The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-12
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Here we see that the United States pos
sesses almost as much energy as Great Brit
{ ain, Germany and France collectively, and
that the ratio falling to each American Is
more than what two Frenchmen or Germans
have at their disposal. Moreover, the mill
tary ornaments which keep in forced idle
ness 1000, 600 in Europe are happily unknown
in the United States. 1t is not merely that
European nations are deprived of the labor.
skill and exertions of 100000 men in the
prime of life; they have also to set apart
1,000,0 900 workers Of the agricultural and in
dustral classes to feed and clothe the stand
ing armies and defray the cost of artillery,
war vessels. etc. Thus the average of pro-
ductive energy of France Germany Eng
land, etc., is much less than appears in the
above statement When in connection with
this we consider that we have more miles OF
railway than the rest of the world; that our
commerce, domestic and foreign, is greater
than that Of all Europe excluding Russia,
and that the shipping and commerce of our
inland lakes is greater than that of the Med
iterranean, is 1t not humiliating TO an Amer
lean citizen to be told that must beg
leave of Europe to do justice to our own
people. / have devoted this much time to
this question, because l bciieve it the most
important issue in the national campaign,
and because it is the first time that the peo-
pie have had an opportunity to pass upon it
at the polls.
You refer in your letter to the trusts and
combinations which prey upon the people.
So far as 1t lies in the power Of state law
and state legislation to destroy and prevent
their unjust exactions, that power will be in
voked and applied. But it must not be over
looked that conditions which promise no profit
to legitimate business prone to produce
combinations and trusts in the hope that the
gain which cannot be gotten legitimately may
be secured through the creation of mon
opoIy strict enforcement of the obiga-
lions of common carriers, fair, open and
equal rates of transportation, will go far to-
ward destroying the efficacy of trusts and
combinations for the oppression of the. peo-
pie. Few attempts at monopoly succeed un-
less they control the facilities for transpor-
tation.
While the national questions are entitled to
great consideration at the hands OF the cleo
tors the state issues equally merit their at
tention. The last legislature, in response to
well defined public sentiment, passed an
act to regulate the selection and appointment
of the large number of persons employed in
subordinate positions in the civil service of
the state. Our present governor vetoed the
BILL | think 1t important that this question
be called to the attention OF the voters so
that another legislature be returned that will
again respond to the popular demand. do
not believe that the people Of Minnesota de-
sire that the offices created for their services
should be used to bride the electors and for
the promotion of personal ambition That
public officers who are heads OF departments
or who share the responsibility Of admins
tration with the chief executive should be in
harmony with the policy Of the administra-
ton in one thing: That subordinate positions
recurring special skill or training should be
filled without regard to fitness by any man
whose sole claim to place Is that of political
service and that often of the most question
able kind. is another question. My own
views on this question l can best express by
stating that, while in public life, 1 was
called upon to appoint nearly 300 of my con-
stituents to office. That always succeeded
In selecting the best and fttest among the
applicants is not likely. If / failed 1t was
an error of judgment, but never made an
appointment with reference to any personal
political interests. Neither did demand any
political service, or solicit or receive money
contributions, directly or indirectly from any
of them. Their lips are not now sealed by
party obligation.
RAILROAD QUESTION
The railroad question demands the atten-
ton of the executive oNthe state, and of the
officers appointed by him to administer that
important branch of executive responsibility.
1t should not be approached in a hostile
spirit however hostile the railway interests
of the state may be to our political success.
Both during the campaign, and IL charged
with the responsibility Of administration, I
am sure that those Of our people who sup
port me for the great Office for which l have