The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-10-05

Speeches today: A. L. Cole and J. F.
jacobson at Mountain Lake in the after
.noon,4 at Window in the evening; Knute
Nelson at Lake Park; Moses E. Clapp
and James A. Tawney at Winona; John
A, johnson at Bemidji.
The opposition to Senator Nelson's re-
election must have a candidate before it
can get anywhere, and about the only
hope Of stirring up a fight is to- get J.
F. Jacobson In the field. That hope
seems destined to disappointment. While
Jacobson has not the most kindly feel
ings toward the senior senator, he does
not enjoy humping against a stone wall,
and two defeats in state convention fights
have discouraged him from entering such
contests. He would not have the ghost
of a show to beat Nelson by entering the
fight at this time, with all but half a
dozen republican candidates for the legis-
lature pledged to the senator The only
way to have made any showing against
Nelson was to have brought out candi-
date and organized campaign a year
ago. The popular support of the state is
with Nelson, and it would have to be
broken. down before his reelection could
be endangered. No astute politician can
expect to get in now and overcome the
Nelson organization by beating the TOM
tom. .. ;. f-t. H.. r.
When figuring on the prospects Of the
gubernatorial election, it has been gener-
ally assumed that about 10000 repub-
licans went to the polls last fall and re-
fused to vote on governor, being unwill-
ing to vote for Dunn, and also unable to
bring themselves to vote for democrat.
This impression comes from the fact that
there were 322,692 votes reported as cast
and counted, all told, but that only 3O3.-
So2 We're cast for all the various candi-
l'dates for governor.
Inc fact is, however, that there were
more votes cast for governor than for
any other office, The total for lieutenant
governor was 2Se373, for. secretary of
state it was 2s6S30, and for state treas
urer 2S4,161. Evidently if 10000 republi-
cans baked on governor, no less than
$4,000 voters went to the polls and failed
to mark any candidates for other places
on the state ticket. =
II the voters went to the polls for any
thing, it was manifestly to vote for pres
ident, and yet the total cast for the first
presidential elector on each ticket was
only 292,s6o. About 10000 voters failed
to express themselves on the national
ticket No doubt a good share of these
were democrats who decided on a. "pock-
ct veto'' Of Judge Parker but there were
certainly not 10000 such.
1t seems evident that there was either
mistake in returning those S22, 800 bal
lots "cast and counted and that the
number includes many ballots that were
thrown out as defective, or else there are
10000 or 10000 voters in Minnesota who
have habit of going to the polls and
voting, only on one or two offices, gov
ernor, president, sheriff, constable O,
some other place in which they happen
to take an interest. At any rate it is not
safe to count on that vote to swell the
total for the republican state ticket this
| fall. !
The figures ran closer together in the
| 1902 election. Then there were PIG, OH
ballots reported as least and counted, >
and there were 27O,8SS recorded as tc
their choice on governor. The total cast
for secretary of state was 263, 617.
| Otter Tail county republican headuuar-
tiers have been opened in business block
! in Fergus Falls, in the room formerly &C.
| cupied by A. L. Cole when he was en-.
gagged in business in that city,,
r. q ..,s4.,r.;, h1., Charles B. Cheney.