The Saint Paul globe., 1897-09-07


party of st. Paul is the absolute prop
erty of the street railway company or
not is one of more interest to Repub-
licans than to any one else. 1t is about
to be decided by the vote on the street
railway ordinance that has passed one
body and is awaiting consideration in
the other And our people are looking,
with no little interest to see whether
this is the meaning of all the backing
and filling, all the delay, all the play
ing into the hands of the company that
has characterized the action of the
council for the last year.
The issue is one which, as we wish to
point out, has been made by the Re
publicans themselves. No Democrat
has raised a finger or a whisper to in
troduce the party line in the consider
alton of the grave question whether or
not the street railway company shalt
be obliged to do it's simple duty to
the public, or whether it shall be forti-
fed by new privileges and special
grants of favor before new charter
shall cut short it's domination in this
city. Democrats everywhere, as far as
we have been able to gather their opin-
fon view the settlement of issues con-
cerning street railway facilities as
public question, entirely dissociated
from politics. 1t is the Republicans
who made mad by the gods, have fast
ened upon themselves the odium OF
constituting their party the alder and
abettor of the schemes of the Twin
City Rapid Transit company
This was first stated plainly and
boldly by Assemblyman Johnson. We
do not admire his attitude but we do
give him credit for his honesty. He is as
FAR above the miserable creatures who
would hide their subservience to their
masters under the cloak of a pretend
ed concern for the public as mistaken
courage is always above interested hy-
pocrisy. When the abominable or1I-
nance giving to the street railway COM
pany practical ownership of St. Paul
was under discussion, it was Mr. John
son who boldly avowed that the oppo-
sition to it was a Democratic scheme,
and who championed it as a Republf-
can. 1t is true that he gave the snap
away. but he was at least open and
above board
We have now another ordinance.
which embodies all that experience has
taught the street railway company and
its agents that they are likely to get.
Abandoning for the moment the
scheme to seize University avenue for
an express railroad train service, they
have centered their fire on the SeIby
avenue line. The G l o b has already
aEalyzed this ordinance and explained
its meaning. The company desires, in
it's own interest, to change the cable
into an electric line. To club the people
into consenting to this, it has rendered
a service so disgraceful1y inadequate
that no court would sustain it for a
moment as a reasonable" service un-
der it's franchise. 1t now asks the de-
sired permission once more; and, as q
condition of this great favor, the coun-
Gil is asked to present it also with the
right to keep the dangerous Selby ave-
nue. grade as it is, to use an unknown
safety device on the hill, and to keep
and hold for this important line a Per
petual franchise instead of one limit
ed, as on all other lines, to fifty years.
This preposterous proposition has
been approved by one body Of the coun-
Gil. It has been lauded to the skies
by the Pioneer Press, which returns
i'll article after article with gusto to
its role Of subserviency. We may sup
pose that the inspiration of this. too,
Is political, for the Dispatch comes in
at the end with a crack of the party
whip that leaves no DISCUSSES in place.
The council, says the Dispatch, is