St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-01
NEVER PROMISED TO BE
GOOD.


GOOD.
With zeal worthy of a better cause,
the ma, or and his friends are engaged
in vehement and emphatic denial that
he ever promised to enforce the laws"
This is the most peculiar position that
any public official and his friends ever
took. His morning organ has arraigned
clergymen and prominent citizens as
falsiliers because they have stated that
the mayor, prior to his election, had
told them personally, or that they had
heard him publicly, pledge himself to
to enforce the laws, and the mayor him.
self makes good the statement of his
organ by personally calling a clergy
man liar for having stated that he ever
made any such pledge.
We should even doubt that the mayor
had so far forgotten the dignity of his
position rs to assail a Clergyman in this
violent manner, if it were not that the
matter were reported in his organ. and
it can therefore be regarded as official.
AS the GLOBE is, to its everlasting
credit. persona non grata in the holy of
of holies occupied by his royal highness,
we do not assume to report from per.
sonal observation the excitement of his
honor in the presence of the clergyman
who made this horrible accusation
against him; but as the mayors private
secretary acts as reporter for his morn-
ing organ and sees that no guilty item
escapes. it is fair to assume that in the
excitement of anger the truth relative
to the interview with Rev. David Nor
gan was told.
A correspondent who voted for the
present mayor on the supposition at
least that he would attempt to enforce
the laws, very pertinently asks what
kind of oath of Office he took, and for
his qualification, as we'll as for the pub
lie. we append that oath. as follows:
STATE OF MINNESOTA,
COUNTY OF RAMSEY, SSs.
CITY OF SAINT PAUL.
/, Frederick P. Wright. do solemly
swear that | will support the Consttu-
ton of the United States, and Of the
State of Minnesota, and the laws and
ordinances of the City Of st. Paul, and
faiLhfully and honestly perform the
duties Of Mayor of the City of st. Paul.
during the continuance of my official
term. Z. z. WRIGHT.
Sworn and subscribed to before me
this 18th day OF June. 1892.
r. A. SMITH, Mayor.
Possibly this was something like Rip
Van Wrinkles swearing off, which ibid
not count this time;" or possibly it was
even like that oath where the mayor
swore to twenty-eight days services on
the board of equalization when he had
only rendered four days, and where he
received SS4 in compensation for four
days services, leaving the net sum due
the city of S72. That was an oath as
binding as the oath of Office. but we
presume that the morning adminiStra-
ton organ is ready to abuse any citizen
or clergyman VINO would have the
temerity to say that the mayor ever
claimed that he served twenty-eight
days OH the board of equalization, though
| he got the money.
But for the indiscreet conduct of the
mayors organ, and its perpetual apollo
getic attitude for all that is derelict in
Republican officials, there would be no
occasion for this or any other comment.
Mayor Wright has ceased to be fac
tor in local politics. He has declined to
accept a reno mination. and, while it IS
possible that he may have had a linger-
| ing hope when he made susn declination
that there would be popular uprising
| of forces to ask him to withdraw his
declination, he is evidently satisfied by
| this time that no such event will occur
1t is more likely that there would have
been public uprising by his own party
to insist on his declining, if he had moi
done so, instead of the uprising he may
have anticipated. The consequence is
his declination has been accepted. a:
rendered, In good faith, and the woods
are now full of Republican candidate;
| for the succession.
But when a public official challenges
the entire community to prove that he
never intended to be faithful officia
and to discharge the duties of his tn
it seems necessary to take some cognlz
ance of such extraordinary positlo n
Public officials have repeatedly failed
to enforce the laws they were sworn tt
execute, but if history ever records
where an official took an especial pride
and called upon his friends to Prov
that he had been false to his oath, that
he never had enforced the laws which
he ha sworn to do, that he had never
intended and had never promised to de
so, the GLOBE is not aware of its ex,
istence.
The city is to be congratulated on the
prospect that such reign is nearing its
termination, and it is to be hoped that
if the successor of the present ineum,
bent should be as eminent a failure in
enforcing the laws, he will at least profit
by the experience of the mayor In the
closing hours of his official service, and
not have the temerity to claim that he
never intended to discharge the dutie
of the office.
AS gentle hint to our friend tn
mayor we would suggest the quotation
"Tis better to assume virtue though
you have it not" While not everybod,
could be fooled, still some might be
lieve the virtue existed il it was as
sumed, and 'twould be better thus THAI
to proclaim the entire absence of
virtue, and thus enable every one t
know the dereliction.
THE STATE LIBRARY.
The state library is by law under ths
supervision of the judges of the su.