St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-06-03
The CLOAK OF DIGNITY
Serves as a Covering for Certain Alder
manic Shortcomings.
THE COUNCIL "ROASTED. "
The Trades and Labor Assembly Makes
Political Threats and Explains
Its Mission.

The refusal of the city council at Fri
days meeting, by vote of 81 to 5, to
consider communication from the
trades and labor assembly, signed by
Its secretary, in which charges were
made against City Engineer Rinker of
the misrepresentation of public funds,
and the employment of incompetent
men in the construction of the North
Minneapolis sewer tunnel, has called
out the following open letter from the
assembly, addressed to the members of
the council, as follows:
ION June l, the T. L. A. submitted
certain specific charges to your body.
which were tabled by vote of ~ to 5,
after a speech by E. M. johnson, who
CANNED that ne favored the full investi-
CATION OF all charges made by proper
people against city officers. but thought
thlS charge was not made in such formal
and authentic shape as the dignity of
the council required, and moved to lay
the matter on the table until such time
as the charges should be presented sub
s!antlated properly by taxpayers of the
city. AS this is the only speech in IA
Vor OF tabling reported in the evening
papers, we must therefore take the rea.
sons given by Mr.. johnson as the reasons
governing the action of the majority of
the council in tabling the charges re-
ferred to. For the information of the
council, and that their dignity NAV not.
be compromised by their pretended
ignorance of the nature and purpose of
the /. l.. A., we would inform that
dignified body: That the T. l.. A.
consists of the delegates of twenty
nye labor organizations, every mem
per they represent being pro-
Queer of wealth, and consequently
a bona fide taxpayer, since all
taXes are paid out of products of the
tollers, and do come from the lazy pos
SCISSOR OF the productions of others. as,
for Instance, a lawyer that lives only by
the mlSfortunes of others. The council.
when they speak of taxpayers, seem to
be Ignorant of this, and we are afraid
they compromise their dignity. We
would like to ask how MANY of the
dignified and proper persons constituting
your august body there are that do not
now produce and have never produced
the value of dollar. If there are any
such persons in your body, then we
shall have to class them with the para
sites that fasten their fangs in and live
on the honest workers of society, and
then they are hardly competent persons
to talk about people that are not tax
payers.
Two years ago some of the digni-
taries Of your dignifed body solicited
the support of the T. l.. A. and did not
think it derOgatOry to their dignity to
sneak into our confluence by what
would be called lying in a less dignified
body than the common council. The
time was when every voter was cOnSid-
cred citizen on equal terms with all
other citizens and entitled to equal re-
spect from the servants elected to office
by the votes of citizens to look after
the interests of all the people. But if
the vote of our dignified council to-day
represents their true sentiment, that the
mere poSSeSsor of wealth is the only
taxpayer worthy of consideration. then
the majority of the people who produce
but are not allowed to retain their pro-
auctions are degraded to the condition
OF mere voting machines, to be used
only at elections, and are not to be al
lowed to take common interest in our
social condition, in which they are the
majority and the most important factor.
''For the further information of the
dignitied council we would state that
labor organization is not merely a ma
chine for raising wages, but is also
school for the study Of social science.
study that the common council would do
well to take up if their dignity has not
carried them above the heads of such
men as Spencer, Mill and George. The
workingmen, from the debates held in
their organizations, understand the fact
that the money expended in eXhorbitant
prices paid for material to contractors,
high salaries to corrupt officials and
ward strikers fed at the public expense
that thpU holm tho Hinnit1- of ha
council on election day, must all be paid
out of the wages of the tOiling poor in
the shape of rent for rent pays all the
taxes and interest in the long rum. If
your dignified body was as careful of
the expenditures of the taxes we pay as
you are to avoid an investigation, the
city would not be a quagmire as at the
present time.
"In conclusion we would say that the
council will not prevent the L. l.. A.
from doing their duty and demanding
the investigation of all wrongdoing that
may come to their notice, knowing that
the time will come when the honest in
tentions of the L. l.. A. will command
the respect Of those who now miSunder-
stand them. The time is not far distant
when your body will not be able to
cover up your shortcomings to support
your dignity. Things that cannot be
investigated by your body because of
your dignity will be Investigated at the
polls. where dignity will not excuse you
from giving an account of your stew
ardship; for remember that principle,
not party, is the watchword of al labor
organizations, and that the same man
never tricks us twice."
The action of the council which is
complained of in the foregoing roast
was taken upon the belief that specific
charges of SO serious nature against
city official should be accompanied by
the names of the persons prepared to
prove them.