The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1915-10-07
little HOPE OF
REGENERATION
STANDPAT LEADERS GIVE UP
EFFORTS TO CAPTURE THE
STATE OF MINNESOTA
MUCH DIFFERENCE OF OPINION
WIDE DIVERGENCE OF VIEWS
ON PRESIDENTIAL POSI- :
BILITIES AT CONCLAVE

~. dul, Wv. g. ne pOl1Clcal
Regeneration of Minnesota refer
to the national side of the question:
started with whoop some months
ago, but that whoop has died down to
a mere whisper now and it begins to
look as if the Gopher state would be
permitted to wander where it wills as
far as the presidential end of the
game is concerned. With the depar-
ture of Secretary Reynolds of the Re-
publican national committee, who
spent two days within the confines of
the state looking over the situation
and gingering up the leaders, the re-
generation ideas of the big fellows
seem to have died a bornin' and the
outlook is that the state will be per-
mitted to do as it pleases. In the
opinion of a number who about this
time are unduly active in an effort to
swing the state for some picked ia
vorite the new presidential preference
primary law is responsible, but if the
trouth would be known it is because
these same unduly active agents of
the inner circle cannot control any
longer, primary law or no primary
law. They talk compromise, but down
in their hearts. they are opposed to it.
Telling you the story as heard it,
Secretary Reynolds, on his visit to
st. Paul, called in number of the
elect and Gunnar Bjornson, Repub-
lican state chairman. Gunnar, from
all accounts, was the only leading pro-
gressive present and as chairman of
the state organization he could hardly
be ignored. From each he obtained
view of the state situation and the
opinion the "standpat" control was
impossible. The whole spelled COM
promise, and seeing that such was
the only way out Of the difficulty, he
made the suggestion to those higher
up. AS get it several were agreeable
few demurred but were willing, and
one gave flat "no." This is one is the
kingpin of the inner circle. Out of
such situation can come only demon
alization, and it is perhaps from this
demoralized condition that the king
pin mentioned and his lieutenants
hope to get few pounds of flesh, but
[ am afraid they are doomed to dis
appointment.
When this was written Hennepin
county, and especially Minneapolis,
the largest population center in the
state was in the throes of finish
fight on the question of dry or wet.
County option was the issue and the
voter was being stormed at every
turn. Never in it's history was the
big town so warmly bombarded.
Whatever may be the outcome the one
gratifying feature is that there will
not a be repetition of the fight for the
next three years at least, and for that,
say the business men of Minneapolis,
some thanks. County option since its
enactment by the last legislature has
been tried out in thirty or more coun-
ties of the state and the drys have
been successful in the most of them.
The fight in Hennepin has been of the
bitterest nature and there has been
little chance to put the economic
side of the question before the voters.
The daily record of the papers detail
ing the struggle tell this fact better
than | can describe it. While hun
dreds entered the fight honest in their
convictions that they were waging a,
battle in behalf of humanity, and
thousands will so vote, yet there are
scores of others who were more con-
cerned. with the few paltry dollars
they could wrest from the dry or wet
forces or who had private grievance
to work out.
Governor Willis of Ohio was a call
er at the state capitol last week and
for some unknown reason his brief
stop at the marble palace was featur-
ed in way that must have been
gratifying to his presidential aspira-
lions. Governor Hammond saw to it
/ that the visit of the Ohio executive
was properly advertised and in order
that no one might be overlooked per-
sonally solicited the presence of all
department heads in the executive
chamber when the distinguished guest
arrived. Later he gave the Ohio gov
ernor dinner.
| Within the next thirty days State
Treasurer Smith will distribute bet
ter than $1,500,000 among the public
schools of the state, and the cut up
which is now being arranged will es-
tablish new record in the distribu-