The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-21

as a journeyman shoemaker, be had
become proprietor of a shoe factory,
and his political duties consisted in
sending a check each year to the cam
paign committee.
Pipgree was nominated for mayor in
1889 because Cleveland had carried the
city a year before by 5000 majority,
and nobody else wanted what was con-
sidered an empty honor. AS soon as
Pingree realized this he became an
cry, and announced that he would be
elected. And he was, by 1900 major
ity, after a hard fight, in which he
pledged himself to redeem the city from
corporation rule if elected. Working
men supported him, in spite of the
fact that he was millionaire. During
the campaign he showed his genius for
organization and knowledge of the
| wishes of the people. Elected, he full
filled his pledges. He made the street
railway companies reduce their fares to
3 cents, improved the streets, had the
gas rates cut in half, taxed big con-
Germs twice as much as they paid be-
fore, and, indeed, reformed so much
that when he came up for nomination
again the politicians were against him.
But the people were with him and he
won. -Four times in succession he was
elected mayor of Detroit, and each time
in spite of the politicians and the cor
porations. Each time his majority was
increased.
Then he made his fight for the gov
ernorship, promising that, if elected, he
would do for the state what he had
| done for the city. Opposed to him were
all of the veteran politicians, like Sen
ator Mcmillan, Alger, Bliss, Burrows
and O'DonnelI. But he beat them all
and got the nomination.
Election as governor followed, as a
matter of course. Mckinley carried
Michigan by $4,000 plurality. Pingree's
plurality was $4,000.
Pingree set to work to reform the
state. He found that Indiana secured
about $2,500,G00 a year in taxes from
railroads, while Michigan, with a larger
railway mileage, had been getting about
100000 from the same source. Pingree
had bill introduced in the legislature
giving the various counties of the state
the power of local taxation over the
railroads, and allowing them to assess
railroad property the same as other
property, and collect taxes from the
corporations independently. The rail-
roads opposed this, but the people ap-
proved, and the result was the passage
of a compromise bill increasing the tax
aCOn on gross earnings ana doubling
the amount of taxes received. But this
was not satisfactory to Pingree, and in
the campaign just closed he made his
fight chiefly in favor of a further in
crease.
The general impression is that Pin
gree is a demagogue. Those who know
him do not believe this. He is a man
of high ideals and exalted principles
His reforms have always succeeded
None of them have been chimeras In
bringing them about he has used the
methods of practical politicians and
has proved himself their master He
has wonderful knowledge of human
nature and he has used it to bring
about the ends he has sought.
In every way he has shown himself
the master politician of the age. Quay
does not own Pennsylvania as thor
oughly as Pingree owns Michigan
Judging by results, he is the greatest
boss of all. DANIEL G. KLEIN.