St. Paul daily globe., 1896-04-26
ANCIENT AND FIsHLIKE.

With still a week and more Of the
campaign to be carried on, the Repub-
Iican orators are reduced to the last
extremities for material. The ground
was cut away from their feet when the
Democracy nominated a ticket ire
proachable in character and honorable
In aim and place it upon a platform
representing the best aspiration Of the
people for good municipal government
Since that happened the representa-
tives of the Republican machine have
secured the earth for campaign argu-
ments. They have not been able to
find a flaw in the Democratic armor,
and are now scuttling over the town
devoting themselves solely to two sets
of statements. One, which is taken
by the more reckless and unscrupu-
lous of their heelers, consists Of un-
blushing falsehood. A certain number
of Republicans who are in this cam
paign either for money that they have
already received, or for the hope Of
place that has been promised to them,
are falsifying, publicly and privately,
the record of Mr.. Cullen as a member
of the common council. That record
speaks for itself There is no act
in his public life which does not bear
show the warmest sympathy and
strongest sense of justice for the work.
ingman. The lying statements that are
banded about will affect the result
as little as they reflect credit upon
those who make them, or the party that
hopes to profit by them.
The other species of Republican advo-
cate, who is too honorable for this
sort of tactics, goes back into history
several years and attempts to resur-
rect the old cry of the gang" 1t was
this campaign howl of "the gang" if
we remember Alright, that did most to
elect Col. F. P. Wright as mayor, and
to so disgust the people with the men
who had used it for their selfish pur-
poses as to transfer the power to the
Democratic party once more at the end
of his administration. THE gang"
''the machine boss rule and a lot
more such catch-words have been
worn threadbare by those whose
empty heads are not capable
of generating anything original, and
who prattle over these expressions in
the hope that they will frighten some
silly voter, long after they have ceased
to have any practical application. Moth
ing can be more grotesque than the
talk of Republican orators and news
influence" in this campaign. Unfort-
unately for themselves, these words
have acquired, in their mouths, q spe-
cial Significance. They have used them
$50 abundantly in previous campaigns
and explained to the people so particu
ilarly what they meant, that there Is
no evasion.
By the gang these Republican
politicians referred to certain ele-
ments in the Democratic party whose
control OF public affairs they depre-
cate. Those very elements have shown
themselves at least far more compe-
tent and more trustworthy in office
than the Republicans who had a trial
as their successors. But whatever
may be thought of that. and
whether the persons referred to
on the Republican side as "the
gang" stand for good or i'll in politics.
the fact is patent to every one that
the Democratic Citizens ticket this
year represents no bosses, no manag
ers, no controlling element, no alb
herrent influence in politics, but the
spontaneous demand of the people for
q new regime, and a clean and efficient
local government. The one condition
on which Mr.. Cullen was induced to
accept the nomination was that he
should remain unpledgcd absolutely 10
any man or any measure. There is no
man living who dares to say that Mr..
Cullen is bound by any promise. ex-
pressed or implied, to any act what
ever In his official career, should he be
elected as mayor. He has not even
settled in his own mind who would
be bis appointees. That Is the last