The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1912-04-25
Roosevelt Backers Making Gains
in Minnesota.
AMMUNITION FOR OTHER SIDE
Committees Rejection of Primary Re.
quest Main Argument of
coloneI's Supporters.
Especial Correspondence


st. Paul, April 23-These are anx-
Ious days for a number of Republican
king makers in Minnesota. By the
time this letter is read and another is
on it's way the North Star state will
have named it's delegates to the ma
tlonal convention at Chicago and the
question now is, "Who will be in con-
trol?'' The whole thing has more
than one machine follower anxious to
be on the winning side guessing. Had
the primaries been held three weeks
ago, and mind you Minnesota is not
exactly an admirer of Taft, the Ohio
man would have prevailed beyond the
shadow Of a doubt, but now it is differ
ent. Since then there has been a
marked change and if the Roosevelt
movement should prevail it will not
come as shock to a number that I
know who are interested in the game
and to whom anybody but the big
Stick" is acceptable. When Ramsey
county, the most machine ridden dis
trlct in the state, is wobbly then look
out. The insurgents in this particular
district, am told, have increased so
per cent and while they may not be
strong enough to outwit the stalwarts
they will make trouble. They show
which way the wind is blowing. Hen
nepln county looks bad. The Seventh
district is sure to go wrong and if the
other districts should not be strong
enough to overcome these breaks from
the machine order of things it will
mean trouble when the convention is
reached. The state game, too, is liza
bic to be involved. Sometimes I am
inclined to take I. A. CasWell, the head
OF the Roosevelt movement in Mime
sofa, seriously when he says, 81 have
got them coming and going" 1t looks
pretty much as if he did not care
whether it was Taft, Roosevelt or La
toilette. He has some scalps in mind
and he is going to get them at any
COST
:. :. :.
Minnesota is no more machine rid
den than score of other states of it's
size and population throughout the
Union. Ed Smith heads the one of
today and Frank A. Day spelled life
and death to those who worshipped
at the shrine of the late Governor
John A. Johnson. Day trailed in the
wake of a man who no one dared
speak i'll of. Ed Smith has had to
carry burden as comparisons go.
Frank, lacking the popularity of his
chief, simply passed into the discard
and the Republican machine, with
every excuse for longevity, is on the
same road. In the opinion of many
in this neck of the woods it sealed it's
doom with the refusal of the state
central committee, held several weeks
ago in St. Paul, to stand for some sort
of preferential primary in the selec-
ton OF presidential delegates. Not that
any one particularly cared whether
delegates were named by word of
mouth or by ballot, in fact, under ordi-
nary circumstances, the fact that the
committee ever met and decided any
particular matter would have been for
gotten twenty-four hours after. The
Roosevelt end of the committee, how
ever, did not forget it and this one
thing has been their chief stock in
trade ever since. They have talked
about it, written about it, mentioned
1t IN speech and argument and when
that failed repeated the dose until now
voters in every section of the state
have suddenly Weakened to the belief
That they have been denied something
that was rightfully theirs. They want
1t now and they are going to get a
preferential primary by hook or crook.
= !. :.
In we'll written political story ap-
pearing in a national publication of a
late date the author, speaking of a
punishment administered to him by
his mother when youngster whom
he characterizes as decided progress
sive, says that when he was particu-
!arly prone to mischief his mother
would smear his hands with molasses
and give him a feather to play with.
That story has particular application
to the Republican organization in Min
nesota. Given what they demanded,
or at least pretense of an answer,
it would have kept the few who want
ed preferential primary SO busy that
they would be now transferring the
elusive feather from finger to finger.
1t is said of I. A. Caswell and the
Roosevelt followers in the state that
they have put in twenty-four hours a
day trying to impress the voters of
the state with their rights and when
it failed to reach them in one way
they tried another. First. it was the
state organization, then the committee,
later the counties and now they are
busy with the Individual voters.
Chairman Ed Smith and his lieuten.
ants are for President Taft, they are
cutspoken on that point, and believe
am telling it straight when say that
they have not gone outside the regls-
Tar methods in boosting his candidacv.
dThov ho3,,o n,1tcbo,,toJ