St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-04
COL. LOWRY TALKS.


A Review of the Street Railway
Fight in Minneapolis-Mis
reservations That Have Been
Made.
To the Editor of the Globe
Now that the storm has passed | de-
sire to say few words to the citizens
of Minneapolis. When the recent street
car strike was inaugurated the morning
and evening papers stated that had
assigned as a reason for reducing wages
that a better showing must be made in
order to sell bonds to build cable lines,
and. thereby. as they kindly expressed
it, ''build the cable lines out of the
sweat of the laboring man." On this
theory an editorial was written in the
headed "Mr. Lowry's Note" After it
appeared | called at the office
of the Tribune and saw the managing
editor, Mr.. Shultz. He had not read
the editorial, but in CHANGING over it
said, ''that is silly; you made no such
statements; that shall be corrected"
No correction appeared, although Mr..
Haskell, Mr.. Palmer and Mr.. Shultz all
admitted that it was false. In all inter-
view with Mr.. Haskell, Mr.. Shultz and
others before the order for reduction
of wages was given, gave statement
of the company'S business, showing a
decrease in receipts and increase in
operating expenses, and also the scale
of wages paid in other cities of the same
size of Minneapolis. They all agreed at
the time that we were justified in max
ing the reduction. | at that time stated
that we proposed to put in system of
cables, beginning with the First avenue
south and Nicollet avenue line and fol-
low with the Washington avenue line.
The statement was made incidentally
and had no connection whatever
with the reduction of wages. The
Tribune and Journal in order to make
an excuse for the course pursued by
them during the strike, adopted their
own theory as to my motive for reduc-
ing wages. The Journal has. under the
dictatiOn of its Anarchist editor, miSrep-
resented me on every and all occasions,
never telling the truth when it could be
prevaricated or falSehOod substituted.
Rev. Marshall, Rev. DR.. Van Anda,
Rev. McClary, Rev. Morrill, and others.
They held me up before the public as an
example of wickednesS, and yet they
or the representatives of their various
churches never failed on any occasion
when they needed assistance to call on
me for aid. Now, Messrs. ministers and
gentlemen, do you not think it would
have been as well for you to have in
CURED into the facts before you assumed
the responsibility of taking action?
Would 1t not have been more in
accordance with the spirit of Chris
tianitv taught by our Lord and Savior
to have given even as hardened sim
ner as yOn pronounce me, an Opportun
ity to explain, or, In case of failure so
to do. repent of his misdeedS ere brand
ing him before the world as culprit?
And, gentlemen, don't you think it
would De better for yourselves and your
various congregations il you would dis
cuss topics with which you are familiar
rather than pick up idle rumors or
newspaper gossip and make them the
subject of false accusations? Remem-
Der what the old darby said. when de
mOckin' bird try to mock ebryting he
bound to let out some music dat amt
wuf much" You may not have in
tended to do me an injustice, but every
word you uttered concerning me (aS re-
ported In the newspapers was false.
The one Sunday performance of the
theater at Lake Harriet was without
my knowledge, and even before | was
aware of 1t, and before you held your
first meeting denouncing it, Mr.. Good
rich had ordered Sunday performances
at the lake discontinued.
The recent resolutions of the city
council have been accepted. Burden
some as the are, we will carry them out
in good faith, notwithstanding the fact
that Judge Shaw, Anderson & Doug
las. and other public spirited and dis
interested citizens are suspicious and
fearful as to the result. Judge Shaw is
my personal friend. The only criticism
/ have ever made on the judge is that
he is too retiring when public enter
priSes are at stake. But since he re-
Gently appeared before mass meeting,
mot as lawyer but as citizen of
Minneapolis interested in her welfare"
as he expressed it, when the Anderson
& Douglas franchise was being dis
cussed, and more recently in his argu-
ment before the mayor, when he under
took to usurp the office of city attorney,
come an enterprising and public
spirited citizen. | confess would have
full as much of him as man and
heightened lawyer if he had announced
on his first appearance that he was the
attorney of Anderson d Douglas, and
not attempted to pose as "citiZen of
interested in her welfare
The editorials in his evening paper are
amusing. In one he says,
I'VE will hope that the Lowry company
will go on and construct its lines ac-
cOrdlng to agreement, and give our
citizens the benefit to be derived from
the compact with the city council.
That that compact can be legally en-
forced we do not believe" etc. The
magnanimouS and public spirited"
Judge after argu ing two hours before
his honor the mayor, the evening before
the resolutions were signed, forgetting
the usual courtesy between lawyers of
the opposing counSeD feels
compelled to make one last vigorous
"kick" by writing for his paper lead
ing editorial. He is like the fellow who
after being driven under the bed by his
wife with broom stick, cried out, Il
will lie here as long as have the spirit
of man within me-"
And now few words for Anderson
& Douglas. l am informed they deny
that the Yerkes crowd were backing
them or had anything to do with them.
am inclined to believe this as far as
any absolute promises are concerned.
But that Elkins, Wagner and Yerkes
and others of the gang were the only
ones from whom they ever had shadow
of assurance as to providing funds,
have the most abundant proof. And
even their assurances were only to the
extent that if Anderson & Douglas Sc
cured a franchise they would look it
over, and if they thought it profitable
they would build the lines. And in case
they concluded to build the lines, what
was to be the interest of Anderson &
Douglas? Simply this: They were to
have one-third the stock for securing
the franchise. When they were told
that the franchise would not be worth
they replied: lit makes no
difference to us-we are to get one-third
the stock for securing the franchise, and
we can put it away in our safe
and can sell it sometime" 1t only
proves the old adage, "a peacock can
not hide his feet by spreading his TAIL"
| give them full credit for every swamp
they fill. I would suggest, however.
that when they again want road or
boulevard built to one of their swamps,
that they do not ask MIR. Goodrich and
myself tn nav most of the bills aS thew |