The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1914-05-07
VIM. E. LEE IS PRO-
Testing TOO MUCH
Continued from first page

In conspiracy. The governors OPP
ponents conspired to beat him and M
Lee and his supporters skillfully and
successfully conspired 20 put Nj.
Iverson and Mr.. Peterson out of the
running.
Mr.. Iverson and Mr.. Peterson made
little or 10 effort to control the "con-
ference" but from the very moment
of its suggestion, with unanimity that
clearly demonstrated preconceived ar
rangement, MIR. Lee and his support
ers simultaneously got busy and by
a shrewd series of machine maneuvers
gained complete control of the con-
ference before it assembled, and when
clans gathered there was nothing to it
but Lee. The other gentlemen were
completely manipulated out of the
game by the clever Lee machinists,
and were left holding the bag, look
ing and feeling as foolish as anna
teur snipe shooters on a dark night.
Talk about machine politics! The
Lee machine in the conspiracy that
assembled in Minneapolis was the
smoothest, slickest article in the ma
chine line that ever appeared in Min
nesota politics, and this well oiled
piece of mechanism created VIM. E.
Lee, the "anti-machine" Progress
sive," reform" candidate for COVER
nor.
Can a machine produce an anti-ma-
chine candidate? When the leopard
changes its spots; the lion eats grass
like an OK, and fish catch men, such a
political miracle may be possible.
Is there anything in the past public
life of William E. Lee that marks
him as Progressive" or a "refor-
mer?" He has held many public Of
fees. Why do not his friends and sup
porters cite instances where he has
bucked the corporate interests, or OPP
posed organized greed? Frantically
he appeals to the ever-growing tenn
perance sentiment Of the state. Re-
form, like charity, must begin at
home. A man who claims to be re-
former and who does not spend his
money and energies to reform his
home town is but "a whited sepulcher
fixed up with pious paint" How much
time, money and energy has Mr.. Lee
spent to free Long Prairie from the
drink evil? Temperance men and wo-
men of Long Prairie stand up and
make reply! If Mr.. Lee ever did or
performed any action either in pub
lie service or private life that did not
or he thought would not rebound to
Mr.. Lees benefit, let it be proclaimed
from the house tops. He is progress
sive when things progress in his di-
rection; he is refOrmer when re-
form yields him a revenue, and he is
an "anti" to every machine save his
own. His public career is character
lied by efforts toward self-aggran-
dizement and financial benefit, and his
private fortune was accumulated at
the expense of the needy and unfortu-
nate.
Much ado has been made about the
fact that he is supported by such men
as Iverson, Peterson, Young and ia
cobson.
Mr.. Iverson makes great cry
about Extravaganza" and pleads for
economy and efficiency" Yet for
IL years he has been in public pos
ition where he has had more knowl-
edge of the states income and expen-
ditures than any other man within it's
borders. During all that time he has
never peeped about "eXtravagance"
or issued a clarion call for retrench-
ment, economy and reform! Never
did he discover, until he became can
didate for governor, that the state
funds were being wasted. What Gre
dence should be placed in the belated
exposure of a man who hopes to reap
personal benefit therefrom
Jim Peterson has been a profess
sional reformer since "the memory
of man runneth not to the contrary"
What the people of Minnesota think
of him and his famboyant profess
sions of reform was demonstrated in
the last primary election. He was d
reform" candidate for the United
States senate, and burned up the
roads journeying to and fro through
the state. He split the atmosphere
vociferating reform" shriekings
from a hundred different platforms.
His opponent remained quietly at
home and made no canvass. Yet Mr..
Peterson only carried six counties out
of sc, and the "action-reformer" Of
Alexandria beat the "mouth-reform-
err" of Minneapolis 24,714 votes in a
total of 151,576. Vale Jim, as a re-
former he is a joke. He don't even
take himself seriously.
Is there anything in the public re-
cord of E. T. Young that marks him