St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-20
.ELOQUEACE AND WISDOM.
JUDGE FLANDRAU AND MIR. MONROE
ADDRESS DEMOCRATS.
HENNEpIN COUNTY LEAGUE.
An Enthusiastic Meeting in the
League Rooms, New York Life
Buiiding-Two Able Addresses

Buiiding-Two Able Addresses
by Two Able Men-Jeffersonian
Democracy for the Benefit off
Minneapolitans.
The meeting of the Hennepin Demo,
cratic league last night in the rooms ON
the second floor of the New York Life
building was an interesting affair aud
well attended. The rooms, in fact,
were crowded to the doors. The ELI
tertainment for the members was fur
nlshed by Judge Charles E. Flandrau,
of ST. Paul. and Weed Monroe, they
well-known attorney of this city. Judge
Flandrau spoke to the subject. the
Fundamental PRINCIPLES OF Democracy"
and Mr.. MoHroe'S discourse was en-
titled 1.-The United States Senate aud
the English House of Lords" Both
addresses were scholarly and en-
Enthusiastically received. George Ledger
wood, eX-couuty auditor, Offi"ia ell as
chairman and introduced the speakers
with few we'll turned remarks and
compliments.
MIR. Monroe. the first speaker, during
his discourse said:
I'VE seem To have fallen upon evil
places; the eVer-recurring phrase is
"TimeS are hard" Whether we look
upon ourselves as individuals or as Il
nation, we think matters could not be
worSe-that other persons and other ma
lions are not so pc u. SO unfortunate or
so depressed as we are. But the fact Is
that we are not poorer than we have
been. The cause Of all the trouble is
that every MANS neighbours secret is out.
Heretofore each one has thought
that he only was down to ''hard pan"
and he took good care that his next
door neighbor should not learn of his
condition; the neXt-door neighbor was
in the same straits, had the same
thoughts, and guarded the secret of his
actual condition with equal jealousy.
Flhally, after years of Oyer-taXation
under the Republican party'S scheme of
protection, the stump" has come-just
as the Democrats have pIophesied that
1t would come: our pins have been
knocked from under us. and in the
frightful scramble to regain standing
place and position we have not, even
now. recovered our equilibrium.
"JuSt now, in every country, hard
times is national complaint. We are
too much inclined to imagine that we
only are in the midst of business and
financial depression; but the unem-
plOyed are begging for work ana bread
in all the AuStralasian and European
tartf-protected provinces and counties,
and as these countries furnish England
| with her market, the latter country is
today feeling the effects of hard times.
because she cannot sell her goods. Such
times bring innovations and even revolu-
tons; they cause changes i'll laws. and
often in forms of governments; some of
these changes may have been sought
for in vain for decades: some may be of
doubtful expectancy; many may be
necessary to future natiOnul prosperity
I'm discussing the question whether
the senate upon the one hand, and the
house Of lords upon the other, shall be
abolished, we may probably recall the
processes through which each chamber
passed in its formation; we may mark
some OF the points of similarity and Diff
ference in the two houses. aud may
learn whether in fact we should seri-
ously suggest that the higher branch
of our national legislature be
deprived of its power and vigor.
The senator's term OF office is not so
long or SO we'll assured as that of lord /;
but the senate rests secure i'll the fact
that no sovereign power may invade the
chamber with an army, newly created
from among its enemies, with which TO
conquer its obStinacy, II compel it to
act. We have public opinion and the
ballot as our only recourse; but the
ballot is SO far removed from the masses
that this weapon of defense is almost
useless except to those to whom our
senators are too often Indebted fGr their
election.
In some respects the house of lords
and the senate are similar, but their
most striking resemblance lies in the
ariStocracy of the one and the aristo-
cratic tendencies OF the other, and in
their vicious legislation, or failure to
legiSiate, rather than in their virtues,
craftsmanship, or patriotism as legisla-
tors. 1t is the landowners and capital
lists that command the sympathies of
the house OF lords; it is the coal and
iron barOnS, the great corporations and
protected wealthy classes that furnish
our millionaire senators and dictate
their election.
The lords are in no respect repre-
sentatlveS OF the people; nearly the
same may be said of our senators. But
the senator bears a different commits
sion; to be sure, he represents his state;
to certain extent he is, or should be,
identified with his state constituency
by local Interests, but he should not
permit local prpJudiceS or party gSplra-
lions to guide him; his motto and guild
Ing motive should be THE greatest good
10 the greatest number;" he should be,
not a senator for the state that sent him,
but member of the senate for the
whole country.
bribery in the senate is an evil. Do
not misunderstood me, however. [ do
not say that any member of the present
senate or of any past senate is or was,
40
trary. a careful examination of the
roster of any senate will hardly disclose
the name of man whose honesty in in
dlyidual business transactions we could
doubt; they are men of great brains, and
ability, too; but there seem to be two
grades or classes of honesty and ability
one for business, the other for polit-
zeal purposes; but reprehensible sys-
tenn of trading votes exists, by which
the treasury IS looted.
For example, the wealthy constitu-
ents of one senaaor (whO owes his seat
to those opulent friends) want the gov
eminent to buy canal that it does not
need; the senator from another state
opposes the necessary appropriation
upon good z grounds; but the latter SEN
ator wants pOstoffice building
III little town that is not ell
titled TO 1t. in his state; the
first senator objects to the necessary
appropriation therefor for valid rea-
sons: each senator sees the other-their
votes are exchanged; the governments
money is paid for a yaueless canal and
to assist little city that is entitled to
nothing; the senators enrich and please
their friends at our expense; we pay
the tariff; this exchange Of votes may
be called merely business, or senatorial
courtesy; it Is senat oriaI bribery.
"The browning evil of the senate, asiof
the house of lords, is its utter indiffer-
ence TO the public and 10 public inter
ests and its languid response to the
wishes Of the nation"
Judge Fiandrau's Speech. ls
Judge Fiandrau apologized for having
come to the meeting unprepared. He
had mistaken the nature of the meeting,
hn Caid q pf ba