The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-02
HAZEN 8. PINGREE's TOWN.
A Talk With the Governor of Mich
iEan.

IA AalR Win the UOVernOr Oh MICH
igan.
Special Correspondence Of the Globe.
DETROIT, Dec. 81 never drop in
to Detroit of late years without Won
dering what the city, the state and
about If Hazen S. Pingree should be-
come an angel.
What with his potato patch scheme,
his street railroad contest for lower
fares. his shoe factory, his lake Of as
phalt in Venezuela, his governorship
and his possible candidacy for the
United States Senate and a certainty
that he will be a candidate for re-elec-
ton as governor, he comes pretty near
being the whole thing in the public eye
The day I arrived the papers an
nounced that his purchase Of lake Of
asphalt in Venezuela was a failure be-
cause he could not understand Span
tsh. He went there and secured an
option from the president of the COM
pany to buy the lake for $4,000, but
in the Spanish, which he didn't under
stand. there was a proViso that the
board Of directors must ratify, and in
stead of ratifying, when Pingree was
ready to close, the directors made the
price 100000.
Then 1t was announced that the man
who gave him the tip on the asphalt
lake had demanded a position on the
Detroit board Of public works, both as
a reward for the tip and in order to
work in more asphalt for street paving.
Pingree assumed this was intended as
a bride and refused to go into the deal,
but went to Venezuela on his own ac-
count. The man who offered the al
legged bride published a card, one Of
Pingree's friends published a reply and
Ptngree gave an interview, intimating
that he could paralyze the briber by
telling the whole story, which he con-
siderately withheld.
All this was coupled with the an
nouncement that Pingree was opposed
to the reelection of julius Caesar Bur-
rows to the United States senate with
an interview on this subject. To this
was added another interview with Pin
gree. in which he bitterly denounced
the anti-scalping bill.
This was the dose which struck me
amidships the first day l reached De-
troit in the combined evening and
morning papers. four in all. Is 1t any
wonder that I seemed to be eating,
drinking and breathing Pingree.
After taking the precaution to sleep
over 1t to avoid being asphyxiated by
Pingreeism, I concluded that, if I
wanted to see the state Of Michigan
and part of Canada, had better take
y
he was in the city. as his presence does
not seem to be greatly needed at the
capital at Lansing. [ found him at
the office Of the corporation counsel,
and met g. plain business man without
any air or pretensions.
1t was no trouble to make his &C
quaintance He held in his hand
printed circular concerning which he
commenced to talk as soon as l intro
duced myself. It was an appeal in
behalf Of the anti-scalper bill now
pending in congress. Without waiting
for me to ask any questions, he said:
This is the greatest fraud ever at
tempted on the American people. Look
at this circular appealing to clergymen
because they get half fare rates and
asking them to lobby for this bill.
do not believe any law can stand
which forbids a man from selling his
own property, and I am asking every
honest man to watch the course of
congressman and senators on that bill.
If such a bill can be passed and en-
forced, our boosted American liber-
ties are gone. If I buy and pay for
railroad ticket, it is my property, and
1 have a right to dispose Of it just as
L have of any other property that I
own. Any man who will vote for such
an Ubiquitous measure as that isn't fit
to represent a constituency of yellow
dogs"
After delivering himself of this out
burst the governor seemed to be re-
HeVed and gave me a chance to ask a
question or two. 1 asked him if he ex-
pected to be a candidate for the I'm ted
States senate. He disclaimed his can
didacy but after the manner of VOW
ing that while he'd ne'er consent con-
serted. But my question gave him an
opportunity to mention another one of
his reforms. He desires to see the SEN
ators elected by the people and ex-
pressed great confidence that that
would come. He said he was opposed
to both of the United States senators
from Michigan. I'VE need a new deal
here. We've been misrepreSented and
played with for the benefit of corpora
tiCns and syndicates long enough. and
it is time we sent some real live men
down to Washington, men of character,
brains and honesty. That's the posi-
ton L am going to take and they can't
drive me out of it by setting up hum
dred candidates for governor"
When 1 asked him if he would be a
candidate for reelection as governor,
he conceded that he probably would,
but said that he was giving himself no
anxiety on that subject. His lake of
asphalt deal he did not seem to wish
to talk about and in replies to my d.
rect questions. anent the story that he
did not understand Spanish, he said.
You'll have to rely on the newspapers
about that. They seem to know all
about that affair"
One of the morning papers had con-
tanned a fierce communication from
Gov. Pingree. claiming that the eff
fort to secure three-cent street car
fares had not been failure It-will be
remembered that Gov. Pingree, while
mayor, undertook to have street car
fares reduced to three cents, and fail
Ing in this, got another company to en-
ter the city on the three-cent basis.
His card contained these statements:
''The Detroit railway cost in round
numbers, 81, 800, 900. After it was COM
pleted it was bonded at that sum at
per cent. If the bonds were sold the
owners got back all that was paid for
the construction of the road.
If they were not sold, they have re-
ccived a greater income than the peo-
pie that have money deposited in the
savings banks. The reports Of the rail-
road company show that after paying
interest upon all the bonds there was a
profit of more than per cent on the
stock"
1 understand the real reason why the
maycr-governor is so exercised on the
question is that he has been circum-
vented after all. He got the new street
car company to come in and now it
has practically consolidated with the
old corporation. A well-informed gen
tleman in Detroit, told me that it was
really the old corporation which put
in the new railroad, but Mayor Pin
gree did not know that at the time He
told me today, that the two corpora
lions were practically united, and that
instead Of allowing the 81, 100000 Of
bonds, which the new road had cost,