St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-22
GIN THE GOOD OLD wAY.v

A few weeks ago the G b adj
dressed itself to the business men of
st. Paul to know what they proposed
to do in the matter of securing good
men for Office at the coming election.
It pointed out to them the folly of ex-
pecting that such representatives as
st. Paul should have in the city coun-
Gil, in the several city offices, and in the
next legislature would be obtained by
a process of natural selection. It ad-
Vised them that the party machines
were already getting up steam, and
that, if nothing whatever should be
done, the same kind of men would
fasten upon public place by the same
old processes. 1t referred to the alb
surdity Of attempting to determine mu-
nicipal policies, or to choose people to
carry them into effect, by appealing to
national politics and national party
names with which they have no pos
sible connection. 1t said to business
men that they would succeed in hav-
Ing a business administration when
they went about it in the same way
that they do about getting competent
clerks, foramen and heads of depart
ments for the Industries in which they
themselves are engaged, and not be-
fore
What progress in this direction has
been made up to date? We are not
profoundly discouraged by being COM
PEELED to make the answer, either little
or none at all; for when we shall
have reached the end of managing city
affairs as we do private affairs, we
will have taken a long step in the evo-
luton of the human race. While the
thing is so simple that it seems as if
none could fail to understand and ap-
preciate it, it deals with an evil of so
long standing, and a practice so
grounded in general indifference and
common habit that we do not expect
to see its triumph in a day 1t is
something that our people showed
consciousness, even if it was
spasmodic and ephemeral of the truth
of our position, and of the duty that
lay before them. There was an at
tempt by a large number of gentle
men, representing both of the political
parties, to bring common sense and
common prudence into the management
Of our municipality. They assembled,
made a confession of faith, did a lit
tie plain talking, acknowledged the
supreme imbecility of deciding who
shall direct the affairs of ST. Paul by
asking whether they are Democrats or
of the moment, declared themselves
willing to go to work.
We have no information to Justify
us in saying that they intend
either to prosecute or to aban-
don the work they began. The
facts, however, all tend toward the lat
ter presumption. Even at the outset
those in the confidence Of the Repub-
lican leaders swung the party lash re-
soundingly. They told those gentlemen
whose affiliations have been with Re-
publicanism that they need expect no
sympathy or assistance on ANYTHING
that they might attempt to do outside
of party lines. They announced the
permanency of the machine declared
that it was ready for successful opera
ton, and that it proposed to dominate
city affairs according to the good old
plan. Since that time there has been
the silence of the grave upon any move
ment looking toward a non-partisan or
independent control of municipal busi-
ness. Far more serious than that is
the fact that neither the excellent Re-
publicans nor the excellent Democrats
who were concerned in that movement
have given any evidence that they in
tend to do what is necessary to be
done in order to fulfill their dreams.
This will never be carried out by hold
ing a few meetings, making rafting
speeches, passing resolutions, formu-
lating plan Of campaign and going
home to sleep the sleep of innocence
and virtue,
Nowhere is it so true as in municipal
matters that not only eternal vigilance.
but eternal industry is the price of
liberty What gentlemen so minded
have to do if they expect to accom-
plish anything is to give up to cam
paigning purposes as much of their time
and energy as they do to their private
business They must meet party ma