St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-22
A Review Of the Acts Of Republican
Political Treachery.
STOLEN ELECTION TRUSTS.
A. D. Smith Presents Few Things
Democrats Should Think About
This Election.

tins hall before the Sixth Ward Demo-
cratic club. The points made by MI.
Smith in his address were that when
ever the Republicans were defeated at
the polls they invariably applied to the
legislature for partizan legislation to
thwart the will of the people and keep
themselves in control of the city govern
ment, and, in confederation of his state
mentS, he cited the infamous gerry
mander of the city by the last legis-
lature. The creation of police COM
mission because a Democratic mayor
was elected. The adjustment of
the water board because the
Democrats had obtained ma
jority of the members constituting it.
The extension of the terms of office of
various Republican city officials, the
changing of the city elections from the
spring to the fall, and then holding
them only once in two years and at the
same time with the election of congress-
men and state officials, so as to attract
the attention of the voters from the
local issues to the national and sectional
issues and thereby enable them to keep
control of the city government. The
changing of the system of drawing per-
sons to serve on the grand jury so that
the jury can be used for partisan pur-
outside of which no liquor can be sold
so as to ruin the business of certain
Democratic salOonkeeperS-and aid GER
tain Republican saloOnkeepers in OBJ
tanning monopoly of the business.
~
The Democrats, now that the local
campaign is opening, should not fail to
keep before the people the methods of
political piracy by which the Republi-
cans stole and converted to their own
use the fruits of an election in which
the representatives of Democratic prin-
clples and measures were elected by
majority of nearly one-hfth the votes
cast. Mr.. Smiths remarks are certainly
we'll timed and pertinent. Among
other things he said:
"Previous to the legislature of 1887
the city of Minneapolis was divided
into eight wards. with a representation
of three aldermen from each ward. This
was certainly enough. The great city
of New York, with population ten
times as large as this city, has only
tWenty-fOur aldermen. the same number
as we had before the recent change. A
few of the Republican schemers figured
and concluded that unless a change was
made they were beaten on their own APP
pOrtiOnment, and resolved suddenly that
fifteen additional aldermen were neceS-
sary in order to hold the city Offices.
Fifteen additional aldermen therefore
were thought to be necessary and it
was thought best to add to the city five
new wards. The only question then to
be considered was how to create them
so as insure Republican majority in
the council. Additional territory was
taken into the city. the Republican por-
Of no nj1 iVt inf
ward by itself. Districts where the
cows roamed and the gopher burrowed
were made into city wards with three
aldermen from each ward. Now con-
slider the injustice of this, the Demo
cratic. liberal and independent elements
in this city can carry this city by 5000
majority. as they did when they elected
Ames mayor for it was not the
Democratic party alone which elected
Ames) and yet lose the local legislature
and all city offices. Is this right? Is
this just? Should the Tenth and the
Twelfth and the Thirteenth wards,
which do not have population of over
1000 inhabitants each. have the same
representation in the city council as the
great First, Third, Fourth and Fifth
wards, with their populations of from
10000 to 10000?
In 1882 two judges of the municipal
court were elected to hold Office for four
years. In 1885 certain Republican
schemers procured the passage of a law
which put off the time of electing those
Judges to the spring of 1889, and eX-
tended their term of Office until that
time. In 1887 the legislature abolished
the spring election, and made provision
for an election of general officers in the
fall of the even-numbered years, with
out providing for the election of these
Judges of the municipal court. The
constitution of the state of Minnesota
provides that Judges of this kind shall
be elected by the people of the city for
which they are created, and for a term
not longer than seven years. l do not
Office for about eight years, and unless
we change our Legislators they may be
legislated into Office for life.
AZ
Another great breach of the right of
local Self-gOvernment was committed
by the late legislature at its last session,
when prohibition was fastened over
four-tifths of the territory included
within the city limits. | am not argu-
ing the expediency or the ineXpediency
of prohibition. but claim that one par
ticular city should not be singled out
from all cities in the state and have pro-
hibition foisted upon 1t within certain
limits, those limits being fixed by the
granger legislators. If the issue were
made between patrol limits or no patrol
limits in the city of Minneapolis. | do
not know what would be the result. Of
one thing am sure. that the people of
this city should fix them and not these
same former legislators who live under
different conditions, who know no more
about our affairs, than we know of
theirs, who are ignorant of our
wants and our demands and
who pay no attention to them.
could specify various other
measures where our self-government
| has been outraged and abrOgated by
| these schemers. might mention the
system of selecting grand jurors by the
register of deeds or county auditor, by
the clerk of the court and one of the
| Judges of the court, provided for by a
| special act. Why is not the general
law that the county commissioners
shall select the grand jury equally APP
plicable to our condition? Because
such method of selection would result
! i'm more popular and more represent
ative panel. Take the list of grand
| iuries, published as often as they meet.
! and Democrat on one of them is as
rare as white crow. do not say
our Judges etc., willfully intend to
bring about that result, but l do say
that is the result, and the Schemers
who drew the law and procured Its
passage undoubtedly understood it.