The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1919-11-21
POLITICAL SCRAP ON
tBy VANCE CHAPMAN. THE County Chairman


Go to it fellers: the big scrap is on.
Oscar Arneson, late of Grant County,
now of St. Paul and chief clerk of
the House tossed his hat into the po-
litical ring this week and the 1920
battle for political supremacy might
be said to have started. Mr.. Arne-
son is listed as candidate for the re-
publican nomination for lieutenant
governor; price paid $50 and is noted
on the books as filing No. 1. Who's
next you will probably ask? Well,
as talk runs the woods is full of 'em
and the first of the year should see
quite a number of them out in the
open. The grooming act is the
principal feature of the game just
now with the lead hor. es frantically
|manuevering for position. Accept
ing some of the dope passed out by
the wise ones, Republican entries for
the 1920 contest are going to be the
heaviest in the history of the game
and they are somewhat worried re-
garding the outcome. Mr.. Arne-
sons filing came as surprise, as no
one seemed to be in his confidence in
the matter of the office sought by
him, but any interest that his early
filing might cause has since been lost
in the general talk about who will be
the first to file for the Republican
nomination for governor. No less
than five-count 'em-five- are billed as
gubernatorial candidates and they
run something like this: julius A.
Schmahl, Redwood county; M. j.
Bowling, Renville county; Franklin
Ellsworth, Blue Earth county; Thos.
Frankson, Ramsey county and Non
partisan Lacquer, yet to be named.
Other possible entries are Victor
Powers, of st. Louis county,; S. G.
Iverson, Ramsey county; F. c. Muir
ply, Traverse county and II. G. Ho-
falling, Blue Earth county. The first
five are practically sure shots while
as to the others, the mention of
their names is sweet music to them
Ellsworth has already announced his
candidacy. julius Schmahl has an in
Iteresting two reel picture of himself
while he was unconscious of what
was being done, ready for the big
show, Mike Bowling has delivered
quite number of soldier home com.
ing and reconstruction talks. Tom
Frankson has his platform all ready
for the press and as to the League
candidate, well, Congressman Oscar
Keller is not bad bet. There are
several other state Offices, but forget
'em: the governorship has the board
Just now. Rep. Ralph ]. Parker OF
Fillmore county as Oscar Arneson's
rival for the lieutenant governorshiI
has been suggested.
AS viewed by some the present po
Ilitical upheaval can only have one re
isult, the elevation of those bearing
the Townley brand. It might hap
pen, but Minnesota's political history
is without record of such where sim
liar conditions existed. If anything
the finish was the reverse. A. c
Townley and the Nonpartisan League
lis not a new political infliction fol-
Minnesota. The Gopher state and il
fact the entire Northwest wrestlee
with a similar movement during the
early eigties and every campaign fol
it's dethronement was marked will
like predictions. The Republican
party, however, came out triumphant
and is still on the job. The inflictior
of the Eighties was the Peoples par
fly representing the accumulated pc
titical discomfort Of nearly a decade
Its followers were styled "Pops" anc
the vaporings of its leaders, dreams
Like the Nonpartisan League, thi'
aggregation of discomfort had its
Townley and he was power. Igna
titus Donnelly, known as the "Sage Of
lNininger" was the Townley of tn,
Peoples party. He swayed peopl.
with his voice and his oratory wa
even more honeyed and persuasive,
than that of Bryan. All that Town
Hey had on the "Sage" is a methoc
peculiarly his own of relieving hi
victims of both their cash and gooe
Icommon sense. There was no ST.
per in Donnelly's time, but any lacl
in this respect was made up in blint
obedience and the conservatives, like
those of the present time, began tt
believe that the world was about tt
lcome to an end. The first bid Of
this early Legue of Discomfort fol
popular favor was the naming at {
convention in Omaha in June 1885,
of General Weaver of "Greenbacker'
fame for the presidency. Ignatiu.
Donnolly was on the job and he wa!
ably assisted by Mary Lease of Kan
sas, "Sockless" Jerry Simpson anG
other malcontents of that period
Like North Dakota in the case of the
Townley League, Minnesota was the
first state selected for invasion by
the Populists. The state convention
was held in st. Paul and the attend
ance and the enthusiasm displayed
were unprecedented. Donnolly wa!
acclaimed king and his gubernatoria
standard raised. Both Republican.
and Democratic state leaders were
dismayed. It looked like the end
When Donnelly rose to accept the
nomination there was a shower Of
money on the stage, as much a.
$1,500 historians say. The wore
Bolsheviki had not been coined then
but it fitted in every way.
Unlike today, the Peoples Party OF
the Eighties did not enjoy the beau
tiles of a primary law. There was M
sneaking in under the other fellow.
standard as is now the vogue, ant
which is regarded as a decided Town
ley advantage. Even with this ad
vantage, however, there is not little
similarity in the findings of the vo
tiers of 1892 when Donnelly headed
1.-THE Peoples Party of that period anC
when Lindberg represented the Non
lpartisan League forces in 1918 anC
under Republican label at that
Both were sent to the discard, Don
nelly sailing under the colors of hi.
larty to o. X. the count at the hand.
of Knute R. Nelson, his republican
Opponent. Out of nearly 241 ,00(
votes cast all he was able to muster
was 58,513 votes. Dan Lawler, the
Democratic candidate picked up bet
tier than $4,000 votes. While the
Peoples Party tested out it's strength