St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-02
DISCHARGE A SCRUB WOMAN
FOR TWO REPUBLICAN
VOTERS.
GODFREY IS TURNED OUT,
Because, She Says, She Has No Vote
to Give to the Men Controlling
Her Position.

-
city treasurer. but 1t was remarked
around the city hall yesterday that he
had done more to injure himself polit-
ically at the meeting of the city hall
and court house commission Friday
than he can undo in a long time. AT
that meeting Assemblvman Johnson
went on record as taking a position
away from poor widowed scrub wom-
an to make q place for one Republican
vote.
Assemblyman Johnson voted away
the position Of q cripple, who received
his injuries while employed as a jan
itor in the city hall and who had not
been disturbed before because it was
tacitly understood that the man. hav-
ing sustained his injuries in the en-
ploy Of the city, should be given an
opportunity to earn his livelihood. But
Asseniblyman Johnson wanted the po-
sition for Republican voter.
Assemblyman Johnson fired a jani-
tor who has been supporting family
of twelve children on the salary he
received, because the position was need
ed for a man who is expected to vote
for Assemblyman Johnson next spring.
Assemblyman Johnson may say that
he had nothing more to do with fir
ing" these people than his Republican
colleagues, o. H. Arosin, E. H. Milham
and Commissioner Wright, but that is
not the case. Commissioner Wright
it is claimed, would never have voted
not Assemblyman johnson dashed him
{Ntn ~, Iii ~.
speech about men who wouldn't vote
to put Republican voters in Office.
Assemblyman Johnson couldn't have
heard many complimentary remarks
about himself around the city hall
yesterday, except those made by the
prospective janitors. elevator men and
scrub men, for the latter will be the
official title Of the man" who will be
appointed to take Widow Margaret
Godfrey's place at $50 a month, $40 a
month more than the woman is now
receiving. The walls Of the court house.
on the other hand, continuously echoed
the "roasts" and criticism upon the
assemblyman and his colleagues who
had sacrificed faithful servants and. a.
weak woman in the interests of party
vengeance. That purely selfish inter
ests actuated the Republicans is gen
orally conceded not by Democrats
alone, but by all fair-minded people
who despise that petty work, whether
It be in politics or any other circle.
Some of the Republican quartette,
while wincing under the charge of TAX
ing the means Of support from wild
owed mother and orphaned children
or turning down a cripple, We're in
clined to murmur something to the
effect that party expediency made
our action necessary" In answer to
this statement,one gentleman was yes
terday heard to say "he felt mighty
sorry for a candidate for office whose
'expediency necessitated war upon
widows and cripples.' Such expedi-
ency will probably enlist g. great deal
more sympathy for those turned out
than votes. When Mrs. Godfrey went
to ascertain why she and her scrub
bucket had been dragged into
the political arena, one of the
Republicans is said to have re-
piled: WELL we were kept out of
our rights by the Democrats when
they were in power, and now that
things have come our way we have
got to get back at them"
If L were a man. said Mrs. God
frey, in speaking of her discharge to
a q | o b e reporter yesterday, land
would promise to vote the way they
wanted me to at the next election,
they never would have turned me
out. L have been scrubbing the office
floors of the court house for nearly
five years" continued Mrs Godfrey,
having first been employed by Gus
todian Egan, then serving under his
successor and finally nearly two years
under Mr.. Nilsson. No fault has ever
been found with my work, though it
has been hard at times, and l never
could have done SO much of it had not
my boy, who is now fourteen yea RS
old, carried the water and eniptied if
again"
Il have six children said Mrs. God
frey, only two Of whom however. are
now with me. These I have been try
ing to keep in the public schools so
that they might be fitted to take a
better place in the world than their
mother, but now" said the poor widow
with a show of feeling, now I sun
pose my children will have to run the
streets, get into bad company and
ruin themselves as well as me.
L have not thing in the world ex-
cept my two hands to keep body and
soul together, and now that my work
has been taken from me, and times SO
hard, don't know what l shall do.
II 1t were a woman they were putting
in my place, I should not feel SO badly,
perhaps, but when I know it is only
because I can't help in the election
that they have discharged me, I don't
feel that my treatment is just. Poll
tics have never before entered into a
scrub woman's ability to hold her DO
sition, and it seems odd now that a
man is deemed necessary to do the
work which I have done without COM
plant. Mr.. Johnson told me- con
Guided Mrs. Godfrey, that the man
who would take my place had a family
to support, but he did not seem to con-
slider that l, too, had a family depen-
dent upon me-
Roman Huspeck, another employe
unfortunately without political pull
who was turned out by Fridays action
illustrates the spirit which actuated the
Republicans and their disregard Of hui
mainly. Huspeck is a cripple, through
an accident which befell him while
washing windows at the court house
floor window, when a public official
closed the window. By a misstep Hus-
peck lost his balance, and having nc
place to catch hold Of, fell to the
ground, shattering the bones of his
arm so that the member is now stiff
and practically useless for hard work,
By virtue of his injury and manner OF
receiving 1T, previous commissioners
have been content to allow Huspeck
to make a living as a court house
janitor, but not so with Assemblyman
Johnson. They had to ''get even with
the Democratic party, and after whip
ping one Of their party, who had some
conception Of mans duty to his broth
err, into line, they vented their ven
geance against the entire staff Of en-
ployes, including the scrub woman
While party expedieney may account
for Fridays action, one politician at
the city hall yesterday declared that
Individual political interest the most
potent factor in the whole deal
Johnson" said he. wants the support
Of his ward for city treasurer next