Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-03-20
ST. PAUL.
Gossip About the Capitol 6oU. Pills6ury's
Difficulties The PRISON Ring-The State
Rn31ds


ST. PAUL, March 12-The Legislature
almost vanished in blaze like the last
scene in ''Don Giovanni"-but the mem
bers were all saved-even if the capitol
was destroyed, which may or may not be
a compensation, just as one regards theil
late or prospective value to the State
There were some windy sons of Eolus in
that doomed building who were living
veto on the cry of ''let there be no
draught of air, keep doors and windows
Shut
Why, if A. c. Dunn, of Faribault
county, was in the midst of one of his
hsrangues, there would have been wind
enough to have kept up first-class con-
| fiagration without any outside inter-
| ference.
And vet Dunn is anything but fiery
speaker; still he could help on fire by
sheer elemental capacity for generating
wind as implied in irrepressible and to-
tally useless speech One could not help
having a degree of contempt for the con-
stituency which could elect such a head
piece and mouthpiece as a. G. Dunn.
| The Apostle Paul would have been fail
ure had he that exaggerated, outward
| curve to his front teeth-Dunn's mug
would do for fountain better than for a
| legislator.
AS Vespucci got the credit of discover
| ing America. so old man BaZille has for q
generation had the name of donating the
| ground whereon the capitol stood, to the
State. The truth is Louis Robert brought
| it about by effecting transfer of his own
property to Bazille for the Wabashaw
street block Lower town wanted the
capitol, so did upper town, and Robert
placated both sections of ST. Paul by
planting it-midway through this negoti-
alton with Bazille, which was COM
mendable swap.
For years there was q peculiar rivalry
and jealousy between upper and lower
town, and nothing could have blighted
the feelings on both sides save the extra
ordinary pretensions and encrOachments
of Minneapolis, which called for COM
mon combination against the big, nice
New England village over yonder, car
rying all before it with its great mills, its
enormous enterprise, and its matches
impudence. This latter quality scared
the old and young conservative manhood
in St Paul, and put it to its trumps in
the nick of time. Not, however, until
this audacious aggression had buried in
Vulnerable tons of sawdust in the Mis-
sissippi river, thereby spelling st. Paul.
best MISUNDERSTANDING over its unscrupns
lous rival, and requiring now Congress
sional legislation and appropriation to
undo the mischief This national aid the
Minneapolis fellows in Washington will
do their best to battle and defeat should
there be any likelihood of its becoming
practical. They will affect the while an
honest, earnest interest in the matter,
but it will only be to invite the confidence
of the other side, and when it is off
guard plot for its discontinue. What
demure acquiescence will look seductive
about the thin mouth of Bill Washburnl
What solicitude he will exhibit for this
special interest of st. Paul, and how
sereneIy he will throttle it if he can with
out being openly shaken by the effort.
| tell you these Minneapolis fellows are
simply wonderful for the eternal vigil
lance they keep over the real or prospect
i've interests of that inflated town. The
capitol wasn't fairly burning before the
scheme was mooted to set it up in Min
neapolis, and hope hinged strongly upon
the governor calling an extra session Of
the legislature. The ground, the money,
were all ready; bat that inspired and per-
secuted functionary knew better, and, al
belt Minneapolis man, he elected to
the contrary, and acted with q disinter-
ested sagacity worthy of praise at any
time, but with the pressure brought to
bear upon him then it was absolutely
heroic.
Who'd be governor Of Minnesota if he
cOuld fOresee the neryo-Shattered ordeal
of John S. Pillsbury, just now set and
beset, Delayed and beleaguered from
morning until night, by men sirgly and
in battalions, representing sectional
claim delegations, potent political back
ings, kilograms without end-all begging
and nagging to step into Bill Windom's
shoes. This is Window boom Roscoe
the superb never contemplated, for it has
sprung upon his excellency of Mime
sofa a ravenous horde of ofiice-seekers,
who would fitch from him his very brain,
could they learn thereby its secret work
ing anent WINDOWS successor.
More agitating and serious measures
have been crowded into this month of
John S. Pillbury's gubernatorial fate
than into that of all his predecessors since
the eventful days of '62 and thereabouts.
Right manfully has honest John met
every emergency of his position, from
the attitude in his message concerning
the settlement of the State railroad bonds
to his prompt and unmistakable action
toward rebuilding the capitol on the old
site, and his ratification Of the State con-
tract with Seymour, Sabin 81 Co., for
convict labor in the Saltwater penitentia-
| ry, thereby securing to the State solid
pecuniary guarantee which would be cf-
fectually responsible for any dereliction
of contract. Gov. Pillsbury has most
thoroughly convinced his people that it
| is better to have strong, reliable man
| in the executive Office than a snowy
one.
The renewal of the contract between
the State and Seymour. Sabin s. Co. was
foolishly contested even to the extent OF q
supreme court mandamus by trio who
| weren't in earnest, whose bids directly
| and indirectly represented nothing in
particular, who didn't hang together in
| testimony, and were exceedingly vague
as to cash. Now, if all Filosofer Josef
| Wheelock charged against this contract
in the Pi Press could be proved, and all
his especial hostility to D. NJ. Sabin JUS
tilted, surely the precious trio aforemen-
| toned, prematurely blighted by Josef's
| Endorsement, would be no improvement
on the contractors they sought to depose,
| for there was no money for showing