Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1896-12-22
TUESDAY, DECEMBER %, IL
MECCA OF THE HOBO!
That is what Minneapolis is


That is what Minneapolis is
now.
Some how or other there is
some grinding force in this uni.
verse that tends to retributive
justice, something THAT shapes
our ends. rough heW them how
we may And this truth is
now about to be illustrated in
the metropolis of Minnesota.
Minneapolis is phenomenal
city. Her location between the
timber and the prairie made her
of necessity the metropolis of
the Northwest, and, as such, her
world commerce and manufac-
lures at once raised her to an
emporium Of the first class. TO
the north and east of her stood a
virgin forest, the account lated
product of ages; to the south
west, west and northwest laid Il
wide expanse Of the richest soil
in the world ready for the pillow
of the hnSbandman. All that
was needed to turn the forest
into gold was to settle the prairie.
And when the situation was once
understood that was not a diff
cult problem, as hundreds of
thousands of sturdy immigrants
were yearly crowding our shores
for just such a chance.
Surrounded by such advan-
tages, those who were SO for
tunate as to strike Minneapolis
twenty-five or thirty years ago
enjoyed advantages for making
money such as perhaps never
we're seen before in the world s
history Even men Of average
ability became in 4 few years
rich beyond conception-million-
aires and multi -millionaires. But
with this unheard of prosperity
and wealth came also the usual
accompanying vices arrogance
and moral decay. Minneapolis
assumed to be the state. like the
Bourbon monarch of old. Every
measure and policy of state must
conduce TO the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
of her merchant and manufac
turing princes. or it could not
pass. In vain have the people of
the rest Of the state, for years
and years, protested against the
aggressive self ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
of the naughty metropolis.
But the avenging Nemesis has
at last come. The Guaranty
Loan sWindle was the first bub.
ble to burst. Since then a good
many of her mighty have fallen.
Revelations of late reveal a
moral corruption in her NUM-
cipal affairs the like Of which has
not been heard since the days of
Tweed. One of her judges, in
his charge to the grand jury the
other day, alleges as notorious
offenses within the city to be in
vestigated, four heinous crimes
Corruption and bribery of alder
men, corruption and bribery of
mem bers of the board of educa-
ton, jury bribery and straw
bonds among officials. After
lecturing the grand jury at great
length in regard to the investiga-
ton of these offenses, Judge
Pond comes back and <reiterates
his instructions in the following
language: .. 1882 =
Il want to say said he, .'that it is
only the reflection of the seriousness
of the community. The scandal at the
city hall is perfectly outrageous: Il
is beyond belief that q man who hopes
to get only $40 a month should spend
$4O0, $500 or even 5000 to secure an
election. II is strange, indeed, as
say, and the whole community IS look
ing to you for relief. No grand jury
for q number of years, since the stn.
document Of Mr.. Haney number sol
years ago, has ever investig gated the
subject.
.' Another thing. have been lin-
formed, from ar apparently cred table