St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-19
THE MEN AND THE ISSUES.

1t isn't the resurrection morn for Mister
McCARDY just yet.
THE MEN AND THE ISSUES.
The issues of the municipal contest are
now closed and the candidates are in the
field. On the one hand EDMUND RICE
represents the Democratic party and his
candidacy is based upon his record as mayor
when he faithfully and efficiently discharged
the duties of his high trust; and upon his
magnificent personality as citizen of St.
Paul. with whose interests he has been
identified during very many years. The
record of his public services is unimpeach-
able: his business and private life are with
out blemish. Even the opposition cannot
gainsay this. Every public. responsibility
vested in him by the popular voice has been
faithfully discharged. AS citizen he has
been generous, manly, noble. 1t is true he
has been lavish with his own fortunes;
generous to the needy in the disburse-
ment of his funds. No worthy man in
distress was ever turned from the
threshold of his office or his house.
Neither in his public, his business
nor his private life can a case of
oppression be cited. While enjoying COM
potency he has not been unmindful of the
poor and of the needy. His daily life has
been as an open book, read of all men.
In the initiatOry stages of this campaign
there was opposed to him man of like
characteristics; man who had also faith
fully and efficiently discharged all public
rUsts, and they were many. His candidacy
was the fruit of his record as public serv-
ant and as a citizen. AS EDMUND RICE
was the ideal of the Democratic masses, so
was Dr. MURPHY the ideal of the Republi
can masses and of the commons. Each
was al old and valuable citizen, and so be-
tween them the popular vote would have
been close. But the men who dictate to
the Republican party Of st. Paul ruled him
out of the race. Why? 1t is terse ques-
ton and easily answered. He did not rep
resent the cardinal principle of the Repub-
lican party, in local as well as national pol
itics-capital. He was the choice of the
masses of the party, not of the dictators of
its destinies. The ramifcation of rings
which control capital and dominate the Re-
publican party decided that the campaign
should be waged and determined on the
issue Of corporate and individual wealth,
with the monopoly feature of high license
as a collateral issue to catch that vote.
Their choice of yesterday was first brought
out on this as the principal issue,
but for the sake of policy, this was subOr-
dinated to a second place in the campaign,
and he was put upon the rather unsubstan-
tia footing Of business mans platform.
Why did these people take a young man
wholly inexperienced in the public service
to represent this so-called principle? Sim
ply because he was willing to put up the
money; believing that he would sacri-
flee some of his private fortune in defense
of his pride and for the qualification of his
ambition for political recognition. AS be-
tween popular candidate and a candidate
with ample means, this party of corporate
interests and individual capitalists quickly
decided to choose the latter. They also az
gued. and wisely too, that in any event
there was no hope for party success, so they
would select a man who would pay his own
expenses and fee the followers of his for
lorn-hOpe campaign. And so deter
mined were the party dictatOrs to
have a capitalist of their choice,
they openly threatened to bolt, should the
popular candidacy of DIR. Murphy prevail.
So, in the interest of harmony" DR.. Muir
ply was constrained to disregard the popu-
lar call This left clear field to the can
didate of corporate greed on the money
issue. Now ne is in the field, asking for
the support of business men, regardless of
party; Of the rank and file of the party on
purely party grounds; of the high license
people, because as monopoly candidate he
feels entitled to it; of the low license men,
because he is man of the world and would
not Cypress them. Now, why should the
masses Of the party support him when he
forced their own candidate from the field
by the power of money? Why should the
high license element support him, unless
they have a specific pledge that he will
stand by them? And what is the bond be-
tween banker candidate and the masses?
What sympathy can the popular heart of
the people have with a man who has no
further use for them than to add to his ac-
cumulated wealth, and TO foist him into po-
litical prominence? These are questions
which every voter may analyze and answer
for himself to his conscience. and to the
public service, in which he is interested, on
election day.