The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1918-09-19
POLITICS WARMING
UP AT CAPITOL
PRESENT STATE SUPREME
COURT OFFICIALS ALL HAVE
ToWNLEY OPPOSITION.
ARE EFFICIENT OFFICIALS
], G INTERNATIONAL CANDIDACY
OF SAM EVANS is RECEIVING
MANY BUMPS.

the hrSt time IN MANY years, 'lp0
voters of Minnesota will be called up
on to select practically an entire state
supreme court. With the coming OF
the new year the official terms of
three members of the highest tribunal
in the state, Chief Justice c. L. Brown
Justice Andrew Holt and Justice
Oscar Kallam, will expire, and as
there are only five justices in all these
three constitute a majority. All three
are serving their first terms and are
asking to be returned. Being without
any political connection or affiliation,
the court naturally does not figue in
the usual political turmoil incident to
campaign, which is more the pity,
but this fact should not be permitted
to d.otract from its Importance as
part of the state ticket to be passed
on his fall. Some day the voters of
the state will recognize the Importance
of the court to the extent of divorcing
it completely from all other official
contests. In state capitol circles Chief
Justice Brown and Justices Holt and
Hallam have the call, an opinion shar
sd in by many throughout the state,
but this is not a year for over con-
fdence. Opposing the present incum-
kants are three candidates, two of
whom have undoubted Townley-Non-
partisan League connections and while
this menace to good government has
not yet made any open confession re-
garding it's preference there is no
gu stion where it's support will go.
Give Townley and his crowd the su-
preme court and the attorney gen
erals department and they have Min
nasota by the throat. The present
supreme court is undoubtedly closer to
the people than any previous tribunal
It's findings are Of unquestioned merit
and have a high legal standing. Chief
Justice Brown is jurist of over
thirty years standing. He was a
judge when his opponent was in his
swaddling clothes. Justice Holt has
seen nearly quarter of a century on
the berch and Justice Hallam nearly a
score of years. So why make "a
change? WhNpernlit Fownley and
his menace eveiiS 1ook-in? This is
the feeling here and it is undoubtedly
shared elsewhere by the alert.
To many the lack of aggressiveness
on the part of the present supreme
court in the matter of an appeal to
the voters issdeplored. However, this
is not the courts fault. TheEegfslas
ture long age put the judiciary in a
class by itself and those wearing the
ermine have as rule tried to live UP
to it's demands. Politics is not per-
mitted to figure in their selection.
Fitness alone is supposed to have the
call. This restriction, however, does
not extend to those who recognize in
the judiciary one of the chief funda-
mentals of state government. They
have it in their power to organize for
the assistance Of the court and such
a move is now in the making. Plans
are now on for a general appeal to the
voters in behalf of the present court
and the names of Chief Justice Brown
and Justices Hallam and Holt will be
carried TO every voter in the state.
In the case of the opposition they are
touring the state in automobiles, but
there is nothing to indicate that they
are making a killing.
Decidedly hostile is the tone of the
country press in the matter of the
candidacy of Sam Evans. of Tracy, the
gubernatorial choice of the. Townley-
Labor combination. With few ex-
ceptions the comment is downright
antagonistic and in many instances
borders on the sarcastic. Evans
trade with the wet element is general.
ly condemned. As an offset to Evans
reception by the country press the
columns of the official organ of the
Nonpartisan League, the "Nonpart-
isan Leader" are being worked over
time in the Tracy mans behalf and
this is to be supplemented later by the
backing of as many country papers as
the opulent treasury of the League
can stand. Already half dozen
country papers have been taken over
by the League and negotiations are on
for others. The papers in question
have been bought outright and League
men placed in charge. Those purchas-
ed, however, it has to be said, are not
meeting with the cordial reception ex-
pected. In a number of instances
there has been complete withdrawal
of local business support. To those
versed in the political game this un-
friendly attitude of the country press
practically sounds the doom of the
Townley-Labor combination, but
Townley does not think so. He insists
that the League has winner this time
in Evans and. every resource at the
command of his organization is to b.
used in putting the Tracy man over
Townley, however, went wrong in thu
primaries and there is nothing to show
that he will not be repudiated at thu
fall election. The best posted giys
Gov. Bdmuuist the call. Prior to thu