The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1912-03-21
THE PRINCETON UNION: THURSDAY. MAR(yf1 ID 1e1s

the abandonment Of the present year
" town and village elections and the
substitution of a tWO-year term for
those officers elected would not be
at all surprised if bill calling for
biennial elections prevailed 1T the
next session of the legislature. There
Is no excuse for the present method.
1t is expensive, it is harmful and it re
suits in much strife. OF course there
Is no comparison when cost is con-
s1dered, but sometimes the thought
occurs that it might be for the best
Interests of all to have city elections
held every four years instead Of two
as is now the case. St. Paul is now
in the throes of city election and
the cost of the primary and the cleo
ton will not be far short of 100000.
All this the taxpayers must pay. And
that is not all. There is no means Of
ascertaining the exact figures, but it
is safe bet that 100000 at least will
be spent by the candidates in impress
ing the voters as to their respective
fitness for the offices they are seeking.
In the case of mayor alone it is
claimed that 100000 will not come
near paying the bill. All this comes
out of the voters eventually and. as I
pointed out, why not have the election
every four years instead of biennially.
:. :. :.
Representative Cal Stone of St.
onr,1u
conducted act for the Great Northern
under the official title of general pas
senger agent, has taken charge of the
Taft headquarters in the CAPITAL City
and admirers of the president are now
figuring on results. One of Mr.. Stones
first managerial acts was to write to
each member of the house and senate
and ask his help, but the answers, I
understand, were not overly assuring.
representative Stone has a big task
before him and he perhaps realizes
the fact, for if surface indications
count for anything the president is
anything but popular in Minnesota. 1t
is shown in the numerous straw bal
lots referred to in this letter and the
fact is still more prominent in the
rural communities, where Colonel
Roosevelt is the choice. The business
men, on the other hand, are with the
president. I. A. Caswell, who is hand
ling the Roosevelt cause, is trying to
organize the farmers and if he does
well there is nothing to it.
:. !. :.
The death knell of oleomargarine
and its sale in Minnesota has been
sounded in two decisions secured by
Attorney General Lyndon A. Smith
and his assistants, one upholding the
ant1-discrimination law in the pur-
chase of cream and butter fat and the
other holding good the act prohibiting
the coloring of any substitute in imi-
tatlon of real butter. In way per-
maps the city consumer is hard hit, as
with many the substitute is Just as
preferable as the real article, the cost
only entering into their taste and cal
culatlons, but to the great dairy in
dustry OF the state the findings of the
courts is a boon. And to the other
side it will eventually be just as great
a boon, for what helps the one must
IN the end aid the other. The average
city consumer of butter perhaps hard
ly realizes the magnitude of the dairy
industry in Minnesota. It comes pref
ty near having first place in the list
OF profitable things. Hardly a town is
without its creamery and in many
counties they run up in the dozens.
Had the anti-discrimination law not
been upheld the great city centralizers
would have put half of them out of
business and in the case of the COL
ored substitute it's continuation only
meant the smothering of a product
worth millions of dollars to the state,
:: :. :.
l.. c. Spooner of Morris still con-
t1nues to hover about the Twin Cities
ana one enterprising reporter alleges
TO nave extracted from him the state.
ment that he is having the hardest
KIND OF a time keeping out of the
gubernatorial game He saws he has
WYNN uSAo6Cu WILL lGLL6rS lmDOrtC!ninp
MIN to make the race and when his
time was not taken up with this occu-
patton his rooms in Minneapolis were
pesleged with callers on a similar or
rand. The interview credited to Mr.
Spooner is not taken seriously down
mere, in fact the general belief is that
ne never. made any such statement
put just the same they think he has
MS eye on some state job. No one
would be surprised if he got into the
game for ongressman-at-large He
has limited that such an Office would
just suit him. If he does get into tho
game Alvah Eastman can prenare tn
hump himself. Some people NAV not
like Spooner, but he is a fighter and
allows nothing to stand in the wav If
his ambitions.
= \ :.
w. A. Slmonton of Glenwood as
s1stant secretary of the state senate
died last week and his demise onons
up a fight for his place at the desk