Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-02-16
RAMSEY'S KUM-HOLES.
st. Paul Saloons Witch Keep the Secretary
of Var in Spending Money.

of Var in Spending Money.
Special Correspondence Chicago Times.
ST. PAUL, Feb. Give read in the gossipy
chronicles from Washington of the elegant
receptions and things of Secretary Ramsey.
Now, by st. Paul, we are proud of it, for
they ought to be. With his Pennsylvania
Scotch. Dutch thrift, our time honored and
fortunate townsman has saved quite mar
gin, by his close and careful living here, to
spend in Washington society, where he will
get the most satisfying equivalent. 1t will
rebound to the importance of the State, and
compensate for our vast social bereavement.
With the many-sided prestige of Bluff
Aleck, it wasn't necessary for him to do
much entertaining here. 10 be privileged
to know him and his eye-flling spouse was
enough. Their presence anywhere here
abouts was q patent of distinction. What
moro could anyone ask? So the imposing
couple conferred the favor of their company
on the selects of the House of Hope, and
kept the large and tidy insulation of their
own home unihvaded except at rare and rapt-
urous intervals, when some of the grandees
of the Republic came this way-and with
them preferment-for that one late and
anomalous breakfast.
Otherwise carpets and furniture are we'll
protected from the common contact of pro-
miscuous fellow citizens, useful enough as
constituents, but for company-"not by a
large majority" Secretary Ramsey knows
how to manage that problem, or social pOns
asinOratna, as he does his whisky when he's
off the home circuit. The bountiful flask,
seductively filled with cheap whisky. is given
to Jones, Brown and Robinson with lavish
good fellowship. Exclusively and frpgally
managed is the smooth, oily product that
has the age on it fit for the seasoned stomach
of a war secretary.
This is as it should be.
The Hon. Alexander Ramsey is constitu-
tionally averse to enhancing the temptation
to this sort of thing, reasoning that if the
infammable article is SO Turing to a large
majority, what would the venerable oily pro-
duct known to his judicious and tempered
palate be? In confederation accordingly, be
leaves his best saloon property on Robert
and Third streets, in primeval meditation
improvement free. The small, dingy frame
buildings are standing reproach to the
Haunting and bedizened haunts of bibulous
iniquity, which decoy the 10 cent thirst of
the passer-by through big plate glass win
dows, mirrors, floral growths, and all the
cosmetics of satanic inspiration. The devil
gets no external gimcracks on Senator Ram
sey's property. He writes no wrinkles on
its brow. As st. Pauls first civic dawn be-
held it. it stands now. Whoever goes into
one of the saloons rented by Bluff Aleck,
goes in for drink unallured by any ex-
trapeous temptation or, in the language of
Mr.. Edmund Sparkler, without any 'biggod
nonsense" in his intent.
Had we an American Hogarth he could
get up some suggestive pictures with highly
contradictory morals by Inning the pro-
gress of the prudent and the imprudent
politician. The career of A. Ramsey would
furnish the cartoon for the prudent politi-
clan, showing that out of the nettle danger
he had always plucked the flower safety,
blazoned by the triumphant fact of his pres
ent elevation (Which will speak elo-
quently of all others in the pictorial series),
that although bringing himself up on the
bottle and renting saloons to the ungodly
| vendors of liquid destruction, he neverthe-
less fetches up in his mellow old age an
honored element in the water drinking,
| hermaphroditic administration of good r. b.
Hayes-not to speak of having been for
years prominent plaster of the House of
Hope. You see the moral is mixed, but
On the other hand, for the imprudent pol
itician, the American Hograth might select,
say Gen. Schenck, whilom the poker pleni-
p 1tentiary to England. Instead of handling
his cards we'll, when he knew how to man
age them so artfully as to be able to write
manual on poker playing, he tumbles into
an empty mine, when may be fate meant
him to be in John Sherman's place. Frs
kline used to speak respectfully of the devil
as great celestial statesman out of place,
and so, perhaps, the gallant Schenck is a
great inancier, whose baize must be green,
albeit without State recognition. The pro-
gress of our two politicians is about even,
until it becomes a question of reward.
Whisky straight has helped the onward walk
of Bluff Aleck., although he never put any
in his shoes. The rent of his saloons is now
put to good use in Washington, and the
State is magnifed by such lavish absentee
ism. Poor Schenck! Ills only question
of inadequate reward or the imbecility of re-
publics.
Indeed, indeed, Washington's gain is our
loss, and we can hardly forgive Mrs. Hayes
for discerning our Alexis qualification for
the cabinet. Socially, we are ''llke sheep
without shepherd when the snow shuts out
the sky" miss our large exemplars
everywhere, but most of all in the sacrosanct
tabernacle. When the Ramseys emerged
from their devotions in the House of Hope
O. Sundays, it was like the progress of the
Juggernauts, SO to speak. The homage of
their worshipers among the selects
was touching. The writer has vivid pic
ture in the minds eye of the social ecstasy
on the face of Mrs Nj as she was priv
ileged to come near enough to the stately
wife of the secretary of war to say-some-
thing The uplifted expression was the
TRANSPORTATION of toadyism.
The beautiful unconcern of Col. Tom
Ochiltree with the prince of Wales, and his
utter Democratic self-assertions, are salutary
memories now and then when toadyism is
fiagrantly expansive.
The sudden death of Horace Thompson is
great loss to st. Paul, not alone as tower
ing capitalist, but as fnancier, whose ex-
traordinary business sagacity made him the
foremost man IN every vast enterprise. He
didn't sport any big diamonds in his shirt
bosom and cuffs, but, alas! he had touch
of prevailing weakness-and that was for
elocution Said he to the mournfully remin
iscent Barnes, his late pastor: 81 think
your reading of the twenty third psalm
might be improved. To bring out the cor
&bo Grct rhooio oh