The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1914-06-06
SOUND CANDIDATES
ON. COUNTY 0 u|||V|||1X OPTION
Both Sides Busy Questioning
! Would-Be Legislators-Put'
| Adams on the Rack.


Every candidate for the legislature
is: this week receiving letters from
the .Aegis circle and the Minnesota
Anti-saloon League asking their pos
ftion on county option. The way cand-
idates are lodging the question Is
keeping both sides busy mailing them
down to definite pledge.
How the candidates are answering
the question few people yet know. 4
We. probably viii. be appraised Of !
their attitude before the primaries,
AEather. eieua q q tasfory OF tho POSI-
tion- Of Charles e. Adams, candidate
for the senate, IN the Fifty-seventh |
district. against A,G, Mcknight, leak
ed out the other day. -. |
Mr.. Adams claims to be a. strong |
temperance advocate. having been
raised in a prohibition state. North
Dakota. and claims to 30 in favor Of
temperance legislation. but, being In
terviewed as to hts position on county
option. which has the general, sup
port of the temperance elements In
Minnesota, he became very evasive In
his answers. q = .
He told one interviewer that while
he favored county option personally,
yet If the tonnage tax question came up
in the legislature, Gas it most surely
willy he would trade his vote on
county option for a vote against the
tonnage; tax. A report Of this inter-
view having been passed along Mr..
Adams became sadly exercised when
he thought he had been caught ao-
tually saying something positive for
once, and he fastened to one Of Du-
luth's most prominent temperance
men to- explain. He denied the former
statement in toto. although, it had
been made to well-known and
thoroughly reliable citizen. -.
He was then asked. what his posi-
ton. really was ontthe question Of his
trading: his convictions and vote on
county: option for a tonnage tax vote,
and he replied that he did not know,
The Interviewer, delighted at getting
such a definite answer. then asked
Mr.. Adams IT, he was authorized to
go out and say positively that Mr.,
Adams did not know what he would
do If the question .of trading county
option vote for p tonnage tax vote
should come up.
Mr.. Adams again demurred to be-
ing quoted even as definitely as that
and said that all he would say was
that he had not made up his mind
yet, what he would do under these
circumstances, -, .,:s r
This interview shows conclusively
what we have claimed ali along,
namely, that Mr.. Adams has no fixed
and positive convictions on & public
questions. Mr.. Adams should have
known when he became a" candidate
just what position he would take on
! question which has been discussed
as long as county option has been in
| Minnesota: 5s.s3s,; II. :>ss, ..s5 !.
! The position he, does take IS what
! might be expected from the man who,
when he was manager Of Roland D.
Ravens mayoralty campaign, said
that all he could promise was that
the liquor laws would be enforced
with reasonable strictness" # l}"
The real reason" for, Mr.. Adams
hesitancy is his desire to get every
vote he can and lose none He knows
that Mr.. 4McKnight's position on all
public questions is well known, and
he thinks, by assuming an evasive
attitude, he will be able to hold the
brewery vote without losing any Of
his church support.
We cannot believe the voters 5of the
Fifty-seventh district will fall Tor that
sort OF q game. s We look to them to
repudiate the candi dacy OF the man
who tries to play it, and to support
that Of man like Mr.. Mcknight
whose convictions are not subject to
barter, either for sup sort at the polls.
OF for very doubtful N votes In the
gislature. s8aS 3
lssIs(3IsEEfls Z TUEsDA s 81