Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-01-31
MINNESOTA REPUTATION.
4 Left-Hdnded Compliment Euol;ed bU the
-Repudtatt,aO Policy of the Repnb-
ica,s Party of the State.

fCincinnah Enquirer.
While some interest attaches to the
discussions in Virginia and Tennessee
touching the payment, or the adjustment,
of the debts in those States, let us look
toward Minnesota for real, full blown,
beautiful rose Of unprovoked, unnecessary
reputation. Minnesota has not been des-
olated by war or robbed by carpet-bag.:
gers or bankrupted by negro thieves called
legislatures. Minnesota is an exceedingly
prosperous, an exceedingly Northern, an
exceedingly Republican State. Minnesota
the thirty second State to be admitted in
to the Union, State little more than OF
age, twenty two years old, is the foremost
State of the Union in point Of repudia-
ton. Dishonesty in failure to pay debts
must chiefly be measured by ability. to
pay. Let US glance at the growth OF
State in this light.
had population of 6,O77. In 1860 the
population had increased to 172, l23. In
1870 the population of the State had
had population of 7S0,e07. Here is
llOSG lldI VClOuS luClCdcO III tullb by yCQAos
From Territory of 5000 people Mime
sofa has, in thirty yenrs, become State
Of 10000 people, with corresponding
growth in wealth and ability to pay
debts. The value of property in Mime
sofa to-day probably exceeds $500, 900, 900.
Minnesota is q very Republican State,
and the first presidential election in
which it participated, that in 1850, proved
this. The State gave but 81 votes for
Bell, but 74S votes for Breckinridge, but
II, ,929 votes for Douglas, and 22,069 votes
for Lincoln. Two-thirds Of the votes OF
the State were Republican. The Repub-
lican majority in Minnesota at this time
may be put down in round numbers at
10000. The Republican supremacy in
that State has all this time been over
whelmingly maintained.
A little before the election in 1850,
when the enormous Republican majority
in the State above indicated was rejoic-
ing, the State government borrowed some
money to the amount OF. 81, 275 ,eOO The
government that borrowed it was tre-
mendously Republican; the State govern
ment that refuses to pay it is now tre-
mendously Republican. The State, al
ways Republican, has for years persist
emily refused.to pay even the interest on
this debt, till the debt and accumulated
interest now amount, probably, to Sc, ,OOO,-
900, and this prosperous, Northern Re
publican State repudiates both the prin-
cipal and the interest. The taxpayers
in Cincinnati pay taxes at the rate of
more than three mills, and the rate of
taxation in Minnesota is but little more
than one mill, and this rate is to be still
further reduced this year. The Minnesota
reputation is the unwillingness to pay,
not the inability to pay. This appears to
| be clean cut case of most dishonest, dis
honorable reputation. Even the gov
ernor of the State, in his message to the
legislature, is forced to say that: '.While
there may possibly be some palliation for
default by States crippled by internal dis
order or scourged by war, there is none
for States fattened by prosperity and
blessed by fortune" And still governor
of Minnesota, in the face of all these
facts, and almost in the same breath with
his own appeal, as quoted above, has the
| impudencc and the insolencc to contra
dict himself and say: "Shalr Minnesota
herd with the repudiating States of the
South?' What worse reputation
could there be than that of Min
nesota? With marvellous growth
in population and resources and
wealth; and marvelously low rate of
taxation; and a little debt, not forced
upon the State by wild Indians or by still
wilder negroes in financial matters; and
not forced upon the State by carpet
baggers from remote section of the
country but debt voluntarily under
taken; debt insignificant compared with
the wealth of the State debt perfectly
easy to pay, even without an increase of
taxation, by the honest use of the public
lands which cost the State nothing;
debt incurred in the interest Of enter
prises which have bequeathed this vast
increase of wealth to the State making it
doubly debt of honor-under all these
circumstances there is still reputation!
When Americans hereafter speak of re-
pudiation, let them not look to Tennes-
see, or Virginia, but to Minnesota for
definition and an example