The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1917-07-07
Tales OF THE

| divided into two factions in q ngnt
over state senator. A faction headed
by Col. Graves backed the late Roger
| S. Munger. The other faction, chap
eroned by the late John B. Sutphin
| and "Zeke" Kendall, supported
Charlemagne Tower, Jr., then repre-
senting his fathers Vermilion range
iron interests and, later, ambassador
to Berlin.
The fight was very hot one.
When noses were counted, 1t was
found that Mr.. Tower lacked just one
| vote to carry the convention and get
the nomination.
Alexander Fraser, now county COM
missioner, was a candidate for sheriff
on the republican ticket. Tower
emissaries came to him and assured
him that If he would flop to Tower
but failed to get the nomination for
sheriff, check for $4,000 would
be placed in his hands. In those
days, the office of sheriff was on a
fee basis and easily was worth the
/ $4,000.
Mr.. Fraser refused to throw down
his faction. He was nominated and
Henry Truelson was run against him
by the democrats.
R. S. Munger got the nomination
for state senator and was opposed by
Alonzo J. Whiteman, democratic
candidate.
The Minnesota Iron company in
terests, peeved over Mr.. Towers de-
feat, threw all possible support to
the democratic candidates for state
senator and sheriff Mr.. Whiteman
was elected state senator and Henry
Truelson sheriff of St. Louis county.
In later years, Minnesota Iron
, Company officials acted as If sup
! port of democrat was equivalent to
| treason, yet those same interests
bolted the 6. o. p. ticket in 1884
| and supported democrats as warn
ing and punishment to republicans
who opposed their corporation wishes.
The mayoralty campaign in Janu-
airy and February, 1894, was one of
the hottest and widest ever known
in Duluth and that is saying much.
SopIs lSdy AOWlC, w
posed John Jenswold. The A. P. A..
movement was at it's height and may
| have played an important part.
Some of the campaign arguments
were entirely outside Of the facts
and the conditions.
One dominant issue was the fact
that Duluth must elect republican
mayor on high protective tariff
| basis, as a means Of holding up the
| hands of congress in maintaining a
high duty on iron ore.
One of the Lewis speakers was the
late DR.. Barrett, father of DR.. Fred
| Barrett of Eveleth. He was English
! born, Federal soldier and a carpet
/ Dagger in the South after the war.
| He made the Wilson bill, then a con-
| gressional issue, part of the NUM-
| cipal campaign and declared that it
was "a rebel measure" The good
doctor at that late day had not re-
covered from waving the bloody
shirt.
Bob Benson and his gun" were
an issue. A few years before, during
| big West End strike, Benson was
a member of the police department
and, in pitched battle, shot a boy.
Ever after that, Benson's name was
poison at the West End.
Monroe Nichols was in his prime
in those days as a republican medi-
cine man and mischief maker. He
was prominent in getting Lewis NOM
mated.
J. Adam Bede then lived in Du-
luth and was a strong democrat. He
was running one of his many little
papers, "Bede's Budget" During
that campaign, he issued it daily,
printing one page of a four-column
sheet. 1t was aggressive and even
bitter. A couple of copies recently
mailed to the Rip-saw by some I'M
known friend, are decidedly interest
ing and bring back many forgotten
incidents.
Page Morris, who then was in
private practice of law, strongly sup
ported Lewis and, after his election,
was made city attorney. In an
editorial of February 5, 1894, Bede's
Budget said:
page Morris, the end man Of Capt.
Lewis Jack-in-the-box concert COM
pany, now showing in this city, is
said to have turned down the Bud
get editor in his speech Saturday
night.
page is a renegade from Vir-
ginia who broke away from the
southern people and was overtaken
by the irony of fate Failure to get
denomination as police judge) two
years ago in Duluth when he was
denounced by a negro delegate in
the republican convention. His own
party cruelty turned him down and,
taking the floor, he scalped his sue
cessful competitor, Judge West,
Judge Isaac E. West was defeated
by Roger Powell, a democrat) and
danced on his political grave which,
even before election, was growing
green. Then, turning on the shyster
leaders of the party, he charged that
the poverty of their intellects' alone
was his excuse for pleading his own
! cause. No democrat in this cam
paign has spoken Of the republican
party with such fervent hatred and
contempt for its sordid worthless
ness as did Judge Morris on that
occasion. And all the time Cant.