The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-11-06

A
those OF the state OF Minnesota, He
remarked that the governor they
elected could defeat by his influence
almost any bill that was proposed
in the legislature. Just as President
Wilson had dominated congress ever
since he had been in Office, so also
the governor had the power OF DOM
mating the legislature. The people
of Minnesota did not want to hear
about the signing of county OPP
ton, bill that had been passed,
but they wanted to hear about get
ting one passed. They wanted a
man who had taken a position and
had said just what he would do
when elected governor and that man
was w. f. Lee
| Another Chorus Selection.
After the applause had died away,
the chorus gave another selection.
The next speaker to be presented
was Julius A. Schmahl, republican
candidate for secretary of state. Mr..
Schmahl opened by remarking that
Il was in and near Blue Earth county
that his father and mother brought
I'D a large family, and Il was near
4
light. He felt that he was where he
belonged when he came to this
section OF the state. He had once
fallen deeply in love with a Man.
kato girl and he came here to
propose to her, arriving just in time
TO witness her wedding to another
fellow.
The speaker talked for a time of
the progressives who had seeded
from the party and called to mind
that when the primary vote cast by
that party was canvassed, IL was
found that there were not votes
enough to get their candidates on
the ballot without a petition. So he
had hopes that by this time these
people had come back into the old
republican fold.
Compared the Records.
Comparing the records Of the two
candidates for governor, the speak
or called to mind the vote of the
democratic candidate while in con-
gress in favor OF a tax on every
note and almost every other kind
Of a business transaction In writing,
in order to make up the hundred mil
lion dollars of deficit that had re-
suited from the democratic tariff
law. He spoke also of Mr.. Ham
mond's vote in favor Of the two
cents per gallon tax on gasoline,
which every farmer was using to
help him with his farm work. He
spoke likewise of Mr. Hammond's
vote for giving twenty-five millions
of dollars to the government at
Bogota to conciliate those statesmen.
Passing to the record of Mr.. Lee,
the speaker told OF his support OF
the bill that created the state rail-
road and warehouse commission, at
a time when Mankato and other small
cities were struggling against the
unfair railroad rates that favored
the Twin Cities. He told how later,
Mr.. Lee had made a fight to give
this commission more power. He
told how afterwards a law was pass
ed giving this commission the con-
troll Of all the grain elevators In
the state, so that farmers could get
fair treatment from them. Another
of the measures for which Mr.. Lee
fought, the speaker related, was the
dairy and food law, which prevented
oleomargerine and other articles be
ing sold in this state under false
labels.
State Labor Bureau.
The law creating the state labor
bureau was another measure for
which Mr.. Lee worked. Mr.. Schmahl
also mentioned the work of Mr.
Lee In getting the free text book law
passed, at a time when the great book
companies were so manipulating
things that a younger member of, q
family could not use the book that
had belonged to his older brother OF
sister. Another measure for which
Mr.. Lee worked strenuously was
that creating the state capitol com
OF the state so judiciously that
strangers declared that they could
not understand how so magnificent
an edifice could have been built
for the amount spent.
Mr.. Lee Introduced.
Mr.. Taylor remarked that the re
publicans had a candidate that had
come on squarely On every question
that had been propounded to him
He now presented Mr.. Lee, referring
to him as the next governor of Min
nesota.
Audience was an Inspiration.
When the applause that greeted Mr.
Lee, on his stepping forward on the
speakers platform had died away, the
next governor remarked that the
magnificent audience before him was
truly an inspiration. He said how
,, ever, that he had been talking TO Just
such audiences for some time. He re
/, marked that on the night before hi
had spoken TO an audience that wa.
: about three times that size. He re
: fered to his rally at Duluth.
! Mr.. Lee expressed his heartfelt ap
: probation of the magnificent treat
ment he had received from Blue Eartl
; county in the primaries. He salt
this county by the great majority I
had given him had placed him unde
y obligations.
J, Candidate and Platform.
Mr.. Lee said that when a candidat,
: ran for Office he needed a platform. A,
= II used to be, this platform was mad,
by the convention that nominated tn,
' candidate Now. the candidate had I,
l make his own platform. Accordingly
!, he had made platform and had give
II to the people I'm an address at Mar
shall. The platform showed jus
where he stood on every one of tn
" foct,aa of Tho A,u Tl,l, .t.sf~..xx A..