Mower County transcript., 1906-09-19
~.
ST ATE r OH TICS.

i Af0I1IlOH uaS paSSeQ into
| history. The page it fills is not specially
| Illuminating one. Itsowes its greatest value
| to the fact, that it affords another illustra-
tion Of how little the Democratic party,
! even when circumscribed by no RESPONSE
bility, can invent Or is willing to promise.
The Democrats appreciate as well as the
| rest of us that their candidates can never
be IN arpesition to fulfill their pledges and
that for their non-performance they can
always blame their political opponents.
Under such circumstances the only wonder
Is that they did not point the way to an
altogether beatific political and social mill
lenium. The failureSto do so betrays both
lack Of imagination and the Democratic
constitutional incapacity for taking the
Initiative. ~-' ~. &
1t is, therefore, scarcely surprising that
with all fhe Will in the world the platform
makers were unable to think Of anything
really new With which votes could be
caught, Possibly they ina gined that the
declaration demanding Of the legislature
that such laws be passed at the next ses-
sion Of the legislature as will facilitate
municipal ownership Of public service utiI-
tiles was OF thft nature. Such ownership
is one 0f the. Hearst hobbies, which is
really the only thing 1 know Of in it's dis
favor, but although Republican legislators
did not give It so sonorous a name, they
provided for such ownership so far back
that the mentery of man runneth not to
the contrary. Most municipalities in Min
nesota own their waterworks and have for
years operated them successfully and profit
ably without having to appeal to the legis-
lature for more laws. Some have their
electric plants and If other cities want to-
put their money into the business there is
no reason in the world why they shouldn't
do so with Derfert. ease. Nor is there any
ownership of Telephone lines or anything
else a municipality may think it advisable
to have. The only thing l can think Of the
state could do to advance this reform,
which many no doubt think desirable.
would be to furnish the money to build
the plants and 1 am only surprised that
some progressive Democrat not on
hand to suggest such action to the legis!a-
tnre. doubt if there is city in the state
which under such circumstances would not
erdently desire the boon of municipal
ownership of pubGfe utilities"
Possibly the Democratic platform makers
did not know what everyone else does, that
to make an economic change like the adop-
tion of an eight-heNr day is not under cur
system a political function and that the
power Of the state in such matters is quite
limited. While personally I believe eight
VOuCS rs ENOUGH LOT HuI uldN 10 WOIh,
especially at any mechanical occupation.
which confines him within doors, that is
matter which must be threshed out between.
employers and employed. So that the de-
handing It in political platform is clap
trap. pure and simple, designed to catch.
the labor vote. OF like character is the.
screed against government by injunction.
Whatever may have been done elsewhere
eur courts have wisely refrained so far rs.
fpnn info in 1oh fvNl1 fA1ny
and quite recently have denied injunctiona
asked for against striking printers. Possf"
bly, it might be desirable to limit the dis
cretion of judges In such matters, hut we
are not quite. ready to give to Mr.. Dick
O'ConDor whose intimate relations with
the Great Northern road are well known,
and who is understood to have supervised
the making OF the platform. credit for any
very extraordinary sympathy with wage
workers. Another device to catch the same
class was the declaration for the initiative
aud referendum. / have, however, seen NO
sign that either mechanics or farmers arc
wildly excite in their demand for this re-
form. Whel. they really show that they
want 1t the Republican party will doubtless
be ready to give it to them.
As other p,anks in the platform are
either devoted to the praise of Governor
Johnson and his employees or are plagi;r
lied from the Republican declaration Of
principles it will not be necessary to refer
to them. All at least except one, which
endorses Mr.. Bryan, whose ten years pres
ldential candidacy is approved with all that
1t implies, as a "contest for the common
rights of all the people against the vested
wrongs and special interests Of a few
whatever that may mean. But I am not
sorry for the linking together of the names
of Bryan and johnson, which is more sng
gestive than might at first appear, for l
have excellent authority for saying that
Governor ~Johnson's ambition lies in the
direction Of more protracted union. aud
that while he might have been candidate
for governor if he had no such bee buzz
Ing in his bonnet, he would certainly not
have betrayed so keen a desire for renom-
1nation and reelection. In the event Of
Governor Johnson's election and the sue
cess of the movement for his further ad-
vancement it is confidently anticipated that
he can land the states electoral vote for
the pcstiferous perambulating protector of
prolific pernicious political policies.
-
Two things made the convention note
worthy; one occurred early in it's proceed
i1gs; the other was at its close. The
first was the speech delivered by the cha ir-
man, Mr.. Winston, who those who KIN "
things down deep say has never forgiven
either Governor Johnson for the way he
treated him after his election or the Re-
publicans. who, voting for johnson, voted
against him. And the circumstances we're
such at the convention that he could take
his revenge on both at the same time.
And he did it with the timely utterance
Of a single phrase which bids fair to be
~ long remembered In this state as the
utterance of Rum, Romaaism and rebel
lien," was on another memorable occasion.
To n joyous chorus of Democratic ap-
proval Mr.. Winston characterized the in
dependent Republicans who voted for John.
son, ."the very uncertain and fckle body
Of our citizens generally known as mug
wumps or conservatives.''
That the governor agrees with Mr. Win
ston in regarding as tickle and uncertain
the Republicans who supported him there
can be little doubt, though he is alto
gether too polite and considerate to call
them "mugwumps." At least to their
faces. Rather he pats them on the back
sud tells them how Independent and vir-
tuous, they are. and how little Of par
tisan, and how much Of a patriot he is.
That will be the burden Of his speeches
during this campaign. But the cakes and
cheese and pie ~are mostly distributed
among the faithful. and YOU can aIWayS