St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-24
THE GOVERNORS ILLEGAL
ACT

And so we come to the second eX-
perience: 1t is unpleasant enough for
any journal to be called upon to criti
else or comment unfavorabiy upon the
non-feasance or neglect of public Off
Gals, but when the criticism has to be
applied to affirmative acts of impro-
priety or actual miSfeasance, the duty
becomes not only harder and more I'M
pleasant, but at the same time more req
uiSite.
And in the extraordinary, unneces-
sary and unparalleled indecency of the
calling out of four companies of militi a
Wednesday night and parading them
under arms through the streets of
peaceful and almost sleeping city, we
have an act which can neither be justl-
fed. excused or palliated.
The fundamental principle of Amer
lean government is that the military
arm of the government shall be subor-
dinate to the civil power.
1t is a lesson found at length in the
federal and state constitutions.
1t is the corner stone and foundation
and keystone of civil and political lib
erty.
1t is the hereditary tradition of Amer
lean politics.
1t is the living principle of American
liberty, and is at much part of the life
of the American citizen as the breath
which he inhaleS.
Its letter and its spirit are rarely viO-
lated, and it is only in times of great
public disturbance and i'll cases of
actual riot that its full and complete
application has been leSsened even for
moment.
He would be an expert microscopic
who could ascertain in any Of the events
that have transpired in this city ashade
or scintilla of reason or cause for this
act upon the part of the state officers;
and the calling out of the militia
Wednesday night was at once blunder
and a crime.
1t was blunder becarse the were
no conditions existent which could eX-
cuse it.
1t was a crime because it was without
warrant of law, and a usurpatiOn of
the powers of the civil arm of the gov
eminent.
1t was as ridiculous as would have
been general alarm and the appear
ance of the entire fire department on
bridge square for the purpose of eXtin-
gushing match used by some citizen
to light his pipe or his cigar; and it was
as unnecessary as it would have been to
invoke the presence of the police force
at the babies home to resist the strug
giles of one of the infant inmates suffer
ing from an attack of collie.
If the militia-Of whom we are proud,
and who represent the best elements of
our young citizens and who enjoy not
only our esteem and confidence, but
our admiration for their nice uniforms
and perfect diScipline-are to be called
out and paraded upon the call and at
the request of every hot-headed or
alarmed county or state official, the
sooner they are disbanded the better.
There is, of course, another remedy,
by getting rid of the officials, but under
our form of government we cannot al
ways have competent and analytical
examination of the brain of every can
didate for, or incumbent of, public
Office; and il they are to act, or may act,
as mischieYOus or foolish children, the
means for effecting such mischief should
be taken away from them.
1t is familiar axiom that the higher
the Office tile more important are its
duties and the greater the ability and
accuracy required in the discharge of
those duties on behalf of the public;
and the officers who are intrusted with
the power of calling out the militia
should see to it that that power is eXer-
cised only when the occasion absolutely
warrants and requires it.
There must be no playing to the gall
lery" in such matter as this.
The principles involved are too i'm
portant and the interests TOO vital to be
lightly dealt with.
Those officers may amuse themselves
and ''go a-frogging" whenever they
wish, but they must not call out the state
artillery to shoot the frogs, nor the state
militia to contend with mosquitoes. The
example, the principle and the habit is
one that will not be tolerated, and must
not be INDUCED in.
OF all places that could have been Sc
lected for such an idiOtic blunder, the
city of st. Paul is the last.
The record of the city for peace and
good order is unparalleled.
There has never beer an act of vio-
| lence committed by the citizens; there
| has never been riot or disorderly as
semblage in the history of the city;
there has never been even that all too
common Western exercise of a lynch
| ing,
1t is the proud and truthful boast of
| our citizens that there has never been
even window broken during any pub
lie disturbance in the city of st. Paul.
And to mar such a record by publishing
throughout the world the parade of
those militiamen Wednesday night is
| both indefensable and ineXcusable.
1t is useless to speculate upon the
purpose or object of such an act.
1t could not possibly have either ra-
| tlonal or sensible one. But it must
not occur again! And we beg of the
eminent and honorable citizens who led
| the civil forces in the attack upon the
| prize fight, and who gained a glorious
and peaceable victory in so doing, to
| see that the military aspirations OF the
state officers are curbed; for inasmuch
as the only violence existing in the city
which resulted in this dreadful display
of our martial capacity, was their own
loud denunciations of the poor prize
| fighters.
If the habit is to be continued, the
pulpit commentaries on the matters
that will probably occur next Sunday,
being of equally violent character, will
with just as much reason call for the
besieging, probably sacking and conse-
ouent massacre of all the churches and
their congregations at high noon. This
will be depIorable state of things; but
on second thought we are inclined to
think that even the military command
ers would find the interior of a church
so unusual and strange that they might
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