St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-09-25
Loren Fletcher's Statesman
like Career in His Seven
Legislative Sessions.
Possibly Permanent Wjnd-Up
of the Minneapolis Indus
trial Exposition.
ArreOIa in Coupt--Unlucky
HafStad--BitS Of POlit-
zeal News.

sidered above all others. That issue is
! the Minneapolis street railway. This
| institution has secured such hold on
the city of Minneapolis that it demands
the attention ordinarily bestowed upon
living, sentient being. Its
| many arms are wound about the
entire community, and in the meshes of
its nerve-like wires the individuals of
the city are becoming entangled, prepar-
atory to having their existence slowly
crushed out of them.
For years this street railway has been
an issue in Minneapolis politics; but up
to this year it has always been
a passive issue. 1t was willing to
keep out of the campaign and to trust
to its ability to secure servitors from
the men elected to office. This
year its attitude has been marked by a
striking change. 1t is no longer con-
tent to stand back and watch the fight
go on, assisting its friends only by its
prayerS-lf such soulless institution
ever does pray. In the preliminary
| skirnisheS it was seen and felt. In the
noisy caucus, in the still noisier con-
| and above all the clamor of excited
| men could be heard the crack of the
street railway lash as it curled and
| waved and quivered and circled over
the heads of the voters. 1t has thrown
off the mask of passiyity and has en-
tered the fight with all the power Of its
hundreds of employees and its millions
| of money at its back. 1t is no longer a
| pleader for favor; it is a dictator of ac-
ton. Its role was that of the
| Dictator in the Caucgses
and in the Republican city con vention.
But in those places its work was merely
preliminary practice to fit it for the po-
sition 1t hopes to occupy in the admin
istration of the city of Minneapolis. If
the street railway can accomplish the
task it has set itself. the people will no
| longer rule through their represent
atlves, but the street railway will rule
| through its creatures.
| The main fight of the street railway
in this campaign is being concentrated
! in the wards of the alderlnanic contests.
1t fought for its servants in the caucuSeS
| and in the city convention. Its work
bore the promised fruit ill many places.
| NOW it is helping to harvest the fruit
| by working for the election of these
| servants.
In the First wa the treet railway
did comparatively little. That ward is
| so reliably Democratic that 1t cared not
TO spend its time there. But in the
| Second it took a hand at the game of
| politics, at which it has become an
adept. In that ward Burke OBrIen, an
old soldier, an old citizen of the
ward and an honored citizen, was
a candidate for the Republican
nomination for alderman. But O'Brien,
having been hard working man
all his life, was supposed to have some
| sympathy with the people, the masses.
He was not wanted by the street rail-
way. The street railway ordered his
defeat. In spite of O'Brien's possession
OF pledges from the majority of the del
egates Of the ward, he was defeated
Fred Snyder was nominated. And who
is Fred Snyder? He has never
| been III politics in Minneapolis
before, but he has connections.
He is a son-in-law of John S.
| Plllsbury. No one needs to be told that
the Pillsburys stand close to the street
railway. Why look further for the rea-
sons for the nomination of SNYDER?
Whom did the Republicans nominate in
the Third ward?
| UcOE2e DNThaE1, Oh course.
Durham. who has been at the beck
and call OF the street railway for the
| four years he has been in the city coun-
| Gil: the man who, during those four
| years has done thriving business with
the street railway company in the mat
I ter of horses. His business has not
been so good since the street railway
! took electric power, but 1t has been
| satisfactory to Durham
In the Fourth ward the Republicans
| nominated man who has not been
in Minneapolis politics before. But he
was nominated by the same men who
have always been ready to work for the
interest of the street railway. 1t is but
just to suppose that their candidate
will heed their instruction in the coun-
Gil. In the Fifth ward the same work
was done. Lowell, who has fought
for the street railway for four
years, could have had that
nomination, but he let it go to Harvey,
who will do just as well for the street
| railway as Lowell: better, perhaps. be-
cause the eye of the public would have
been upon Lowell. In the Sixth ward
another political novice was named.
John Erickson. But he was named
through the instrumentality Of men
who draw money from the city, and who
are known to be hand-in-glove with one
Cal q. Goodrich.
And in the Seventh ward. There the
street railway had to bring out that
long whip. Good-natured old Aid.
Parry, who seemed to try to do the best
he knew in the council, but who had the
| i'll luck to run counter to The street rail
way couple of times, was turned
down. In his place was nominated a
man named Nordeen. The street rail
way company nominated Nordeen, so,
of course. he must be all right. But the
Seventh ward will elect two aldermen
this year. For the second man on the
ticket one William B. Woodward was
selected. Woodward has been in the
council four years. He has been
The Street Railways Man
at all times. The street railway re-
warded him by getting the nomination
Tor MIN. 1t is unnecessary TO say any
thing about the nomination of Melvin
Grimes in the Eighth ward. The story
of how the street railway packed the
caucuses out there, how it carried pre-.
clncts traudulently, and how it secured
the necessary two votes from the oppo
sltion after the ward had pronounced
against Grimes is already we'll known
through the protest that has gone up
from the honest Republicans of the
| ward.
Jim Bradish was the Republican
nominee in the Ninth. Jim. Bradish
has always been found with the street
railway nell in the council. And he
has been rewarded. Within a few
months Jim Bradish has been made the
claim agent of the 500, nice fat place,
where mans inclinationS to squeeze
the unfortunate may have full play
Little is known of the Republican nom
inee in the Tenth ward, P. w. McAllis
ter, but it is almost certain that he will
develop street ailway characteristic.
before the campaign is over.
Comment on the nominee in the Eley
enth ward is also superfiuous. The re
volt of the honest Republicans dow
there against the domination of one o.
the street railways most willing tools
John A. BIichfeldt. shows how he is re
garded by the very men who first pu
him into Office: The street railway ha,
to fight for Blichfeldt as it did fo