St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-02-07

kindred spirits, around him, trying to
educate them how to run municipal
government at the least possible cost.
George l.. OTIS, one of our best citi
Zens and ablest lawyers. William Daw-
son, who always went on the theory that
public Office was public trust; that
the Office of mayor was intended for the
people and not for the nationality.
c. ID. O'Brien, who came into Office
with the intention of closing saloons OH
Sunday and wiping out houses Of pros
titution. but after little while came to
the conclusion that the people were
stronger than the mayor.
Edmund Rice, the prince of men,
who was one of the most popular may
Ors, and whose salary was not equal to
per cent of his everyday charities to
those who asked aims from the head of
the city government; and Bob Smith,
who now carries the great seal of the
corporation in his pocket Gf it's not
lost in Washington city while trying to
secure the Democratic convention).
All the foregoing men were mayors,
and who held high carnival in the old
city hall, making and unmaking men
and decorating men with stars, and
perhaps others in some cases with gar
tiers.
In few days the old city hall will be
torn down and destroyed to give place
to more costly and magnificent struct-
ure. Before the erection of the old city
hall ST. Paul had two mayors-David
Olmsted and Alexander Ramsey. David
Olmsted was the first mayor of st. Paul
"A man of ability, who, with other pio-
neers, assisted in laying the corner
stone of ST. Paul's future. He died
while comparatively a young man, and
l,..pN no
told of his history.
Ramsey. whose name, while It has
never appeared upon the bill boards of
the Metropolitan or the Olympic, is yet
a household word in almost every home
in the state. Governor of the state of
Minnesota, United States senator. secre
tary of war, commissioner to Utah,
man who did more in early times to
make Minnesota what it is today than
any other man who ever lived in Min
neSota. With him In those early days
were Gen. Henry H. Sibley and Hon.
Henry NJ. Rice. While Sibley and Rice
were never in fact identified with mu-
nicipal government. as to holding office,
they aided more perhaps than any other
two public-spirited citizens of st. Paul.
Rice's benefactions are seen in every
ward in the city; the gift of park, to
churches. to schools and buildings for
charitable purposes were 80 numerous
that it would take an antiquarian to
schedule them. Sibley, no less gener-
GUS; and of him it may be said that no
old settler or poor person ever left his
office when in need without assistance.
Within my lifetime hope to see in Rice
park statues of bronze or marble of
these three men-Sibley, Ramsey and
Rice-built by the voluntary contri bu-
tons of the citizens of st. Paul as a
testimony to their character and worth.
The pioneer men are ack numbers;
they pass away day by day; a little
while and all will be gone in Oakland
and Calvary; their names will be found
inscribed on tombstones: that will be
all. Some other day will write of the
men in pioneer times who constituted
the common council and the police force
of the city of st. Paul, all of whom are
perhaps forgotten.
We think only of today and the fut-
ure. W. p. MURRAY.