Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1920-07-28
STRONG COMMENTS ON
GUSHING OF REV. KVALE
Editors Outside of N. P. League
Regard Decision as Blow
to Sacredness of
Ballot

to Sacredness OF
Ballot
MINNEAPOLIS, MINI. - Judge
Johnson's decision in the Volstead-
Kvale case is regarded as a "slap at
representative government" by editors
of liberal newspapers.
Red Wing Heard From
The opinion Of the Red Wing Daily
Eagle (Democratic) is especially in
teresting, because Red Wing is Judge
Johnson's home town. The Daily
Eagle said:
'In appointing Judge Johnson to try
the Volstead-Kyale election contest
case Governor Burnquist has subject.
ed himself to good deal of well-mer-
tied criticism for displaying more par.
tisanship than gooG judgment.
"Volstead, Republican, and Kvale
Nonpartisan, both ran on the Repub.
lican ticket for congress and Volstead
was repudiated by the voters of the
district to the extent Of more than
1000 notes.
"VoIstead soreheads conceived
the idea Of invoking certain fea-
lures of the so-ralled corrupt
practices act in an attempt to in
stall the loser over the heads of
the voters of the district, and to
try the case Governor Burnquist
assigned ~J1dge Albert johnson,
who was himself a defeated can
didate for office in race in
which an opposing Nonpartisan
league candidate was responsible
for his defeat.
"Regardless of Judge Johnson's
well-knoWn integrity, the governors
animus in assigning him to try the
case was, under the circumstances
too transparent to escape attention
He evidently banked on human ma
ture asserting itself for desired re-
suits.
"The trial having resulted in GUST
ing the candidate elected by the PEG
pie and giving the election to the one
repudiated by them. it is not to be
expected that the voters will lie down
and let it go at that. They will OF
course, appeal the case to the higher
court, and, if that also rules against
them, go before the electors of the
district with either the same OF
another candidate. They have nj
other recourse in trying to preserve
the election system for their self-pro
| lection.
1.-THE points Of law on which
the duly elected candidate was
disqualified have never been rails
ed against any candidate before
with a view of giving the eIec-
ton to the loser. If they had
been, or were to be applied in the
case of every Republican candi-
date who has run against Non
partisan league opponents, it is a
safe conjecture that very few of
them would now be in office or
have the chance of getting there.
1.-THE start along this line having
| move may be expected to extend tt
the rest of the state as well, and II
is NOT WITHOUT GOOD REASONS
THAT LEADERS IN THE REPUBLI
CAN PARTY ARE APPRENTICESHIP
OF WHAT 1T LIKELY TO FOLLOW
Some of them are afraid of findins
CAoC C1ACy AdFC AN W. OoM T.
THING which they can not finish
without DISASTROUS RESULTS tc
THEMSELVES"
BRAZEN AND HIGH-HANDED
The Capital Times of Madison
Wis.,, in an editorial reads in full, as
follows:
yesterday a court decree was
handed down in Minnesota which, il
carried out, will disfranchise 1900
voters.
I'm brazen and high-handed piece
of court procedure it is announced
that the name of Rev. o. J. Kvale, reg
ularly elected nominee for congress
is to be displaced and that the name
of Andrew j. Volstead, defeated by
the people of his district, is to be
placed thereon.
"A state law in Minnesota Zone OF
many used in that state by those
seeking to perpetuate privilege) has
been used as the excuse for taking
the ballot away from 1900 voters
"Kvale was displaced because it
was held that he had circulated false
reports concerning his opponent, Mr.
Volstead, and this was held to be in
violation of the states corrupt prac
tees act.
1.-THE fight, of course, is one be-
tween the people on one side and the
reactionary interests in control OF
the election machinery and the courts
in Minnesota On the other. Kvale, a
highly respected minister of the COS
pei, had the support of the Nonparti
san league forces, while Volstead had
won the c1InnOrt IF tho roo Ut iono ~
forces by his faithful service to the
big interests in congress.
"Kvale polled over 1900 votes
while Volstead had about $4,000 in
thesrecent primaries.
Then Volstead filed proceedings
under the corrupt practices act al
leging that Kvale had called him an
atheist and had circulated other false