St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-15
BENNY AND THE ICEMAN.

The president of the United States
has at last found a fOeman worthy of
his steel. The weapons chosen by HAIR
RIsoN are enforced designations, the
field of combat political patronage, and
the antagonist selected for the jOust of
partisanship "Iceman" TURNER, door
keeper of the house of representatives
of the Fifty-second congress. A Chicago
Republican organ lately fonnd occasion
to eulOgiZe President HARRISON as one
who carried under his hat the largest,
best, most complete and varied assert
ment of brains of any one who has oc-
cupied the presidential chair since the
days of ABRAHAM LINCOLN. This is
strong claim to make. Equipped with
such a mental battery, it would seem
that the president would be broad
minded enough to avoid even the i'm
putatiOn of belittIing partisan bias or
narrow motives. The reverse is true.
From a perfectly orthodox and rock
buttressed Republican paper we CLEAN
the intelligence that President HARRI-
son has begun the work of bouncing
from service in the executive depart
diers who happen to vote their convic-
tons and. incidentally, the Democratic
ticket. The exact words of the Repub-
lican dispatch to a Republican organ
from a Republican bureau at Washing
ton are:
1T is more than likely that they Demo
cratic veterans) will now be invited to re-
sign
One has not far to go to find the main
spring of this abrupt retaliation on the
part of the president. The lower house
of congress is Democratic by a large
majOrity-a majority that, at the time of
its election, fairly paralyzed the best
energies of the Republican party: a
majority that, really. for the time be-
ing, so demoralized the Republican
ranks that their subsequent warlike
demonstrations in the political field
have been merely deSultory and sadly
lacking in concentrated force, or dash
and vigOr of attack. A harassing fire
in the rear from the masked batteries
of civil service, under the direction of
TEDDY ROOSEVELT and under the vigil
liant eye of GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS,
has, also, contributed not a little to the
political discomfort of the Republican
enemy.
But a stand had TO be made at some
point, Or the temporary repulse might
degenerate into a yeritable disastrous
retreat. President HARRISON has taken
that stand, planted his cOlors on the
White house lawn and hOarseiy invokes
the faithful to rally round the flag.
boys, rally once again. Retaliation"
is the word passed along the line. Act
ing according to Republican precedent,
DOOrkeeper TURNER decides to distrib-
ute his $4,000 per annum worth of
patronage among Democrats. Since no
civil service law is violated, the iceman
wisely concludes that the places of Re-
publicans can be fnlly as satisfactorily
filed by Democrats. Acting honestly
upon his political inspiration, Iceman
TURNER has, inadvertently, thrown
down the gauntlet; and President HAIR
RIsON, as his brains" move them
selves Alright, takes it up. The war is
on. All Democratic veteran soldiers at
present employed in the executive de-
| partments must go. Iceman TURNER
runs the ''doOr" of the house, but, ''by
gum, he can't run the White houses
| Not much. Not, at least, while Presi-
| dent HARRISON has voice enough left
| to order the discharge Of Democratic
veteran soldier. The pugnacious atti-
| tude of the president is a dignifed
| spectacle.