St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-04-04
SENATE FILE ONE HUNDRED AND
THIRTY-THREE.

What is known as the Ozmun bill
is on the house general orders, with
a favorable recommendation from
the committee to which it was re-
ferred, and will be reached in a day
or two. We bespeak for it the sup
port of the members of the house
regardless of party. We do this
as Democratic paper because we
believe that the business of a city
is altogether a business matter, to
be conducted on business principles
and by business methods. We fail
to see where they come in touch
at any point with the policies of
state or national parties. There is
nothing in common between who
shall copy deed or make out tax
receipt, and who shall decide a
state or national policy.
We favor this reform because it is
democratic and republican, not in a
partisan sense of those words, but
in their broader and deeper mean
ings of opposition to paternalism
in all lis various forms. We can
see no distinction between the
crowned head who rewards his ia
vorites with place and honors and
the boss. big or little, who does pre-
ciSely the same thing with the
minor places that may be at his
disposal. In fact, the spoils system
here is temperance under another
form of the worst features of mon
archical government This reform
contemplateS a purely democratic
republican system of government
that leaves open the way to service
under it to any one on his merits
and capacity for service. 1t is a
denial Of right and opportunity to
bar the way of any young man to
public service because he or his
father is not of the party in power.
But we support this reform on
larger and more vital grounds than
these, important as they are. 1t
directly involves the problem of the
capacity of our people for self-gov-
eminent. In our cities we have a
foretaste of what the general condi-
lions will be when the population of
the country becomes dense. If the
cities show themselves able to give
a good, honest administration of
their affairs then we may expect a
like ability to give a similar direction
generally when population every
where is proportionately dense. If
the cities show themselves incapable
of this, then there will be a similar
general incapacity. The problem
of self-government is on trial in our
cities.
Until within recent years in every
city in the nation the spoils system
has been in force. Men have been
appointed to minor places with re-
gard singly to their capacity for
party manipulation and work. The
question of fitness for the place, of
ability to discharge it's duties, has
been a secondary matter, if consid-
cred at all. When a boss was
asked to revoke his commentator
of person for a responsible place
who had but recently served a term
in state prison for picking pockets,
his answer was that he could not do
it because you can't run politics in
city without such fellows" But
we need not illustrate or particular
ize. The government of our great
cities is scandal and disgrace, and
the conditions are wholly due to the
prevalence of the spoils system.
Take away from the men who, for
the profit there is in office-holding.
seek place, the power to fill subordi-
nate places with the men who do
their bidding in the primaries and
at conventions, and you will sheer
them of their strength, as Delilah
robbed Samson of his. You will
open the way for the better, more
honest and public-spirited class of
men to the elective offices, and YOU
will make clean the way to the party
primaries. now so foul that the most
men prefer to bear the ills of what
is called government than get into
the filth that fills the way to the key
to the whole situation. So we urge
the members Of the house to give
this measure strong support, not
as party paper, but as one con-
cerned in what affects us all-good
government, impossible without
such reform