:
, FIt is the intention OF this act to
+ purify and reform the methods by which
/ organized political parties shall make
; nominations Of candidates for the sever
=, al public offices, to perpetuate and
: ing therefrom the evils hereby sought
0 to be corrected, and to secure to each In
e dividual member and delegate Of such
Iparty an absolute freedom and lndepen-
p Edence in the expression of his prefer
i ences relating to nominations by such
t parties, and to prevent and prohibit the
}, fuse and influence Of the methods simlla r
: to that known as the unit rule, and this
e statute shall be so construed as to give
e force and effect to this expressed lnten-
l. tion.'
IS Lines Shifting at Fargo. .
~ One of the greatest battles in the
p state will be fought in Fargo and Cass
T. county. B. F. Spalding will lead the
D. insurgent forces, and hGsz some. able and
+ enthusiastic ieutenants. Since the
:, ~ death Of John Haggart, the old-tlme
1t Mckenzie, the old local division be
( tween the Haggart and Kennedy fac
lions has been broken. State Senator L.
B. Hanna, who was an ally Of Haggart
T. is now regarded as the machine leader IL
II the county However, Mckenzie has
he been busy, and it is reported has won
t. Kennedy over to fight with the ma
in chine Hereafter. stepping into. Hag;
II, CART s shoes. If this is true, IT viii
ID ALLEVIATE some Of Haggart's old follow
re ing. and the insurgents predict thai
nj Kennedy will not be able to deliver his
" personal machine intact. a. q. John
w son, the former mayor and power II
m local politics, is also reported to be go
70 ing over to Mckenzie along with Ken
r. nedy. and to- be the organization cho1c'
-. for mayor. The first test will come II
e. Fargo next spring, and the result OF
r. r. the city election will be hailed by thu
~ winners as sign. =
:n The last time the present insurgen
II. Ill wing won out in the state was in 1896
d when delegates were chosen to thu
aa national convention. There was i
DIS strong free silver element in the stat
e e among republicans, and the machln
ne leaders, some of them, entered into
ne plan to take the state away from Nc
tie Kinley by getting delegation for {
lis K. Davis Spalding and Winship led
ng fight for Mckinley, and had the &C
RS. operation of Jud La Moure and som
is other machine leaders. They won out
90 and after that victory tried to perpetu
at ate the organization and down McKer
so zie permanently. La Moure soon bfok
as away, however. and one after the othe
of till the old machine was once more II
is tact and in the saddle.
of There is much difference of opinio
is about Mckenzie IS abilities as AN organ
ne izer. His enemies say that while he
oh good personal worker he has poo
AIl head for organization, and that such
fc front as the insurgents are going to pu
ID up will be beyond his powers to brea
ty up. The Mckenzie men, tho, have In
me plicit faith in his ability to organic
NV victory, and his past achievements eel
nd fanny give theii gpoa cdISe C doa are
sse confluence. iioo -. in
nd -