St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-27
A Republican Scheme to Save
Defeat on Their Own
County Ticket.
Republican Legislative Blum
ders Coming Home to Them
With a Vengeance.
Some Good Reading With Re-
gard to the Little Scheme
Now Af1oat.
A citizens ticket for Minneapolis.

comes the answer, no.
Three months ago the talk of citi-
ZenS' ticket, to be chosen without re-
gard to politics, was begun, and the
GLOBE made then an exhaustive review
of public sentiment, and showed the
people were decidedly against such
plan. The Democracy to man was
against it, and nine-tenths Of the
Republicans opposed it. 1t was at that
time regarded purely as Republican
scheme and the reason was fOrthcom-
ing. There has been, since then, no
reason for change of sentiment. AT
that time the Republican thinkers had
ust arrived at the conclusion that
grand mistake had been made by the
Republican thinkers at the legislature in
fixing the municipal election at the
same time with the county election.
1.-THE Democrats" they said, care hard
fighters in city election. but
easy in a county election, and this
thing of mixing up the two will
endanger our county ticket" This was
their scheme. If complete citizens
ticket could be put in the field and the
city fight eliminated from the contest
the great struggle would be taken out
of the county caucus. The Democratic
incentive to action would be gone and
the Republicans would have walkover.
Such was their reasoning at that time.
Is their logic any better nOw
1t is the Prohibition strength that is
appalling them.
The present outlook is that the party
of cold water and prayer will pull away
from the effete party of God and moral
ity sufficient votes to allow the Demo
Gratis a WalIover. The free whisky
plank in the national Republican plat
form is viewed askance by many
straightlaced Republicans and openly
repudiated by more. They are not yet
equal to voting the Democratic ticket,
but they will go over in droves to the
Prohibltionists The old FOUNDERS
know it. They know that the recent
cold water county convention had
more regularly elected delegates
vention, and showed a hundred per
cent more zeal and enthusiasm. Their
party is on the upward way. Its career
IS viewed by the retrograde Republican
party with every emotion of alarm. Ii
the onward growth of the white rose
party is unchecked, it will complete the
ACKNOWLEDGMENT of the free whisky
party before the next presidential cleo
ton.
There is more than this.
Hugh Harrison, the Prohibition nomi-
nee for governor. is personally very
popular. He is known as progressive
young man of business ability and per-
sonal integrity. His character and rec
ord are beyond reprOach. He will go
into the campaign with all the ardor
and enthusiasm of youth and hope,
backed up by good-siZed barrel. Be
yond the disguised Republicans who
will flock to his support, he will draw
heavily from the Methodists and else
where A. j. Dean. one of tho electors,
is also personally popular, and has
barrel. Harrison and Dean will draw
out many new votes, and the total in
Hennepin county will fall very little
short of 5000. upon which the ardent
Prohibitionests count. The Republi-
cans know it, hence this non-partisan
movement. A county official has adj
mitted it to be one of the ideas to pool
with certain Prohibitionists. though in
this he Is mistaken, as the latter will
enter.into no such unholy alliance.
This is the history of the citizens tic
ket movement. 1t has always been
sprung by Republicans at time when
their party success seemed problem
atical, to say the least. With an as
sured victory before them they would
never dream of such political move.
why should Democrats now? 1t is con-
ceded that an exciting presidential and
state election is 70 time for citizens
movement. There will be three tickets
in the field, with the adherents of each
struggling desperately for victory.
Party feeling will run high, and it will
be an absolute impossibility to agree
upon candidates satisfactorily on all
sides. Another ticket will spring up and
the two will become simply matter of
barter and trade through the campaign.
There will be no party interest or re-
sponSibility at stake, and votes for the
city ticket will be in the market for the
workers for either county ticket.
1t is the opinion of leading thinkers
of both political parties, that a citizens
ticket is impracticable, at this time, at
least. A Republican legislature has
committed the blunder of combining
three elections-a scheme which was
accomplished with the hope that the
partisan interest in presidential cleo
ton would carry the Republican ticket
through. 1t had no other object, no
other excuse. 1t was piece of politi-
cal skulduggery, the fruits of which are
already apparent. The blunder is COM
ing home to its Republican authors.
They will be read lesson on legisla-
ton at the polls in November.
What is the object of a citizens ticket?
1t is publicly stated that something
must be done to save the city from ruin;
that the present eXtravagant aud cor
rupt council. has made it absolutely
necessary for new and true hands to as
sumo the reinS of municipal govern
ment. The specious plea has enlisted
good men in the citizens ticket move
ment, and lent to it an air of SOlidity
and responsibility that it would not
otherwise have had. But these men
may be deceived. There is more sim
lister motive behind the movement. In
the first place the city is in no danger
and there is an absolute ignorance of
the facts in charging the present coun-
Gil with extravaganza. Most of the
large expenditures of the current year
and last year-when they were heavier
were ordered by the last council and
the money merely expended by direc-
ton of the present council. Besides a
citizens movement, however general,
NAV not result in the selection of better
aldermanic material.
There may be a citizens ticket, but
there will be none representing the
masses of both parties. Such tickets
are not made in secret back office
cabals, such as was held yesterday, nor
have the people learned to look without
suspicion on political schemes emanat-
ing from the board of trade. To COM
mand respect and win confidence, a citi-
Zens' ticket should be made of men out
of politics, selected by representatives
of the people. There may by such a
ticket, and there may be different
citizens ticket, with perfect right, just
as there may be a labor ticket or single
tax ticket, but it is not at all likely that
the Utopian scheme of certain appar-
emily well-meaning gentlemen will ever
| be carried TO a successful issue. 1t is