Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1914-02-13
URGE RETURN
TO OLD SYSTEM
Part Of State Press Against
Present Primary Law.
SAY IT AIDS men IN OFFICE
"Gang" Control in ST. Paul Declared a
Certainty Under the New Non
partisan Idea.

st. Paul-(Special) yours
truly misjudges prevailing sentiment,
or at least efforts toward creating a
sentiment, the next session of the leg
islature is going to see a mOdifica-
ton of the present state and local pri-
mary Law. No one would be surprised
if the session of the legislature to fol-
low did not return to the party label
and nomination of candidates by con-
vention. Sentiment for such has been
growing and in the past two weeks
fully a dozen influential papers pub
lished throughout the state have TAX
en- up the cudgel in behalf of the de-
sired change. Prominent among them
are the Minneapolis Journal, the
Mortified News and the Rock County
Herald. Two and four years ago
these same publications, with the pos
sible exception of the Rock County
Herald, advocated and to an extent
were responsible for the present pri-
mary infections, but now they admit
their mistake and ask for change.
Their cry has been taken up by pub
/ atoms Of lesser Importance and
from the whole comes the cue that
some change in the law is sure. Those
who put the present statewide pri-
mary law and the nonpartisan act, as
applied to members of the legislature
and county officials, on the statute
books were the ''outs" and it is the
outs who are trying to force a change.
The trouble is that all of us are
against any law that helps the other
mans candidate and-so there you
are. The law as it now stands is due
to return A o. Eberhart to the guber-
Material chair for another two years,
together with others of less impor-
lance, and that is what rifles At the
state capitol bets are even that a
change is due and unless it be mem
bers of the administration who have
and will profit from present conditions
sentiment fayors partial return at
least to the old order Of things.
!. !. i.
-
will be tried next May, when st. Paul
the capital city of the state, will elect
a set of officers under the commission
form of government Fully $50 candi
dates have offered themselves as sac
Yifices for the dozen or more offices
to be filed. In the old days, even
with the much abused machine in
charge, the outcome was not by any
means a cinch, but what will happen
next May in the Capital City is al
most a 5fOregone conclusion. The
"gang," SO called, is going to win. Il
is as certain as the return of the pres
rent state administration to power mex
November The new charter, adopted
after much advertising and pulling BY
the local daily papers, makes the out
come a lead pipe cinch. Three of the
candidates for mayor, in published
statements, have admitted their will
ingness to accept brewery backing
one of them being so blunt as to ex
cite Indignation on the part of those
who believe that the new order o
things is a panacea for all 7nunicipa
and political ills. Looking at it cox
bloodedly the three candidates refer
red to are playing good game, for i
is this same brewery backing tina
will turn the trick. Centralize thi
backing, with it's large following, an,
there is absolutely no chance for tn,
others. The opposition will simpl.
be split a dozen ways.
!. \ \
That threatened Republican get to
..gether meeting, in emulation Of tn
big Democratic love feast to. be he'll
the latter part of the month, is anon
the possibilities Republican leaders
among them ]. F, jacobson of La
.Qui Parle county, representative G. +