The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-01-02
WHICH I l Shall I|'| | b
FL0W'ERs !! [. GORDON?
Cleveland Man Voted Against
Every Measure of Importance
to Northern Minnesota.

The Minnesota legislature will con-
vene on Tuesday of next week and
will be composed of a great number
of new and inexperienced members
whose attitude on questions of vital
interest to the working class is not
KNOWN
The one all-absorbing topic in legis-
lative circles is the, outcome of the
fight for speakership of the house.
H. H. Flowers of Cleveland and Sam
Y. Gordon, formerly neutenant-gov-
ernor, are the candidates and both
are claiming a sufficient number of
pledges to insure election to that Of
fee. Gordon has published a list of
sixty-f1ve names of men who have
given their promise to support him,
and Mr.. Flowers some time ago
claimed seventy-three adherents.
Flowers has not given out any of
his supporters names and the con-
clusion reached by many keen OBJ
servers of the game is that Flowers
claims are more bluff than anything
else.
Duluth Dailies DOdging?
The attitude of the Duluth Dailies
zig amusing. Gordon is too funda-
mentally democratic too suit their
tastes and Flowers record on ques-
tons ;, affecting the interests of this
section Of the state is so objection
able that they dare not openly sup
port him. News articles, purporting
to originate in the Twin Cities and
published in the Herald are colored
In an attempt to show that Flowers
has the ledge" on Gordon but they
are SO transparent that the veriest
tyro in political affairs cannot fail to
see that the Flowers people are just
plain '"skeered.''
Early in the fight Flowers claimed
seventy-three votes. He claims to be
gaining right along, but only the other
day the local mouth-pieces of the
Flowers candidacy Tin these same
news dispatches) claimed that Flow
ers had it cinched. He had sixty
seven votes. Following the reports
OF the war, Flowers, like the allies is
retreating backward.
We can easily conceive how a new
man in the legislature can be de-
ceived into voting for Flowers through
the willy devices employed by the in
terests. back of that gentleman.
Flowers Is affable and polished. But
a man should be judged by his record
and by the character Of those behind
his candidacy.
Local Men For Flowers.
Locally, Representatives Bergen,
Ribenack, Nelson and North are sup
posed to be for Flowers. In the
way these men voted. -~>r&
An examination of the legislative
record Mr.. Flowers shows that he
voted for the tonnage tax, he voted
against reapportionment and more
than that, voted for the Dunn amend
ment which would leave the three
cities without increased representa-
ton, while increasing that of the
country districts. Mr.. Flowers also
voted for the Seven-Senators bill and
we fail to see but one reason why
these three gentlemen, Messrs. Bor-
gen, Ribenack, Nelson and North
could find any excuse to support such
a candidate. He has the backing OF
the public service corporations and
the liquor interests
1t is we'll that the people Of Duluth
remember these facts. Surely a can
didate for speaker who has Mr.. Flow
ers' record on these three vital ques-
tions does not deserve the support of
men who have been elected to repre-
sent the interests of Duluth and
Northern Minnesota.
Flowers Undemocratic.
From a democratic standpoint, too,
Mr.. Flowers should not receive the
endorsement Of this section. He
voted against women's suffrage and
for the Brown amendment to kill the
Initiative and Referendum.
:. Mr.. Gordon has always shown him
self to be fair to labor measures and
to, the interests of this section of the
state. The, people of this section
will want an explanation from Messrs.
Bergen. Ribenack, Nelson and North
for their attitude in this matter and
they should, in all fairness, give their
reasons for supporting Mr.. Flowers.