St. Paul daily globe., 1890-03-30

elevated to its position purely
by momentary spaSm of
popular error which contracted
the municipal muscles and clasped the
talOnS OF narrOWnesS andilliberailSm Of
a Puritan village of the seventeenth
century around the prosperity OF the
city of Minneapolis much as an owl
clutches and crushes the life out of a
defenseless meadow mole.
The election came on III presidential
year, when party spirit was at it's height.
and when all the preiudices of 100 years
became powerful political factors. The
Republican party made the most sweep
ing promises imaginable. Everything
would be changed, and changed for the
better, if the nominee of the Republican
party should be elected. The enactment
of new and radical ordinances gOvern-
ing the saloons and the radical enforce
ment of the same were promised, and
thereby the pr0hibitionist element was
propitiated. Gambling in all forms
would be crushed. Minneapolis would be
wrapped in spOtleSS sheet of Sanctity
such as city of saints might envy
and it has been made like city Of
saints-a graveyard.
But that was not all. There had been
n good deal of bowling. most of it
groundless, of course, about the miSap-
plication and maladministration of the
municipal finances. "Our money is
being wasttd'' was the cry
of the campaigner, and he found
some listeners, as any shouter, no mat
ter what his subject, always will. Not
only were the public funds being care
lessly handled, but every department
of the city administration was sadly
neglected. No part of the public busi-
ness was carried on as it should be, and
the city was rapidly going to the dogs.
All of this talk, coupled with the
penchant of Minneapolis for a change OF
political power every few years, had the
effect of electing an entire Repub-
Iican administration. And even
after election the promises and
pledges were still forthcoming.
even after all political necessity for
their PRONUNCIATION had vanished. The
city would no longer be ''wide open,"
neither would it be Theoretically sealed
but the city government would be con-
Quoted on that golden mean which
would bring renewed prosperity. con-
tidence, benefits unnumbered to the
well governed municipality. Every
city officer was Republican. Only
three Democratic alderman, out OF a
total of thirty-nine. were returned
to the council. Everything was
placed in the hands of the
incoming party. For over
year now, the Republican calf has had
plenty of rope. He has run and raced
and cavorted at will and has admirably
succeeded in so winding himself in his
tether as to be choking to death, as all
calves will do when once freed from re-
straint A review of the life of the t..
and X. administration, of its QuarrelS
and chickering's and jobs and attempts to
do something. always EN- ling in failure,
will bear out these statements.
The Years Review.
On Monday, the 18th day of January,
1889, the r. & r. administration. and
Mayor Babb'S head was in the clouds
John Calderwood put on severe eX-
preston. and muttered:
"Watch me preserve the public
finances from the encroachments of
plunderers."
Each and every alderman, at least 81
of them, looked in the glass before
starting for the council chamber, patted
himself on the breast, smiled and ap-
provingly mutuered:
"Here is man who will show these
people how 10 run city.'
Some OF these men were honest in
their belief that they were "the peo-
ple;" others were merely selfish seek
ers after personal emoluments; none
knew how to do what was laid before
them. That is the way they went into
office. Compare what they were then
with what they are now.
When taking leave of his office, eX-
Mayor AmeS took it upon himself to
salutary advice, and said, among other
things:
'Let not the Republican press be
given cause to call you bOodlers."
How we'll they needed his advice will
be noticed further ON. Mayor Babb
then read a high sounding address
which some one else probably wrote
in which he said; 1.-THE clty's officers