St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-08-17
Gen. Seeley Scorches the.
Tricky Policy Of the Re-
publicans,
Who Have Nominated For
eigners Simply. to At"
tract Their Votes.
He Says There Is a General
Revolt Within the Party
Lines,
And That It Is the Talk Of
the Day on Every Stree"
Corner.

me central Republican club held a
weil-attented meeting last evening, at
the hall corner Seventh and Cedar
streets. The usual proceedings were
gone through with, and several orators
fired the Republican heart with high
tariff speeches. The feature of the
evening was the speech by F.W. Seeley.
who was adjutant general under Gov.
McGill. Gen. Seeley roasted the Re-
publican leaders to a Misunderstanding
politicians" he called them-for endeav-
oring to catch votes by Offering every
Office in the gift of their party to for
eign-born citizens. Gen. Seeley spoke
as follows:
Mr.. Chairman: 1t is generally nm
derst0od that this meeting is called for
the purpose of taking action in regard
TO the selection of congressman from
this district. In this connection, l de-
sire to express my views and offer few
words OF advice. / never expected to
feel called upon to criticiSe the course
OF our party managers in this state on
the nationality question, but the drift
of events during the past few wears.
and particularly this year. indicates to
my mind that it is quite time, if we ex-
pect to maintain our party aScendency
in this state, to call for a halt and in
dutge in a little sober thought as to
the nominations and appointments of
office. AS l have no political axes to
grind, and expect to be absent from the
state during the campaign now in
progress, l propose to express myself
freely-withOut regard to the criticisms
which my remarks may provoke.
In LOOKING over the present and pros
pective personnel of the state officers,
lind Scandinavian governor, Scandi-
nayian secretary Of state. Scandina-
Wan state auditor, Scandinavian clerk
of the supreme court, and a German
state treasurer, the subordinate posi-
lions in their offices being mainly filled
with men of the same Mathematics as
their chiefs. / find motive Americans
holding but two elective offices, and
those not reallya part OF the admins
tration, viz: The lieutenant governor
ship "a kind of spare wheel to the DO
lltlcal wagon), and the attornev-general-
ship-the functions of which office are
simply advisory, neither of them being
administrative Offices. Here we have, or
probably will have after Jan. next, a
state government administered almost
wholly by foreign born citizens. / be-
lieve they are generally efficient officers;
and some of them have served the cOun-
try honorably in the civil war-but the
fact remains that their prominence is
due as much to the accident Of birth in
each case, as to inherit ability. Now. it
is not the fault of our foreign born citi-
zens, at least not entirely their fault,
that they have monopoly of important
offices in the state-and l am not az
raigning those gentlemen for accepting
the greatness which has been thrust
upon them. On the contrary, believe
that observing and candid men of all
natlonalIties represented in the Repub-
lican party of this state will acknowl-
edge that it has been mainly
through the efforts of designing
politicians of American birth
that native born American Repub-
licans have been largely excluded from
participation i'll the governments of the
counties and the state. l know that
many Intelligent Americans of foreign
birth deprecate this system, which has
placed many of their natiOnalities in the
attitude forced upon them) of office
beggars. l have no tincture of know
nothingism in my composition, although
L am native OF the country, and claim,
in common with all ether Americans, to
have some knowledge of our laws and
institutions of government. L welcome
gOOu people from any other country to
the ranks of citizenship, and will stand
shoulder to shoulder with them in doing
and performing that which is best for
our common country; but. while feeling
thus, deeply deplOre system of selec-
ton for office which practically excludes
native-bOrn citizens from participation,
because of the accident of birth. wish
to tell you, Mr., Chairman, and all pres
ent, that American citizens, in this
city, and all over this state, are warmly
discussing this subject, and there is a
depth of feeling being manifested
which, if unchecked. will surely, in the
near future, bring disaster to our party
in this state. | do not claim to be CIV
ing you any news; you must know; all
gentlemen of intelligence must know
that the topic is coTmon talk on our
streets. Now it Is in the power of this
body of representative Republicans to
begin at once to apply the remedy for
the conditions now existing. Will you
do it? Will you give the natlve-bern
American citizen an equal chance to
participate in the government of the
adoption? Gentlemen, this is subject
which demands. serious thought, and
should not be passed over lightly at the
present time. [ do not believe that the
political principles of my native-born
countrymen are so poorly grounded. or
of such a mercenary character, that
their exclusion from the office-holding
class will make them any the less good
Republicans; but they may some time
tire of being hewers of wood and draw
ers of water for their more for tunate
fellow citizenS-by adoption.