The Princeton union., 1913-09-25
CANDIDATES ARE
very NUMEROUS
ST. Paul's Next Election to Be
Held Under New Law.
NO PARTY DESIGNATIONS
Despite Belief to the Contrary 1t Will
Be Easy for the Organization
to Control.

St. Paul-(SpeciaD- D-Beginning with
next year all primaries and elections,
with the exception of those having to
do with the several state offices, will be
nonpartisan. Even members of the
legislature are included. The new or
der of things is a product of the last
legislature and while the first general
tryout is nearly year off the law
and how it will work is Of more than
ordinary interest at this time, as the
Capitol City, one of the largest mu-
inequalities in the state, will be the
first to come under it's requirements.
The St. Paul city election takes place
next spring and at the same time the
seat of government of Minnesota will
take on the commission form of gov
ernment. Duluth is the one other city
in Minnesota operating under the mod
ern idea. What makes the coming st.
Paul election of interest at this time
is that candidates for the eight offices
which will constitute the new govern
ment are now filing for the several
places and as the weeks pile up they
are becoming as numerous as the days.
For the office of mayor no less than
a score of candidates are promised,
while in the case OF the six commits
sioners at least 100 aspirants are pre-
dicted. There is one other office, that
of comptroller, but it does not count,
AS primaries and things in an election
way go the coming St. Paul contest,
in the minds of some, is perhaps no
different from the political scrambles
that have preceded it. True possibly
as far as the usual thirst for office is
concerned, but not when it is known
that for the first time the elimination
of party will be tried out. But will
party be eliminated even though the
law says so, is the question, and fur
ganiZation All this makes the coming
st. Paul primaries and city election
interesting, for on the outcome and
the tactics employed by the success
full crowd will depend plans and speci-
fications for the handling and landing
of contests to follow elsewhere in the
state. But why worry; this reforming
the election laws has been on for the
past quarter of a century and R. T.
O'Connor ct al are still on the job.
In the wiping out of party designa-
ton in town, city, county and even
legislative primaries and elections
!,
trainers of the law. Some held it to
be the last word in candidate select:
ing and ottceholding uplift. Such may
be true, but I miss my guess if the st.
Paul contest does not make monkey
of the whole thing. 1t spells the old
Democratic machine organization for
the Capitol City, which has been out
of business for nearly four years now.
The organization will win through a
multiplicity of candidates. AS the law
applies to st. Paul, and which is in
corpOrated in it's new charter, pri-
mary results will be on the basis OF
the two highest for each office. With
party figuring, even if the designation
does not appear on the primary bal
lots, this means that the two candi-
dates for mayor which will appear on
the election ballot to follow will be
Democrats and entirely satisfactory
to the machine. The same will be the
case with the other offices. This will
be accomplished by selecting two or
three men, popular men of course, for
each Office and then packing the field.
What follows is a cinch. Cant hap
pen," you say; "citiZens interested in
good government will not permit it;
they will beat the organization at it's
own game" Yes, such things have
happened and they might happen this
time, but it is not likely. Observa-
tions on the part of yours truly have
not run that way. Another Job of
making over the election laws and Mr..
Good Citizen will not even be allowed
to vote.
Now comes the job of secretary of
state and if reports are true Julius
Schmahl, the present Incumbent is to
have few rivals. G. H. Mattson of
Roseau county, it is said, has it in
his mind to try again for the place
Another mentioned possibility is Rep
resentative Sawyer of Minneapois.
Representative Charles Warner OF
Aitlzin county is reported to have the
bug. That Mr.. Schmahl will have
competition next year is certain, but
| under the new order of things it will
be hard to get his scalp. Besides
Julius is some popular over the state.
even if certain St. Paul dailies have
it in for him. So far he has gotten
by with votes to spare and it is not a
bad bet that he will repeat the act.
::
George F. Authier, secretary to his
excellency, A. o. Eberhart is not ex
actly Frank Day-some think they
have quit making Franks kind-bu+
just the same he is putting a few
things across these days that places
him in class 1. | refer to the good
things the city and many of the state
papers are saying about Governor
| IL I, k =