Willmar tribune., 1914-09-23
Who Should Do the Next Governor Of
4: Mlnnesota7

Editor Willmar Tribune
County Option is the paramount ts-
sue in the state Of Minnesota today.
It is demanded by business men, poll
ticians, church people, and many who
are not total abstainers in their per-
sonal habits. The moral, social and
economic sins Of the liquor traffic
have at last convinced large portion
OF our population that the saloon can.
not be regulated with success. They
believe they can only secure safety by
suppressing it, and now demand that
they be granted the legal right to ex-
press this conviction by ballot and
make their decision effective in the in
dlv1dual counties, since the county is
the taxing unit and bears the burden
OF expense heaped upon the commun-
ity for the saloons iniquity. In other
words they are demanding county loc-
al option.
Men who are pledged to support this
idea and enact it into law are now
candidates for the state Senate in
forty-eight of the sixty-seven Senat-
orial districts. OF these forty-eight
seats we must win at least thirty.four
In order to have bare majority. We
should elect forty In order to have a
safe working margin.
In the House we have dry candi-
dates for ninety-flve out of the one
hundred and thirty positions. We
must win from these ninety-flve at
least sixty-six for a majority and
should have seventy-dve for a safe
working margin.
The Anti-Saloon League has been
giving its most careful attention to
the Legislative situation for months
past and is largely responsible for the
very favorable showing made in the
Primaries. But in a struggle so clear
cut and so close we cannot ignore the
possible influence of the Governor. He
is the natural leader of his party. 1t
Is OF great importance, therefore, that
the temperance forces should have
positive friend in the Governors chair,
as well as a majority in each House,
If we are to secure good laws and
have them enforced afterward.
Naturally the Governor can, and
does, exert much influence upon pro-
posed legislation, either to further its
passage or to obstruct and block it.
To claim that he can only coincide
with the action Of the Legislature and
that he has no power to influence that
action is to ignore the most impressive
lesson Of the Wilson administration.
All the world has looked on with won
der and admiration while the present
Democratic Congress, though often
restive under his strong. compelling
hand, has followed the Presidents
counsel as their political leader and
has enacted law after law at his bid
ding.
Mr.. Hammond, the Democratic can
didate for Governor of Minnesota, has
evidently forgotten the example of his
political chief, or expects us to do so.
While we do not want a dictator in
the Governors chair neither should
we be content to elect man who has
no expressible opinion on the great
political-moral issue Of the day, nor
one who will only promise to follow
where all the world expects and de-
sires that he should lead.
On the other hand Mr.. Lee, who has
been before the people for a number
Of years in one way or. another as an
exponent of County Option, declares
that he will exert himself to secure
the enactment Of a County Option law
at the earliest possible moment. He
does not side-step his responsibility
He gives the people fair chance to
know where he stands personally on
the County Option question and as
sumes that position of leadership In
his party which is fitting and right In
a chief executive.
Looking over the statements ISSUED
by these two gentlemen it is easy tt
see whom the liquor men should en-
|deavor to elect. It is equally evident
whom the friends of good-governmen
and good-morals should make the mex
Governor of Minnesota. We believe
that If the people of the state OF Min
nesota want to break brewery contro
and obtain an effective county optio1
law they can do it at the next election
November 3, by voting for William 3
Lee for Governor and for dry candi
dates for the Senate and House ii
their respective districts.
Issued by order Of the Headquar
ters of the Minnesota Anti-Salool
League.
GEO. B. Stafford,
Superintendent.