Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-09-26
The Recent Primary

The Republican vote IN the Septen-
Der 10th primary totals 340,772. The
state administration, through friend
ly political writers on the daily press,
is boasting about that big primary
vote. Charles B. Cheney of the Min
neapoliS Times-Tribune has tried to
bury the Farmer-Labor party dozen
times since the primary election be-
cause the FL. party rolled up but
1873, $40 votes in this primary.
Facts are that the Farmer-Labor
primary vote of 1888 was approx
mately $4,000 or $4,000 greater than
the Republican primary vote of 1910.
1t is generally agreed that some
Republicans, Democrats, and indie
pendents voted the Farmer-Labor
ticket in the primary election of
1888. The same is true as regards
the Republican ticket this year.
Figures from primary and general
elections during the past ten years
show plainly that when the Farmer
Labor party had low primary vote,
it had high general election vote
the vote that really counted and elect
ed. There were small primary votes
in 1880 and 1882, when the FL.
ticket was successful in the general
election. In 1884 there was a large
FL. primary vote, and a much
closer vote in the fall. In 1886 a
smaller FL. primary vote resulted
in big majority vote in the fall
In 1888 the FL. party had its largest
primary vote, and the lowest fall
vote, when the party was defeated.
The Park Region Echo of Alex
andria comments on the recent pri-
mary election, and the fact that Con-
gresham Alexander of Minneapolis,
a Republican,. was defeated for re-
nomination. Mr.. Alexander had the
courage to come out against the home
stead lien law in a bill that he intro
duced in Congress. For that, of
course, he had to be slapped down,
and a wealthy Republican by the
name of Gale, friend of the present
state administration, was trotted out
to do the job. His posters could be
seen on telephone poles all over the
Third Congressional district; large
sums of money were expended on his
nomination so that Congressman
Alexander might be sent into politi-
cal oblivion.
If a person is more interested in
elections than in principles, it is dan
gerous to oppose the powers that be.
The path of least resistance is chos-
en- by many candidates. Expediency is
often practised, but that is not build
ing for the general public welfare,
and it makes rubber stamps out of
individuals.
The comment from the Park Region
Echo follows:
'The partnership of Stassen &
Ryan certainly did all right for itself
at the recent primary election. 1t is
understandable that Stassen had such
a landslide for denomination, because
practically no b ody was running
against him. But he was able, too,
to slap down Congressman Alexan-
der of Minneapolis for opposing the
old age lien law-and that took some
doing. And it is nothing less than
amazing that Elmer Ryan should
have been renominated for Congress
in Democratic primary after openly
opposing Roosevelt, and that he also
nominated as the Democratic candi-
date for governor an unknown by
the name of Murphy, that every
Democrat in Minnesota knows hasn't
a Chinaman's chance of being even
a good third at the November cleo
ton. We don't know what kind of a
law firm Stassen & Ryan were, but
they are an A No. political team"