The Saint Paul globe., 1897-01-03
have better government, and Democ-
racy will come to it's own again.
THEY NEvER HEARD TT.


THEY NEVER HEARD TT.
Milwaukee's habit is that of steady
gcing, sedate, dignified burg, never
hurrying and always finding time to
sit down and sip a schooner of beer
over discussions Of those abstract ques-
tions which delight the Teutonic mind.
But now and then it puts aside this
habit and assumes an abandonment
OF self-gratulation worthy Of Mime
apolis or of Chicago in that city's
vealy stage. Readers of Milwaukee
papers have been regaIed with effusive
write-ups of her new city hall that
cost ever so much, with it's tower that
is ever so high, and, lately, Of it's bell
for the tower Of the city hall that
weighs ever so much. A couple of col
umns of description in the best Of style
of the New World; told how the eleven
ton bell was hauled from the foundry
on massive trucks by ponderous Perch
erons to the foot Of the tower, and
how grandly it was lifted to and swung
into its perch ever so many feet above
the street
All this was preparatory to the great
event which was to be the solemn
ringing out Of the old year and the
ringing in of the new by this resonant
pell Vo1celess until that eventful mo-
ment. The facile pencils of the versa
tile reporters told how the mighty
hammer was to be driven against the
paIpitating sides of the sonorous mon
ster. by means of compressed air, at the
solemn hour Of midnight, and made 10
announce to the listening multitude the
turn OF the year by strokes 1897.
Within the dwelling of the bell there
We're to be gathered the notables of the
town, with ears stuffed with cotton
TO break the concussion of the deafen-
Ing tones as they rolled off the culver
ing sides Of the smitten monster, car
rying far and wide the announcement
of the synchronous birth and death.
All Milwaukee and the adjoining world
were asked to perk their ears about
the mystic hour to hear the great bell
welcome in the new year and send the
ola one or on its reverberations until
they and the vanished year dissolved
In the ewigkeit. Especially were those
remote asked to listen so that the tone
distance of the bell might be found.
Every loyal Milwaukeean desisted
from going to bed at the customary
hour of nine and sought wakefulness
III coplous draughts of doppelbrau in
oruer that no note of the wondrous
oell should be lost to his attentive
ears. Incipient yawns, as the slow
hours moved past. the time when staid
M1lWaukeans are gently snoring, were
stlHed with fresh gulps of Milwaukee,
best >brau, for none would be SO dis
loyal to the city as be doing when
the pell rang. Slowly, as time always
moves Tor those who wait, the fate
ful hour approached and Milwaukee,
ears were on the qui vive The belfry's
dlzzy heights had been climbed bv
faithful men Of news,Lnotebooks in
hand. ready to catch and record every
incident Of the great event
Midnight came 7And no one heard
that bell. O,hyes, 1t rang. the COM
pressed air drove the, mighty hammer
hard against the trenulous sides and
1t is safe to assume that the sonorous
notes rolled out upon the stilly ali.
ana Hoated off over hill and dale and
lake. But no one heard them. NOT
because they were not awake and alive
but because others were awake and
very much alive. There had been one
fatal omission in all these minute prep
arations and details. No Injunction
had laid it's silencing mandate upon
the whistles of the factories of that
factoried town. Under each of the
thousands of boilers firemen had kent
the fires burning,5and in each Of them
angry steam sizzIeI and ragged for re-
lease. And when the witching hour
came every one of the thousands Of
~
whistles gave 5eacaphonous voice to the
imprisoned steam and screamed and
roared in all their multifarious tones.
from the shrill veil of the little whistle
over the sausage factory to the hoarse
below of the big breweries. The bell,
the eleven ton bell,zin the tower ever
SO high, of the half that cost ever SO
much, was drowned, swamped, over
slaughed, dwarfed, silenced. Com,
pressed air was beaten by compressed
steam And every loyal Milwaukeean
sWore big round oath and drained off
another glass of lager and went
grumbling to bed.
COMPARISON OF TAXATION.