The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1918-05-09
STATE POLITICS
ARE WARMING UP
LIVELY SCRAMBLE FOR MORE OF
STATE OFFICES is
PROBABLE
TOWNLEY FALLS DOWN BADLY
NONPARTISAN LEAGUE HEAD
MAKES PITIABLE SHOWING
BEFORE CONGRESS.
st. Paul. Nav 6. 1913.

legal limit for the listing of persons
anxious to take upon themselves tn,
burdens of state government came to
a close and now those politically
ambitious are girding their loins for
the forty day scrap to follow.
primaries will be held June II. Filing
for county offices will not close until
May %. The lists as they relat,
county plums are expected to be the
largest in the history of the stat
County scraps are even now in evil
dence in nearly every district in Min
nesota. Naturally matters political
to date have been quiet things co
hardly be otherwise with world war.
the greatest and most important his.
tory has so far recorded, now on-but
those of the old timers who are
fretting for bit of the past need not
worry. The scrap is coming. 1t W
be brief, but it will be lively while
it lasts. When this letter was in the
making two well known republicans
had passed over $50 each for the priv
ilege of being listed as candidates for
the republican nomination for COVER
nor, a similar number had been listed
as candidates for the republican
nomination for lieutenant governor
while on the democratic side of the
house crowd, dubbed the Anti-Lynch
faction, were securing the state for
man to go against Fred Wheaton of
Minneapolis, the convention choice for
democratic standard bearer. It was
even said the republican lists for
governor might be swelled to three.
The third talked Of possibility was
Mayor Vic Power of Hibbing. Of the
republicans now holding the several
state Offices there is not one but has
a rival. For this condition the Nom
partisan League is responsible. AS is
generally known the League choice
against Gov. Burnquist is former
Congressman C. A. Lindbergh, of
Little Falls and no matter how much
advocates of good government de-
precate the entrance Of Lindberghs and
his crowd into the game, both have
to be reckoned with. True the scrap
is gong to be brief one, but fellows,
it is going tt. be hot one and don't
you forget it. Mr.. Old Timer is due
to be gladdened to his hearts content.
Bias and undertaking aside, the
fight for state control this year is
based on the sole question of whether
the present republican administration
or the Nonpartisan League shall
handle the reins of government for the
next two years. Gov. Burnquist and
his official family, contented with the
plums falling their way, do not
want to let go while the League on
the other hand is insistent that they
be Jared loose. Whatever each may
say of the other is only the usual
campaign CUFF. Perhaps the voters
after considering the claims OF both
may conclude that neither is worth
the price and pass all the plums over
to the unwashed. Such has happened
frequently in the past. In the minds
of business men generally and those
of the voting population who honestly
oppose a change any transfer of the
state government to the Nonpartlsan
League especially would be calamity
and there is some justification for
their fear. The leadership OF the or
ganization is not of the kind that the
average thinking man would want TO
tie to. The entire control savors too
much of the mob. Minnesota at the
present time is differed no better or
no worse than the average state.
There is undoubtedly room for inn
provement in many of the depart
ments. In fact shake up in some OF
them might help, but it is question
able if any of the reforms desired lie
with the Nonpartisan League and
those now baslZing in its favor. What
ever may be said of Townley, the Ia
Their of the League, he is genius.
ANY man or woman for that matter
who can gather under one banner
nearly $4,000 voters and extract from
each, sixteen hard, cold dollars, is all
of that, but after that is said all is
said. He may be good organizer,
but he cannot pick men. The League
state ticket is sufficient evidence. Here
is the situation in a nut shell. If the.
League fails it will be because of this
fact and not because any large num-
her of the voters are enamoured with
Gov. Burnquist or his followers. You
can't fool the voters all the time, even
League voters. That is the way the
feel and they are right
Republican opposition to Secretary
Of State Schmahl is talked of in the
person of Rep. C. O. Malmberg OF
county. Malmberg at one
time contemplated fling at the job
pf clerk of the supreme court, but
Schmahl's job now looks better to him.
Getting the secretary's scalp is not an
easy task, but Malmberg thinks he can
10 it.
Nonpartisan League circles are not