The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-03-19

| statement tnat the heQ cross IS no.
now soliciting funds. Arthur Lee
/ Sueur appeared at the Red Cross
| headquarters later and pleaded thai
a speaker be sent over. His plea was
| vain.
This instance is recited merely tc
| indicate the sentiment that prevails
in st. Paul among the truly loyal
people.
Issues Not The Same.
In Minnesota the issues that were
| used to fan the flames Of passion so
| successfully in North Dakota two
years ago. are virtually abandoned
One hears nothing today about the
| grain gamblers-they. the gamblers,
| are wiped out by federal control OF
the grain trade. One hears little of
| several other issues that made such
an appeal to the North Dakota farm
ers. and the league men are giving
their whole attention to the "suspen-
sion OF the constitution" They
charge that Governor Burnquist has
suspended the Minnesota cOnstitu-
ton, denying to the league men the
right of free speech. and they are
prepared TO make their whole cam
paign on that issue.
In many respects. however. the
league campaign is very similar to
that conducted in North Dakota.
When Mr.. TOwnley was arrested on
the Martin county warrant charging
disloyalty, the Nonpartisan league
headquarters in st. Paul was the first
to Tip off, the st. Paul Office of one
of the biggest news gathering Organi-
cations of the world, to the arrest.
The same holds true Of many other
incidents that have occurred here
and there throughout Minnesota, and
when the rotten egg brigade went on
the job at Herman. Mimi, several
days ago, the league folks were quick
to get 1t into the papers. Their
policy Of thriving on opposition" is
being employed to its fullest extent
in Minnesota. but they have added to
their North Dakota program a great
many modern improvements. The
Minnesota fight today is a real battle
compared with the North Dakota
fray Of two years ago.
May Duck the Senatorship.
At the league headquarters, and
among the few delegates who were
on the ground yesterday afternoon,
little was being said Of the United
States senatOrship, and there is just
a possibility that Mr.. Townley will
abandon his proposal to make a fight
on Senator Knute Nelson.
1t isn't likely. however, that SEN
ator Nelson will be endorsed, but the
league, If it nominates a candidate to
succeed the senator will be going
against right tough proposition
this including the Democratic
endorsement Of the senator for re-
election, as we'll as the request by
the President Of the United States,
made upon Senator Nelson, that he
reconsider his announced intention
of retiring, and that he again become
a candidate.
Concede II to Nelson.
If Senator Nelson becomes a Candi-
date, there is nobody in Minnesota,
whom the writer has been able to
find, who does not concede his cleo
ton, and If the league gets in his
way, theirs will be hard row.
Senator Nelson today stands as the
bulwark Of loyalty in Minnesota-op-
position to him would brand that OPP
position as disloyal and as being OPP
posed to the administration. The
Nonpartisan league may go into the
Tight against the senator-but the
chances are that II will not. unless
the attitude Of few Of the league
leaders changes quite materially from
what 1t was yesterday afternoon.
While they will nominate a full
ticket Of candidates for state offices,
the league will center its fight
principally on the governorship. the
attorney generalship, and on the state
railroad and warehouse commission.
For the legislature they have nomin-
ated candidates in virtually all dis
tricts, except that no nominations
have been made. so far as known, in
a few Of the Minneapolis, st. Paul
and Duluth districts.
Governor Burnquist assembled to
the executive chair in 1915, at the
death of Governor Hammond. He was
elected in 1915 with the greatest
plurality ever accorded a guberna-
torial candidate in the history of the
state. His total vote in the EOvem-
Der election in 1915 was PAS, 841, while
Tom DWyeT. Democratic labor candi-
date, polled but 93,112. BentaI,
Socialist, polled 26,306; the Prohibi-
ton candidate pOlled 1884. and the
Independent labor candidate pOlled
5,476 votes.
Democrats Aided Burnauist.
Included in the Burnquist vote
there was a big Democratic vote that
refused to back DWyer. a Minneapolis !
boiler maker, and who gained the |
Of at least a portion of the 1
so called labor" vote, but which 1
vote is not looked upon among Min /
nesOta politicians as a material fac |
tor.
In the 1915 election. the Republican !
candidate for lieutenant governor re-
ceived $4,000 votes; the Dem ocratlc
candidate received 103. 900 votes; the 4
SO. 900, and the Prohibition
list, rs, 500. These figures are regard
ed as quite accurate in fixing the
present relative strength Of the
parties.
Dem Papers For Burnquist-
A factor Of no mean significance
IN the June primaries. IL the fight
luist and a league candidate, will be
Democratic participation in the Re
publican primaries. The Duluth
Herald, the only metropolitan Demo-
cratic daily in the state. has edi-
.orially endorsed Governor Burnquist
Tor reelection. The st. Cloud Times. /
he second Democratic daily, has
likewise endorsed Governor Burn
Iuist, and Frank A. Days paper, The
Paramount Sentinel. also is out for
lin. Day was the private secretary
u the late Governor Johnson - a
Democrat.
With these publications backing
the Republican, Demo-
rats do not look upon the coming
rimaries as having any great
igniicance to them. True, there il
n element within the Democratic
iarty that favors the nomination Of a
trong candidate for governor, pro-
losing to put a man in the field who
Tould be in position TO go out and
make a fight in the fall election in the
vent that the league candidate cap
ured the Republican nomination.
he Democratic attitude toward the
will become more
ehnitely fixed after the state mass
invention Of Democrats is held In
Il. Paul next week. However, with /
be leading Democratic papers I'm the
tate, backing Buruquist, a Demo-