The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-03-30
INTEREST
IN SPRING
ELECTIONS.
A Large Section Of the Middle
West Will Be at the Polls
the Coming Week
MOST STATES WILL
VOTE ON TUESDAY
Chicago Mayoralty Scrap Attracts
More Interest Than All the
Others Combined

AsSociated Press to The Evening Times.
Chicago, ILL.,, March 3O.-During the
coming week the regular spring elec-
tions are to he held throughout a large
section of the middle west. Municipal
officers are to be chosen in majority
of the cities of Illinois, Michigan, Wis
consin. Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska.
Oklahoma and a number of other
states.
Tuesday is the day for the balloting
in all the states except Michigan. which
votes on Monday. In addition to the
local elections Michigan Is to vote for
members of the supreme court, regents
OF the state university and member
OF the state board of education. I'm
less precedent is upset the regular
Republican candidates for these state
offices will have little difficulty in win
ming out. In the fifth congressional
district of Michigan primary election
will be held Monday to nominate a
candidate to fill the vacancy resulting
from the election of William Alden
Smith as United States senator. The
man who appears to have the best
chance of succeeding to Mr.. Smiths
seat in congress is Gerrit ]. Diekema.
prominent lawyer and politician of
Holland. Mr.. Diekema has served for
number of years as chairman of the
Republican state committee. He was
also a member of the Spanish treaty
claims commission.
In some of the larger cities which
hold elections next Tuesday the issues
are political, though in nearly every
instance local matters are SO thor
oughly mixed in that it can hardly be
called straight political fight. In the
smaller cities everywhere the question
is almost universally prohibition and
reform. Here and there the contests
nave some bearing on state and ma
tional politics and also on factional in
terests in both parties. The municipal
machinery in some of the larger cities
will naturally have great influence in
the selection of delegates to the state
conventions next year, and in these
cities the party leaders are conducting
aggressive canvasses in connection
with these municipal elections.
Chicago voters on Tuesday are to de-
eide the fate of the street railway or
dinance,. The campaign closes tonight
with rousing meetings in every section
of the city, with speech-making, pa
rades and fireworks, has been the most
exciting that Chicago ever has known.
On February II the city council, by
vote of 81 to IL, passed over the veto of
Mayor Dunno the ordinances granting
twenty-year franchises to the present
street railway companies of Chicago.
The ordinances will become valid If
ratified by referendum vote at Tues
days election, thus settling finally the
street car franchise question, which
has been foremost subject in Chicago
for ten years.
Under the ordinances franchises are
to be granted for twenty years to the
Chicago City Railway and the Union
Traction companies. The companies
are to give universal transfers, through
routes and better service for a FIVE
cent fare. The lines are to be rehabili-
tated under the direction of the city at
a cost of $40,000,OOO. The city, on six
months notice, may buy the lines for :,
$50.000,000, plus the cost of rebuilding.
While the companies operate the lines
they are to pay the city fifty-five per
cent of the net income.
Mayor Dunno, having easily defeat
ed former Mayor Carter Harrison in
the primaries, is standing for re-elec-
tion on the democratic ticket. His op-
ponent on the Republican ticket is
Frederick A. Busse, postmaster of Chi
cago, former state treasurer and a poll
itician of recognized ability. The Hearst
element has fallen into line in support
OF Mayor Dune, but astute observers
do not expect this element to cut so
much of figure in the result as was
predicted earlier in the campaign.
The republican platform approves
in strongest terms the traction ordi-
nances as passed by the city council.
Continued on page ~