Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-11-02

cries are furnishing money to the
Lawson campaign. it is a most pal
pable falsehood. Lawson has Meth
er funds nor organization to assist
him in this fight and his victory
will be triumph of the independ-
ent voter over the party machine
with its big campaign fund.
The 10y wagon" item was the
last and most pitiable Of the broad
side editorials in the Gazette. The
Tribune item Of Aug. IS, 1908,
simply stated condition that then
existed. Now there is hardly a
township where there are not from
one to dozen autos owned by the
farmers themselves. The auto now
runs in any part of the county with
out attracting any notice, and both
candidates have used them in get
ting around to see the voters.
So far as we can see there is not
a single line in the Gazette broad
side attempting to show that there
is any principle or issue at stake in
the senatorial contest in this coun-
ty. 1t is simply bald attempt to
create prejudice against Lawson,
and to line up the voter to vote
the ticket straight without regard
to the record of the men with ref
erence to the issues that are the
dominant ones in the campaign.
In looking over the Tribune files
for the past twelve years the Odell
supporters overlooked a great many
things which have more direct bear
ing on the issues at stake in this
campaign than the ones which they
chose to print.
There are the annual campaigns
against license at Willmar since
1898 and the efforts to enforce the
policy and make it the success
which has since made the City and
County famous. Is there any evil
dence to show that Odell has ever
publicly taken a stand in this fght3
We can find none. There are many
items which go to prove that dur
ing the last years of his incum-
bency as sheriff the enforcement of
the liquor laws was very lax in
deed. In 1904 we find his name
on the saloon petition, (resubmis-
sion petition to secure a chance to
vote when the town was dry.) This
was not the famous round robin sa-
loon petition Of 1900 which he also
signed but which many no-license
voters were misled to sign, but
four years later.
Those files contain in detail,
year after year, the story of the
fight to clean out the saloons from
Kandiyohi county, and the Gazette
man might have reprinted many
interesting items which would have
had more direct bearing on the is
sues in this campaign than those
Which he did select. The attitude
taken by the Tribune editor during
these years seems not to have been
entirely lost on the searcher for
campaign material for he says in
one place that he admits that Law
son is good citizen and prohibit
zionist of standing and repute.
The issue resolves Itself into
simply this. The Gazette claims
that the party issue is the most i'm
portant and that the county option
and other questions are incidental
and will be best taken care of by
straight party men under the con-
troll of the organization.
We contend that county option
and progressive legislation is the
most important and there is no old
party issue today except to control
the Offices. We contend further
that. anyone controlled by the old
party organization in this state will
be hampered by reason Of such con-
troll in his efforts to carry out a
platform in favor of county option
and progressive measures.
Charles w. Odell represents the
party idea, acknowledges his alleei-
ance to the powers that be within
the party organization. but adopts
! a platform for this campaign far in