Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-10-18
Campaign Mixemfudlum

The straw vote conducted on the
governorship by the United Minnesota
Voters-a Republican organizations
a laughable affair.
Even a child can see through it and
know that the leaders of the move
ment could attain any desired result.
One of the aims of the straw vote
was to unite the opposition to Cover
nor Floyd B. Olson-to have all those
opposed to the governor and the
Farmer-Labor program get together
on one man. Knowing that John E.
Regain of MankatO. would have little
chance against the governor, or in
fact that he could not be elected this
year, it was only natural that the
United Minnesota Voters saw to it
that M. A. Nelson of Austin, the Re-
publican nominee, received the larg-
est straw vote.
One other important point desired
to be attained by the reactionary in
stigators of the straw vote-the boys
whose huge profits are and will be
interfered with through the Farmer
Labor program, was to discredit Gov
enor Olson as much as possible by
the vote.
On the face of it the straw vote is
a farce. In counties where the actual
election vote of 1882 went two, three
or four to one for Olson the recent
straw vote shows about an even break
between Olson and Nelson.
1t was automobile owners who were
supposed to participate in the straw
vote. 1t is admitted that no postal
card straw ballots were sent to about
100000 of the car owners. Who picked
the names that the cards were sent to?
1t was stated that the straw vote
was conducted by "a daily newspapers
of the state. 1t was also stated that
the United Minnesota Voters organiza-
ton was paying the expense of the
straw vote but that they were not re-
spOnsible for the undertaking and
were not conducting it. Why should
the Republican organization or the
reactionaries opposed to Governor Oh
son and the Farmer-Labor party be
paying for it if they were not in
terested? The one who foots the bill
is usually the most responsible and
the one who wants it put over.
Any printer knows that the cards
could easily be duplicated. There
would be nothing to prevent the Unit
ed Minnesota Voters from printing
many thousand extra cards, from
marking cross after the name, Mel
son, right in their own office, and
dropping a dozen cards in each of the
Twin City mail boxes and in post Of
fees out over the state.
Farce? Why it's the biggest farce
and child-play ever attempted in
Minnesota campaign for many years.
COndemning the FL. platform was
not getting the conservative and reac-
tionary elements of the state far
enough, because they had little in
their own platforms to which to point;
trying to fool the people into think
ing that the FL. party would write
the school text books did not work;
fusion also fell by the wayside; and
so of course something else had to be
tried, and that was the straw vote.
Are we, here in America, returning
to the kingdom style of announcing
the birth of the heir almost before
he sees daylight?
There is but one day that the bal
lots will count and that is the actual
election day-NOvember 9Th. On that
day the actual voters of the state and
not the United Minnesota Voters, will
determine who will be the governor
of Minnesota for the next two years.
Many other contests will also be set
tied on that day.
The straw vote having failed like
all other attempts to discredit Gov.
Olson and the FL. party, the voters
can now look for slush fund barrage
of advertising toward the close of the
campaign. The Republicans are look
ing to 1896 with hopeful eyes. East
ern money men would like to defeat
Gov Olson of MinnesOta-the good
friend of President ROOsevelt-hOping
thereby to have something to make
use of in the 1886 national campaign.
In such event they would try to make
out that the president was losing his
grip on the Northwest.