The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1936-08-13

the proper time fully amplify his
position upon every issue Of the
campaign.
Mr.. Benson's flat assertion that
the republican party advocates
the Youngquist tax amendment" is
wholly untrue. The republican plat
form advocates reduction Of the
property tax for state purposes as
rapidly as possible, but makes no
mention whatever of the proposed
tax amendment. Mr.. Benson's
charge that the republican party
proposes to substitute sales tax
for the state real estate tax" Is
made up out of whole cloth. The
republican party in Minnesota has
made no such proposal and its lead
ers are furthering no such plan. If
Mr.. Benson has very definite in
formation" Of such a republican
proposal, as he fatty says, he
should give 1t to the people of the
state at once. If he cannot or will
not give it, he will stand convicted
Of making baseless charges "for
political purposes"
The farmer-labor candidates let
ter to Martin A. Nelson contains
one offering which the newspapers,
in reporting 1t, charitably conceal
ed from the people of the state.
Most people will find 1t hard to be-
lieve that a person of ordinary
avercye intelligence, grown to man.
/ tvalr Nd ctf
and sign his name to anything so
silly, but there it stands in the
Benson letter, over the Benson
name. It consists Of a number Of
questions propounded to Martin
Nelson, as follows:
do you propose to put the
CLOSED" sign on the doors of the
various state departments, includ-
ing the office Of Governor which
you are seeking?
do you propose to close down
the State University?
ID you propose to cut off the
state aid to schools?
do you propose to close the
Saltwater State prison and the st.
Cloud State Reformatory, thereby
turning bank robbers, felons and
murderers loose to prey upon the
public?
do you propose to close the Gil
lette Hospital for Crippled Children
or the home for the feeble-minded
and friendless at Faribault and
Owatonna9
do you propose to abolish old
age assistance and widows PEN
sions?
do you propose to abolish the
State Department of Health?
do you propose to abolish the
State Bureau Of Criminal Appre-
hension?"
This list of queries is one for
the book. Outside Of the last, which
Is something to think about, and
probably got into the senator's list
by mistake, it has got anything else
in Minnesota political history beat
for childishness. One of the most
amazing things about 1t is that af-
ter he propounds these queries, the
senator himself naively confesses
that they are utterly absurd" The
State Historical Society should grab
these queries and exhibit them in
its museum of freaks.
Your silly symphony question
naire irresistably compels some OBJ
servations, Mr.. Benson. If you keep
up the record of the last six years
in turning bank robbers, felons
and murders loose to prey upon
the public" you yourself will have
the penitentiary and the reforma-
tory empty. AS to the Gillette Hos
pital for Crippled Children, If you
want it closed, all you need do is to
apply the farmer-labor department
of education policy now enforced
in the division for rehabilitation of
disabled persons to the hospital,
and the trick will be turned.
The senator must have slipped
this piece of strategy over when
his secretary, Johnny Johnston,
wasn't looking. Johnny would never
have been guilty Of anything so
puerile.
Candidate Benson's letter also
puts on another stunt of rushing
in where statesmen fear to tread
by dragging out into the political
spotlight farmer-labor's illstarred
homestead exemption law. Lately
the party has been pushing this
law back into dark alleys and hid
ing it around shady corners. It
carefully omitted even to mention
the matter in it's 1885 platform. The
senator, however, lheedlessly hauls
it out as Exhibit A for his claim
that he is in favor of a reduction
in the property tax.