The Appeal., 1910-10-29


freedom. The power of the people
was never exerted as it is today. Pub
lie conscience has been quickened and
boss rule. in the Republican party at
| least, is thing of the past. Ex-
cept1onal means of education and in
tercommunication have raised the av-
! erage standard of intelligence and the
voters of today are full of knowledge
and keenly alive to all the rights
| and duties of citizenship. This has
been frequently demonstrated. The re-
cent action of the New York Repub-
lican state convention in accepting
! Theodore Roosevelt's leadership is the
best evidence that the rights of the
| people are safe in the charge of the
Republican party. The political crook
and pretender must be banished from
public life. To deserve the honor of
| public office men must render real
| service for the people. This is right.
No man should be elected to public
| office who is incapable or unwilling to
serve the people, honestly, fearlessly,
| all the time.
Political Bossism.
Party bossism is not entirely extinct
In Minnesota. When the Democratic
party assembled in Minneapolis on
July 2S last it nominated John Lind
for governor, after adopting plat
form upon which he refused to stand
Commenting upon this platform the
Mipnoopo1ic Tr;b,,oo oo;d.
"As represented by it's platform, the
Democratic party stands for nothing
but critici: n, has no other aim than
but negatiC n, is capable of nothing but
criticism, has no other aim than to
get Office and makes no higher bid for
public confidence than the promise to
carry out Republican policies better"
So much for the platform. Mr.. Lind
declined the nomination and the
chairman of the Democratic state cen
tral committee carried his letter of
declination in his inside pocket for
six weeks, meanwhile regaling the
public with various stories and prom.
ises. During this period the Demo
cratic boss evolved the Kitchen Cab
met" candidate with new PLATFORM
new to the boss, new to the candidate
and new to the party, whose policy
and action he seems to control in this
instance.
County Option.
The nominee of the Democratic
state central committee says that he
will do more than sign a county op-
tion bill if passed by the legislature
He will, if elected governor, recon-
mend it to the legislature. Without
attempting to minimize the force and
effect of executive recommendations, |
say in all seriousness to the people of
this state, that if you do not elect
legislature in favor of county option
a recommendation of the governor will
not secure the passage of the law.
Promises like this may sound good
during campaign, but laws are based
upon the will Of the people as exer.
cised by their chosen representatives
The Republican declaration is as fol-
lows:
"The Republican party stands for
the strict regulation and control of
the liquor traffic All the restrictive
and regulative provisions relating to
the same now on the statute books of
the state are the fruits of Republican
legislation. The Republican party
stands for the strict and rigid en-
forcement of all these provisions and
for the strict and rigid enforcement
of such other and future provisions as
the representatives of the people,
elected by the people, may in their
wisdom enact; and we pledge the
party to fair, full and free consid.
GRAFTON of all legislation pertaining to
the liquor traffic and it's regulations" :"
This is straightforward statement
and may be understood by all. Com.
pare this statement with the language
of the Democratic platform, which my
opponent says justifies him in declar
ing for county option.
1--WE hold that all questions affect
Ing the moral, political and economic
welfare of the people should be direct
ly subject to the conscience and will
of the people,"
Could the audacity of ignorance GO
farther than to state that the Ian
guage I have just quoted commits the
Democratic party to county option?
Add to this, the undisputed fact that
the county option resolution was voted
down in the committee on resolutions
by vote of 18 to and when offered
on the floor of the convention, the
mover was refused hearing, we may
fairly infer the real attitude of the
Democratic party on this question:
Under all the circumstances the sud
den conversion of the Democratic boss
and his nominee to county option calls
to mind the old verse:
"The devil was sick, the devil saint
would be,
The devil was we'll, the devil a saint
was he."
, Several months ago I met the
friends of county option in their
state convention and defined my posi-
tion. If a county option bill is passed
while I am governor, I will approve
and enforce it. My opponent cannot
do more although he may promise
more.
The Policy of Conse-::=.:~
That tne l.ssSs..~--a party in Min
nesota is progressive is again indicat.
ed by its position and achievements
on the vital question of conservation.