The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-01-02
MINNESOTA POLITICS
tby VANCE CHAPMAN

Do not be surprised if Charles A.
|Lindbergh of Little Falls is again the
pick of the Nonpartisan League for
governor. 1t comes on fair author
ity, though without official backing
that the former congressman still has
the gubernatorial bee and will not be
Iaverse to Nonpartisan recognition
again when the proper time comes.
Of course, he will file as a Repub-
lican, although he has been every
thing but loyal to this particular
brand of politics since entering pub
lie life. Lindbergh, it will be remem-
bered, was the Nonpartisan League
candidate for governor year ago,
but he failed to connect. However,
despite bad handicap in the shape
of fool book on the war and some
anti Catholic activities while in Con-
gress he finished with trifie over
100000 votes to his credit. Cover
nor Burnquist, who distanced him
for the Republican nomination trot-
ted under the wire with a credit of
nearly 100000 votes. One of the
chief features of the League end of
the political game to date has been
the absence of gossip concerning
those who will represent it in the
next scramble for public offices. It's
newspapers and it controls sixty or
more scattered over the state, have
been unusually silent regarding can
didates and this even extends to
those who control its internal affairs.
Early in the year talk ran to Oscar
Keller of st. Paul, who succeeded
the late Congressman Van Dyke, but
oil i e..
ito remain Congressman? Mayor
Vic Power of Hibbing is another
who, it is said, has many League ad-
mirers, but from all accounts, he
too, is not anxious to make the race
ably is responsible for the Lind
lucrative backing in the statement
could make the ripple this time. 1t
| is known that Lindbergh is very
close to Townley and that he enjoys
the confidence of the League inner
circle. A point made by, one Lacquer
is that the Democrats will not par
| ticipate in the Republican primaries
that the League candidate will also
Gubernatorial field.
One of the bothersome things of the
coming state campaign is the ques-
ton of tonnage tax This concerns
the gubernatorial candidates only be-
cause of the announced stand of
some candidates, not to mention the
Nonpartisan League, the situation is
more or less embarrassing. Tom
Frankson, it is known, is for the tax
and so is Franklin Ellsworth, while
whoever represents the Nonpartisan
League cannot be otherwise, but
where accepted Republican candi-
dates like julius A Schmahl and
Mike Bowling stand is not known.
Without prejudice to either, fairly
safe guess would be that they are
against the form of tonnage tax so
far attempted. Leading Democrats,
it is reported, are averse to meddling
with the controversy. Northern
Minnesota perhaps was never more
awake to the need of action than it
lis now and it can be said without
fear of contradiction that the ter
ritory controlled by it will be fac
tor in the next campaign. When
completed the Minnesota Fair Tax
Association will include every voter
in the North country. This does
not necessarily mean a divided state
with tonnage tax as the issue, for if
the truth must be told, Southern
Minnesota is less disturbed regard
ing the tax than the North. As to
the public prints, only a few have
planted the issue at their masthead.
Whatever way one may view it, how
ever, tonnage tax is trouble maker