The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-04
THE OUTRAGE C0NsUMMATED.

range, 10; amount of precipitation (rain or
melted snow) in last twenty-four hours. 0.
THE OUTRAGE CONSUMMATED.
The plan Of Mayor Doran, matured
with the advice and consent Of lead
ers in his party, for prostituting the
fire board Of ST. Paul to political ends,
has been carried through its final
stages and awaits only a formal ratifi-
cation by the newly constituted board
itself We have to give Mayor Doran
credit for a sort Of brute courage
which frequently accompanies absence
Of intelligence, in making move so
radical and so offensive to every prln-
ciple Of good citizenship. Whatever
may be said, truthfully or falsely,
about the various administrations Of
st. Paul. no one of them ever dared or
desired to attempt to interfere with or
prevent business conduct of the two
important boards controlling the af-
fairs Of the water and fire departments
If it was held thai, if spoilsmen had
@ right tc run 1iot elsewhere, they
were barred out here. If policemen
were occasionally appointed or re-
moved for political reasons, al
though that never happened with the
bare-faced effrontery that has charac-
terized the present administration, or
If politics played a part in the con-
stitution Of the street force, aus has
been charged against administrations
inc r.,
sharply at those important services on
which the public health and the safety
of property depended. No man ever
sunk so low as to hold that the fire
department, depending for it's value
wholly upon efficiency and experience,
should be tainted by the curse of par
tisan politics. No one ever dreamed
of asserting or implying that firemen
should be employed or discharged, or
that the fire departments chief, on
whose fitness for his post hangs the
fate of millions Of dollars every year,
should be nominated to assist a party
cause or to crafty political spleen. 1t
is an outrage that should stir this COM
munity to it's depths to have the ex-
ecutive head of the government de-
fberately arrange, IN order to pro-
mote his own denomination, to turn
over the fire department of st. Paul
to the hungry and thirsty Of his party
We do not cast any personal refec-
ton upon the new appointees, who are
gentlemen Of reputation in the COM
munity; but each of these men knew
we'll that to accept such an appoint
ment under the circumstances under
which 1t was offered was equivalent
to an implied pledge to carry out the
mayors determination. 1t is idle to
offer protestation and say that no
pledge has been asked by the mayor or
given to him. OF course not. Even
political babes do not conduct their
transactions in that way. Mr.. Walther
states the whole case when he says
that he has made no promises, but that
he, thinks he knows how the mayor
feels, and that the mayor knows his
views on the subject. Such an I'M
derstanding, which requires not to be
along the line; and the acceptance of
an appointment on the fire board I'M
der such circumstances is just as final
and as binding as if it were a signed
agreement to depose Chief Jackson
and to establish a political rule for ap-
pointment in the fire department. This,
which has been accomplished in one
great branch Of the public service, will
be introduced in the other-the water
board-as fast and as far as Mayor
Doran can carry it. Without a single
excuse for his action, with both of
these departments having q splendid
record of efficiency behind them, with
their present conduct all that it could
be desired, both from the point Of
economy and from that Of fitness, with
no explanation even to offer, except
the callow sprouting OF his wretched.
puny ambition, the mayor decides to
turn the fire board and the water
board into political machines and let
the people stand the consequences,
AS we have said, it is a bold move,
and it will depend upon the temper Of
the people of st. Paul whether it is
q winning or a losing one. If they
tolerate this kind of thing, If they sub
NIT while the polluted hand of politics
Is laid upon departments of their ser
vice that it never yet dared to touch,
they know what they have to expect.
They can look forward indefinitely to
a. city government. alternating. per-
haps, from party to party. but as cor