The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-09-06
CAN'T PEDDLE PETITION
At GOPHER STATE FAIR

ST. Paul, August 31.-Petitions to
nominate Roosevelt-Johnson electors
for the progressive ballot will not be
circulated at the state fair next
week, as originally planned Attorney
General Lyndon A. Smith informally
ruled yesterday that the electoral Pc
titions cannot be circulated until
after the primaries in spite of the
fact that voters who participate in
the primaries are eligible to sign
them.
Answered n. T. HaIbert.
The ruling came in response to a
question put by H. T. Halbert, chair
man of the progressive state com
mittee. Mr.. Smith cited section 215
of the election laws, which contains
the statement, mo person shall sign
certificate of nomination by voters
until after the date of the primary
election and held that this section
is applicable.
The attorney general also ruled
that under the election laws there
to each of the petitions put in cir
culaton by the bull moose party.
There must be separate petitions for
each >elector.
Circulate After Primary.
The form for the petitions was
drafted by Mr. Halbert and approved
by the attorney general yesterday
afternoon. Several hundred copies
will be made and distributed among
members of the progressive state
central committee at it's meeting in
st. Paul next Tuesday with the un-
derstanding that they are to be put
in circulation on the day following
the primaries.
A revival of the talk of placing
a complete third ticket in the field
by petition after the primaries is
one of the results of agitation by men
strongly opposed to Governor Eber-
hart to have the progressive COM
mittee next Tuesday go on record in
favor of a bull moose gubernatorial
candidate if the governor is renomi-
mated.
Urging Third Party Ticket.
M. S. Norelius of Lindstrom, one
of the men who advocated a full
state ticket for the bull moose
party before the state progressive
state convention, came to st. Paul
yesterday to urge again that not
only a third gubernatorial candidate
but an entire third party ticket be
entered after the primary election.
Talk of progressives who are adj
vocating the selection of third can
didate for governor invariably CEN
tiers about the name of J. F. Jacob
son of Madison.
Answers Other Queries.
Candidates names must go on the
primary ballots whether they are
opposed or not, according to an opin-
ion given out yesterday by Attorney
General Smith. The opinion was
from a county auditor asking wheth-
er, in the case of nonpartisan bal
lot, there were only two candidates
in one class, both of whom would
of necessity go on the general cleo
ton ballot, their names might not
be omitted from the primary ballot.
Similar Questions Arise.
similar question has arisen in
the case of the socialist labor, pub
lie ownership and prohibition party
candidates, there being no opposition
to any of the candidates. A great
amount of expense, time and effort
could be saved by the elimination
of the names of those who are un-
opposed, it is pointed out. Attorney
General Smith declared, however,
that the law gave no alternative, and
that all those who had filed were
entitled to have their names uno,, tho
ballots.
The attorney ruled also that where
there is no candidate for an office
OF any certain party, county auditors
are permitted to leave out the name
OF the office entirely, and shall not
leave a blank space for the office.