The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-10-01
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH OF HON. A
r. McGILL.

X. McGILb.
The following are the remarks made
by Hon. A. Il. McGill before the Re-
publican State convention after his
nomination for Governor:
Your committee has advised me of my nom
ination by you as your candidate and as the |
candidate Of the Republican party Of Mime |
sofa, for the high Office of Governor I thank |
you FOR the distinguished compliment 10 he |
Governor of Minnesota il an honor worthy the |
ambition of any man. II Is now something more |
than Twenty-Five years since ] came tn Minne- |
sofa. They have been cventful years, check |
cred with III and good fortune, with peace and
war, with prosperity and adversely; yet wthal
they mark a quarter of II century of marvel
Gus progress In the development of all the i'll
tercsts characterizing u vigorous ana en-
lightened commonwealth. At the beginning
of this period the entire population Of the
State was but l72,OOJ; now IL is not less than u
million and a quarter Then there was not II
foot Of railroad within the limits Of the State;
now there are more than seven thousand
miles. built al cost of $751;, 55S,1N, and repre-
scnting a value Of twice that sum- The entire
taxable property of the State, both personal
AMI real. was then rated at less than pc, 600 O0c;
now, acc, riding Ia the last assessment, its
| value exceeds Si65, oOO0N. The wheat crop Of
lSGO-and il was u good crop, too hut little
| exceeded 5OD,Om bushels, while nowadays
| we consider il n poor year for wheat when the
| yield falls below 35,OO0.O0 bushels, notwith-
standing its comparative abandonment as
| leading product la many parts al the State
st. Paul, with her population of 5000, was then
| the principal town in the State, and Minncnp-
| oils WAS hut II slow-going village; now each
| city largely exceeds l00OO, ana their COM
bincd population comprises onc-ifth of the
| total population of the State. 1t is not yet
| thirty years since Minnesota imported bread
stuifs Ia feed her sparse population; to-day
| Minneapolis enjoys the cnviab" distinction
at being the greatest center of Hour manufac-
| turc in the entire world. Duluth, then II
scarcely discovered wilderness, is now, with
her 10000 population, one Of the leading ship
ping ports OF the great lakes, and the vast
areas of the northwestern counties, with the
rich valley of the Red River Of the North, then
the roaming ground of the buffalo and the red
man, are now cultured fields, dotted oyer with
school houses AMI enlivcned with the busy
martS of industry. The progress and material
development Of the State are pretty well
measured by the insurance business, with
which ! am somewhat familiar. As late as
1872, in which year the insurance department
was established, the whole amount Of ins,Ir-
ancc written in thu State was but sis0U,000;
in 1885 the risks exceeded the sum of $500 Co.,
Om.
such, in brief, is the tail of actual growth
with which our State has been favored, in com
par ison with which the most glowing fiction
grows tame. IL is u familiar story, being hut
the record of the proudcst part of that great
Northwest where advance i'm all that consti
tutcs national prosperity is one of the worlds
marycs. Such results achieved by faith
courage and energy indomitablc, In larg,
measure mark the history Of our entire coun-
try, especially since this successful issue. lie
reviewed briefly the history of the progress of
the State Of Minnesota during the past twenty
Ave years and paid tribute to her vast re-
! sources ana developments. His idea was thai
labor and capital should be combined fol
the common good. Labor without capital
is useless, ana capitol without labor is in tn,
same situation. They should bc cooperative
ana never antagonistic. The condition of tho
laborcr of the present day has been so fa
amcIioratcd from that Of former times tina
the laborer now lives better than the kings o
), England in past ages, which only goes Il
prove that this conc ltion may be still furthc
improved. IL is To the interest q: the countr,
, that the standard Of labor and laborng mel
should he raised to the highest, and IL is ont
| of the most hopeful signs of the times tina
;, laboriny men are participating In govern
mental affairs. The farmer should be ella ssc,
with the laboring man, ana is entitle Il To tn
protection of the State in matters of trans
$ portatiun The railroads are creatures Of thu
| State, and should he subject at all times To the
States control through laws enacted for the"
government. The idea that they are beyon'
the control of the State is II proposition ab
|. surd on its face, the State sovereignty being
= such that the State cannot create Il corpora
E ton power that is above itself. Ii Is thu
duty of the State to exercise II close supervi
sion over the railroads. Railroads have dom
much To advance the condition of the public
: they have been the agents of civilization, am
i, the advance guard of settlement, and hav
contributed more than anything else To th'
convenience AMI happiness Of the people
Railroads are entitled To the consideration am
b. protection of the people so far AS the capita
I actually invested was concerned, but IL WA
the duty of the State at all times tn keep then
, under control and see that the farmer, by rc
son of exorbitant eXactions by the railroa
, co,npanics, was not deprived of the first pr,
{ fits of his yoar's labor. Hc invited the con
1 sidcration of the recommendation made b.
the cncampmcnt of the Grand Army Of tn
Republic held at Faribauit last winter for tn
establishment ut of an old soldiers home by tn
t state. The patriotic people of Minnesota nm
1 the Republican party of this State would onl
n he too glad To see II home erected for the de
/. lat.. k,F...
lie was glad that the policy Of vetoing pen
sion bills was not inalIguratcd by n Republ
; can, but by a Democratic President The Is
j sues are now made up. The candidates are q
r the field, and il only remains for the ltepubl
>. can party To organize and march on To its u'
ual victory.