The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1912-06-27
.POK / Fun At JIM.
1.-The Night Waterman After Dark at
the Capitol Recalls Progress
sive Politics in 1904.
Genial Jim is Now Steering Sam Y.
Gordon's Barque Into rlr.
Congdon's Harbor.

| =
the Capitol" by "The Night Watch
man." AS Jim Martin is now en-
gagged in plotting Sam Y. Gordon
into the governors office the follow
ing from the column in question is
amusing as we'll as interesting, be-
sides it is not fiction:
'"That sure was some gurgle that
went up around here when Jim
Martin was appointed manager of
the Sam Y. Gordon boom for govern
or and gave out his eloquent state
ment telling how progressive he is.
1.-THE fellows around this building,
some of them, know Jim Martin
from the days of the old capitol, and
some Of them even further back
when Isanti county had no railroad,
and people who went into or came
out of Cambridge drove over cordu-
roy roads.
"In those days Jim, and Harry
West, now county attorney at Foley,
began to study politics under the
tutelage of. Bob Dunn and G. B.
Buchanan and Judge Collins and w..
B. Mitchell, and an old guard of ma
chlnists who knew how to oil the
bearings OF political enigne as we'll
as any one.
''Finally Jim and Rip Brewer
broke away from the backwoods and
reached the statehouse, where they
pulled up with the winning side and
were going along fine during the
Van SAINT administration until they
let their St. Cloud eyeglasses fool
them as to the difference between
the real and the apparent political
magnitude of Judge L. w. Collins,
and Jim went down to defeat one
hot day in the famous 1904 conven-
tion in the Metropolitan opera house
in ST. Paul. Rip Brewer saved him.
self from political oblivion by MAX
ing the motion to nominate Bob
Dunn for governor unanimously and
retired Collins from public life.
"He also retired Martin, from
then until now.
'"Those were the days when
Martin and Walter Lemon, now of
the board of public works, had
law office in what was then called
the Manhattan building at 9Th and
Robert, but the total law library in
evidence there consisted of the con-
stitution of the United States. the
constitution of the state of Mime
sofa, and such other political docu-
ments and statistics as are contained
in the state blue book Come to
think Of it, | think the then secre-
tary of state, or possibly state
librarian, E. A. Nelson of Hallock,
had grub-staked them to copies of
the senate and house journals of
1903, but Lynn Haines had not then
gotten folks into the habit. of read
ing those works.. The clients who
visited the law office we're either
Collins supporters or fellows who
looked to Martin and Lemon as
though they could be induced to be
Collins supporters.
Remembering some of the ward
politicians who were clients in
those days, you cannot blame anyone
for emitting an unctuous gurgle as
he struck the opening sentence of
Martins statement:
9. /" AT this time I wish to express
my most sincere confidence in the
rank and file, the plain people of the
state.
"a lot of his clients at that time
did not become plain people until
| Martin lost his job as executive clerk
in the governors office and John A.
Johnson, the new governor, installed
new crew in the statehouse.
=" g Whatever. success I may have
met with in the past continues
Jim, has been due entirely to their
(the plain people's) confidence in the
cause may have espoused.'
"Read 'cusses' for success and the
poetry would be unaffected while it
might be nearer the truth. ~
90 L do not deem it unfair, icon.
tinues Martin, who manifested his
fairness in 1904 by accepting some
stuffed primaries in,the 5th ward Of
Minneapolis that would: cause even a
member of the Chicago convention
credentials committee today to sit
up and take notice, They were for
Collins. That made, 2s them fair to
Martin. AS Martin, however, was
saying, he does not deem it unfair
to say that we are in need of man
for this place who does not first have
to be reformed himself The. place
that Jim has just been talking about
is the managership, but you detect
at once that he has switched the cut
\ to the pOvernOrShin and his very