The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1889-11-08

And they do evade it constantly.
1t would seem as tho a law once
enacted, could be enforced. But
throughout this country disre-
gard for law seems to prevail.
Pooling among the roads is just
as active as it ever was. And
every daily paper is full Of new
combinations going on con-
tinually. just SO long as these
great monopolists have their own
way, just SO long will the village
and the producer suffer. Why, it
would be impossible to carry
on an extensive manufacturing
in a country village now.
We republish the following let
ter of Mr.. Kohlman's almost en-
tire. It appeared in the Daily
News, of St. Paul:
The United States is to-day
passing through a crisis in her
political history. We have drift
ed far from the moorings OF our
forefathers. It is now imper-
ative that we should retrace our
course, if we would avoid wreck
ing the Ship of State amid the
shoals and breakers of official
corruption.
When the highest legislative
body in the land is composed
mostly of men whose chief claim
to distinction is the possession
of vast wealth, many of whom
are accused OF and are popularity
believed to have purchased their
seats when the United States
senate is referred to in the maya
zines and leading papers as ''the
millionaire's nest - when the ma
tional parties vie with each
other in seeing which can secure
and expend the largest cam
paign fund, "where it will do the
most good - when doubtful
voters are marshaled and led to
the polls Gin blocks of five : '
when the press from one end Of
the land to the other teens with
charges and counter-charges Of
"boodleism''- surely in such a
state of affairs one need not he a
pessimist to fear for his coun-
try welfare.
The great cities are always the
hotbeds of political corruption.
They contain a large class who
''have no stake in the country"
and whose interests are not ap-
parently directly affected by Of
fetal extravaganza and pecu-
lation. 1t is therefore not mat
ter fore surprise that more or less
rottenness should from time to
time be unearthed in the crowd
ed centers of population. But
the virus of 'boodle'' seems to
have permeated the entire body
polite, until even it's most dis
tant members are benumbed
with the poison.
The hope of a nation lies in it's
yeomanry. They are the men
who fight it's battles and main
tain it's virtues. They must be
the first to rebuke and prevent
"bOOdleism" if the government bv
the people is to continue. Min
nesota is an OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES;
the majority of her voter are
farmers, and it is but natural to
expect that they will set their
seal of condemnation on the
practices which are alleged to
have prevailed in the last guber-
material campaiwn.
''Rome perished,'' says Prof.
Seelye, ''from the failure of the
crop of men," If Americafollows
in her footsteps it will be from
the same cause. But her crop of
men has never yet failed in an
emergency. The descendants of
the heroes who risked their lives
and fortunes in the gigantic
struggle for the perpetuity OF
our institutions will not sit supi-
nelly by and see the nation un-
dermined by the dry rot Of plut-
ocratic corruption. Slow to
awaken to a realization of the
dangers which threaten, they
will nevertheless arouse in their
manhood.
l feel confident that | but ex-
press the sentiments of the great
body OF the producers of the
states, both in city and country,
when declare that the question
If sthOOdlo'' will in f11tl11e mol