Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-05-27

This Years Candidates Unusual
y Persistent in That Line.
COUNTRY PRESS Their VICTIM
Al Sorts Of Schemes Resorted to u
Effort to Secure Advertising
~ IL. Without Cost.

st. Observation-Disclosures the re.
cipient weekly of yards of ready to
use press dope in behalf of this and
that aspirant for political honors, l
cannot but help sympathize with the
peppery up state editor and publisher,
who after wrestling with a lot of
nicely prepared press stuff supplied
by candidate in whom he really
took an interest and a lot of piff1e
handed in by numerous other candi-
dates in whom he had no interest
whatever, threw the whole lot into
the waste basket and said, "By heck,
I'm through. They'll pay for it after
this" All this to you, dear reader,
is shop talk, but offer it as an ex-
cuse for the statement that the year
1914 has brought into being more
aspfrants for political honors who
want to use the public press free
gratis for the advertising of their
wares than ever in the history of the
state. All kinds of schemes are re-
sorted to in an effort to break in and
I will have to say that lot of them
get by. However, quite a number of
publishers have made an ironclad
rule of cash or no publicity and this
applies to friend as well as foe. An
other campaign and l expect to see
the cash or nothing doing" rule more
general.
The nonpartisan feature of our elec-
ton laws and the passing of the party
organ is said by some to be respon-
sible for the present effort to break
into the country press. With the
passing of the organization the press
and the mails are now the only me-
dunn of publicity. However, I check
up much of the effort at free publicity
to that one absurd feature of the pri-
mary law-the limit of expense for
those seeking Office. In most cases
the limit of expense for a candidate
for any state Office is one years sal
airy and any one who has ever ran
for Office knows that one years sal
ary does not come near meeting those
items of expense that are absolutely
necessary and which are legitimate.
1t simply cannot be done. If you do
not believe this statement just mail
letter to every voter in the state
and find out the cost. To make the
race for governor where there is q
contest the best posted say it cannot
be done for less than $4,000. The
Office of state auditor will eat up
$4,000 and the other state Offices
proportionate sums.
+ + !.
w. E. Lee broke into st. Cloud
last week and it has to be said that
the reception rendered him was al
most as cordial as that given Governor
Eberhart the week previous. True
there was, no torchlight procession
nor any of the red fire that charac-
terized his excellency's entrance into
the Granite City, but the people
seemed anxious to see what the op-
position had to say and they filed
the opera house where Mr.. Lee
spoke. With less than three weeks
at their command both candidates for
governor are covering the state as
fast as trains can carry them. Gov
ernor Eberhart is making from two
to three speeches day and Lee,
with his aids, is doing like stunt
The last week of the campaign will
be given over to St. Paul and Min
neapolis. Lee is claiming Minneap-
oils, but Governor Eberhart refuses
to stand for the claim.
i. !. i.
Speaking of Minneapolis and St.
Paul, candidates for the several state
offices may run up against some sur
prises this time. In the opinion Of
the best posted the vote in St. Paul,
because of the recent city election,
will be very light. In Minneapolis
there seems to be no interest what
ever in the state ticket and those
candidates figuring on landing the
vote there may be disappointed. As
I said, w. E. Lee is claiming Henne-
pin county, but his claims are not
shared in by disinterested kingmak-
ers. Governor Eberhart has always
carried Hennepin county big and the
best they give Lee this time is a cut
in the usual Eberhart lead. Henne.
pin Is two-thirds Scandinavian, they
point out and Governor Eberhart, &C.
cording to their way Of figuring, has
a corner on the larger portion Of this
vote. ..-~ 49,.