St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-09-01
STATE ISSUES.

Soon after the late Republican state
convention, when Gov. MERRIAM was
renOminated, an official proclamation
went out from headquarters that the
campaign was to be fought strictly on
state issues. 1t was apparent that the
object was to avoid discussion of the
tariff question, and to blind the people
as far as possible to the issue now up
perm0St in the public mind.
While it would be impossible to OBJ
scure the tariff question at this time, we
think the Democrats would act wisely
to crafty the Republicans to reasona-
BILE extent in discussing state issues.
There is good meat in it for the Demo-
Gratis. The tariff issue forces itself
upon public attention so strongly that
it could not be eliminated from the cam
paign even if both the leading parties
should agree to drop it from the cam
paign docket. 1t is all issue that the
Republicans would be very glad to
avoid here in the Northwest, and for
that reason the Democrats are deter
mined to press it and to give the people
of this state all the enlightenment on
the subject that is possible to impart.
Still there is plenty of room to discuss
state issues. There are questions of
local concern to be considered and they
are worth discussing. There is not an
other state in the Union which has such
record for extravaganza as Mime
sofa has bad for the last twenty years
under Republican administration; and
there is not another state, with the pos
sible exception of Pennsylvania. which
is so thoroughly ring ridden. A COM
parison of the public expenditures in
this state for the last twenty years with
other states of equal population and re-
sources will show that it has cost the
people of Minnesota from two to three
times as much to run the machinery of
state government as it ought to have
cost. A careful and economic admins
tratlon of state affairs would have given
us all that we have to show for our eX-
penditureS at from one-third to one
half of what it has cost. These COM
parsons will be made by the GLOBE
later on, and they will be taken from
the official and authentic records of the
various states showing the actual cost
of operating the state machinery.
Then will arise the question of what
has become of the great sums of money
unnecessarily eXtorted from the taxpay-
ers from year to year by successive
Republican administrations. The DEM
ocrats will then be able to show that
there has been more jobbery and cor
ruption to the square inch In the ex-
penditure of public moneys IN this state
than in any other form of political
organization on earth. They will be
able to. show that there has not been a
public building erected but that has
cost the state double its value and
double the amount that was actually
expended in the construction. An in
vestigation OF the public expenditures
of public moneys in other directions
will show the same ratio of eXtrav-
agance and jobbery.
Yes, thisis very good time to discuss
state issues. 1t is about time that the
taxpayers were getting some informa-
ton on matters that have been con-
cealed from public view long enough.
If this is done the people are pretty apt
to conclude that it is about time for a
change of bookkeepers in the state
house. The public accounts need over
hauling, and the only way to have them
properly oyerhauled is to put new men
in possession of the books.
If it is state issues the Republican
bosses are clamoring for, by all means
let them have it.