MINNESOTA. 



559 



the new law has been to suspend for a year the 

 operation and safeguards of the former act of 

 1870, which by this decision is now restored. 



The Legislature of 1885 passed a law regu- 

 lating the removal of county s^ats, which pro- 

 vided among other things for the removal by a 

 majority vote of the electors, excepting in 

 counties where the question had previously 

 been submitted to a vote, and the county seats 

 therein had been fixed by such vote, and in this 

 class of counties a three-fifth vote should be 

 required. In the case of Nichols rs. Walter this 

 act was declared by the Supreme Court to be 

 contrary to that part of the Constitution which 

 requires all laws to be uniform in their opera- 

 tion throughout the State. There is, therefore, 

 no law at present providing for county-seat 

 removals. 



Political. The Prohibitionists met in State 

 Convention at St. Paul on July 25, and nomi- 

 nated the following ticket : For Governor, 

 Hugh Harrison ; Lieutenant-Governor, Theo- 

 dore S. Reimstad; Secretary of State, Peter 

 Thompson ; State Treasurer, John H. Allen ; 

 Attorney-General, Charles E. Shannon. The 

 platform contains the usual prohibitory resolu- 

 tions, demands a law of Congress prohibiting 

 the importation of liquor into those States that 

 forbid liquor-selling, and concludes with the 

 following resolution : 



That it is the duty of the State Legislature to re- 

 quire each railway company doin? business in the 

 State to provide suitable and adequate stock-yards, at 

 such stations as maybe designated by the "railroad 

 commissioners, for the handling and shipping of grain, 

 cattle, and other products, under such rules and regu- 

 lations as will insure to every shipper equal rights, 

 facilities, and privileges. 



The Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court, F. 

 L. Claffey, was later placed in nomination, and 

 for Associate Justice, George S. Li verm ore. 

 _ On August 15 the Democratic State Conven- 

 tion was held at St. Paul, and nominated the 

 following candidates: For Governor, Eugene 

 M. Wilson; Lieutenant-Governor, Daniel Buck; 

 Secretary of State, W. C. Bredenhagen ; Treas- 

 urer, Hans Nelson ; Attorney-General, C. D'- 

 Autremont ; Chief Justice of the Supreme 

 Court, Seagrave Smith; Associate Judge of 

 the Supreme Court, George W. Batchelder. 



In addition to commending the National 

 Administration and policy, the resolutions de- 

 nounce the grain-inspection laws of the State, 

 deprecate the multiplicity of offices, accuse the 

 State Government of extravagance, and reflect 

 upon the State Executive in the following lan- 

 guage : 



We particularly arraign the present Executive of 

 the State, for he has persistently refused to interpose 

 his veto for the protection of the public treasury 

 against the extravagant schemes of an extravagant 

 Legislature. We commend to his consideration the 

 example of Grover Cleveland, as evidence of the 

 wholesome influence upon vicious legislation which 

 an intelligent Executive can exercise by a judicious 

 and resolute exercise of the veto power. He has de- 

 based the civil service of the State by removing officers 

 of mature experience in order to pay the debts and 



discharge the obligations of a political campaign. 

 Under him the judicial v of this State, fr the iin-t 

 time in <mr history, ha- been prostituted for the pur- 

 poses of factional partisanship, and men of acknowl- 

 edged inoompetenoy have l>cen clothed with the 

 judge's ermine as a compensation for their political 

 services in the caucus and upon the stump. We sub- 

 mit that the time has come for the decisive overthrow 

 of the politicians who have so long directed the affairs 

 of our State. 



On August 28 a conference of farmers and 

 labor organizations, under the name of the 

 u Farm and Labor Party," met at St. Paul for 

 the purpose of nominating a State ticket to 

 represent the interests of organized labor. 

 This conference nominated : For Governor, Ig- 

 natius Donnelly ; Lieutenant-Governor, James 

 McGaughy ; Attorney-General, William Welch; 

 State Treasurer, W. G. Jebb ; Secretary of 

 State, J. P. Schonbeck. The platform favors 

 a revision of the tariff, governmental control 

 of telegraphs, and further restriction of rail- 

 roads, and also demands: 



That the money needed for exchanges be issued di- 

 rect to the people", without the intervention of banks. 



The adoption of a system of voting embodying the 

 principle of the Australian law, -which abolishes the 

 caucus system and secures to each voter an oppor- 

 tunity to cast a free and untrammelcd ballot. 



That the right to vote is inherent in citizenship, 

 without regard to sex. 



The reduction of freight and passenger rates on 

 railroads to a sum sufficient to pay only the operating 

 and maintaining expenses, when economically admin- 

 istered, and a fair rate of interest on the actual cost of 

 the roads : thus saving to the producers of the State 

 several millions now wrung from them to pay interest 

 on fictitious stock. 



The enactment of a law allowing the mortgagor to 

 deduct from the amount due the mortgagee, the 

 amount of all taxes paid upon that part (' 

 val nation of the estate taxed, represented by the mort- 

 gage. 



The enactment of a factory-inspection law for the 

 protection of the health and safety of employes in 

 mines, factories, workshops, and places of business. 



The enactment of a law denning the liability of em- 

 ployers for injuries sustained by employe's lu cases 

 where proper safeguards have not been used, in occu- 

 pations dangerous to life, limb, or health. 



That eight hours shall constitute a day's work in 

 all towns and cities on State and municipal work, and 

 all such work shall be done by the day, and not by 

 contract. 



The enactment of a law regulating the employment 

 of detectives and peace-officers, and forbidding the 

 employment of secret or private detectives by other 

 than the State or municipal governments. 



The enactment of a law to enforce the pavment of 

 weekly waires in lawful monev by the employe 

 labor in cities, and by railroad companies and other 

 corporations, and at the hands of Congr, 



Whereas, Any rate of interest above the average in- 

 crease of wealth of the nation is robbery, therefore we 

 demand a reduction of interest in this 'State to a rea- 

 sonable rate. 



A few weeks later, Mr. Donnelly, the guber- 

 national candidate, announced his refusal to 

 accept the nomination and his purpose of sup- 

 porting the Republican ticket as the surest way 

 of securing the demands of the laboring man. 

 J. H. Paul was then nominated to fill the va- 

 cancy. 



The Republicans met in convention on Sep- 

 tember 5. and after four formal ballots nomi- 



