The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-07

'In the days that were," quoth the Dis
patch. as its mind reverts to the columns
of official advertising displayed in the
pages of hated rival, there was great
money in city printing, while there is
none in it now; there was great corrup-
ton in st. Paul, and disorderly houses
all paid fines into the city treasury"
This, as an argument in mitigation of
the infamous local conditions now exist
ing. represents the best our contemporary
can do. And, if there was wrong doing in
the days that were brother, there were
also Democrats to remedy the same by
their votes, while sleek and oily Repub-
1ican rascals Of the general type that now
dominate our local public life stood
around while the wrong doing was sup
posed to be going on. and lined their
pouches with its proceeds, in those an
Cient and historic days.
The recollection which prevails of
events which happened when the majority
of the voting population were yet in short
clothes must necessarily assume the char
acter of tradition. And so the tradition
prevails that the authors of all the legis-
letiOn by which alone wrong doing was in
those far distant days made possible were
Republican statesmen, all OF them still
living and enjoying great distinction in
party councils, but who in those DAYS
were content to cool their heels in the
hi
for them whether they should consent to
run for legislative honors within this
community
Corrupt legislation, designed to advance
private interests, was the curse of this
community in those ancient times to
which the Dispatch refers, just as 1t is
today and as it has been at every period
in the interval, and such legislation, al
ways and invariably, had local Republic
an origin, today. yesterday and forever.
What sins of omission or commission
might have been committed in the early
history of st Paul, with Republican con-
nivance and approval, have had the moral
as well as the legal statute of limitations
operate against them time and again in
the wide expanse of years that has since
been bridged.
We are living in ST. Paul today, and in
ST. Paul today there is in control of our
local government, as the Dispatch, when
suffering from the pangs of despised love
for city printing!, has frequently assured
us. so measly a set of petit larceny
thieves that their like could not be found
elsewhere, however diligently sought aft
er. 1t is with these we have to deal,
friend. The instinct of every decent man
enables him to point them out when he
visits the court house, as they display
cial desks on every floor from the foul
precincts of the police court, in the base
ment, to the upholstered interior of the
board of public works, up near the at
tic And the trail of them and their con-
federates may be discovered any day ex-
tending from the court house in one di-
rection toward Newspaper Row and in
another toward a sink of individual and
Third street.
when thieves fall out honest men get
their due" These petit larceny thieves
have fallen out. The dispensation of the
city printing has had no little share in
the falling out. and has led to a DISPOSE
ton on the part of certain of them to
-peach" on certain others of them. The
Democracy of st. Paul may consent to
accept the testimony of known confed-
crates when the time comes, as the Dis
patch will please note. But 1t reserves to
itself the right to refuse such testimony.
and to confine itself strictly to the shame
less record when the biennial indictment
comes to be tried next spring.