The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-01-16

There is one campaign issue CnaT
all candidates for Office can safely
subscribe to thisyyear and that is the
Babcock system of hard surfaced
highways or to be more specific
Constitutional Amendment No. 1. 1t
should be the principal plank in ev-
cry candidates platform and the in
dications are that it will be. No
candidate for high Office can OPP
pose it without harm to his interests.
The progress of the hard surfaced
highway idea and the trunk system
of roads as proposed in the Babcoek
amendment passed by the last legis.
lature and which will be voted upon
next November has been most en-
couraging. County after county has
fallen in line with bond issues for
immediate road work in anticipation
of the passage of the big Amend
ment and where such have not been
attempted increased road aid for To-
cal purposes has been the rule. This
alone practically assures the passage
of the amendment. While Amend
ment No. has the call and is a safe
slogan for any candidate for Office
who has the best interests of the
state at heart, such must not be
taken as meaning that the good roads
movement is not without it's enemies.
1t would not be a real improvement
|if there was not some opposition.
Running over the list briefly there is
the poor fish, who is peeved because
the entire road outlay is not upon
some insignificant lateral that pas
ses his particular property, the fell
low who is positive that it will mean
higher taxes and last but not least
the individual who is against any and
all kinds of public improvements.
Perhaps the most dangerous of the
Opposition is the increased tax shout
Ter. This individual fortunately,
however, can be easily met in, the
case of the Amendment as he is with
out the necessary argument to bols-
ter up his claim. Amendment No. l
does not mean the infection sof one
cent in the regular tax levy. The
redemption of any bonds issued un-
the entire cost of the system of trunk
highways proposed will be met en-
|tirely by the proceeds from motor
vehicle licenses and for your benefit
dear reader they totaled last year
over $1,250,000. Under new Ii
censing system which will be made
possible by the passage of the
Amendment this figure will be treb-
led. The Babcock Amendment is a
safe candidate and the wise candi-
date will climb aboard without delay.
Dame Democracy is not little
elated over the prospects of Re-
publican mixup growing out of the
gubernatorial tangle. A. c. Townley
and his tribe really look good to the
old girl and nothing is to be allowed
to stand in the way of the Bolshe-
wiki as far as the unwashed are con-
cerned. Witness the Democratic
press dope sent out to date and the
do nothing policy of those Demo
Gratis who pose as state leaders.
With the latter it is, Eve should wor-
ry." All Democratic literature now
being circulated is absolutely void of
any mention of this menace to good
government. Republican discord
has always been meat and drink for
the unwashed and the Republican
scramble for governor is no excep-
ton to the rule, yet such must not
be taken at its face value. Get this
Minnesota will vote on national
questions this year and there is moth
ing to show that Gopher state voters
are crazy over the crowd that has
prevailed for the last eight years.
The most conservative figure that
Minnesota this year will pile up the
biggest Republican majority on pres
ident in its history and that this
same majority will largely influence
the choice of state candidates for
Office. True Gov. johnson and those
handling his candidacy backfired a
similar threatened catastrophe in
1908 when w. j. Bryan was the
Democratic candidate for president
by quietly knitting him, but such tao
tics will not go this time. The bone
and sinew of the unwashed this year
is the Federal office holding fratern-
ity and it is not so few. The post
masters of the state will have some
thing to say about the national end
of the game. BY the way guberna-
torial woe is not all on the Republi-
can side of the house. Yours truly
gets it that local daily which
claims to be responsible for the ell
ovation of Larry Ho" Hodgson to
the st. Paul mayoralty has served
notice on Larry that it will oppose
him for the governorship. This par
ticular paper it is said wants a clear
field for Oscar Keller. Larry's st.
Paul residence it is claimed would
Keller. Higher ups it is
said want Hodgson to make the gu
bernatorial, race.
The Minnesota end of the Wood