The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-02-18

Of sewer and paving that we have in Mn
neapolis, and it concludes with still more
humble Acknowledgement Of our debt to
the gentlemen from Maine. Now. while We
have the most profound respect and shall
always honor In the highest degree those
pioneers who set the foundations of Mnne-
apol!s. we must still believe that 1t is the
highest duty of city of this magnitude to
look forward and not back.
What is a city? Practically 1t is a CO.
operative establishment for the prooaga-
ton OF mental, moral and material pros
perity among its members every stock
holder holding stock TO the extent of one
share. And l believe that the shareholder
Is rightfully restricted to one share for
each member; one share for the miliona re,
another share for the hod carrier. NJ man.
unless he is a monopolist of the rights Of
his fellow citizens to hold more than one
share. daughter and aplpause.D No set
of men. whatever their eminence In finance
In politics, In education. or even In theo-
logy. to corral a majority of the stock.
Q.aushter) The votels of the city are the
directors Of this company. But. gentlemen.
We vote not only fur ourselves but for
the women and the children. and are an
swerable to them for the use tina, ,ve mako
Of those votes The corporation goes into
efforts that Il commercial business would
not effect. because i. has more than IL
commercial responsibility. 1t reprehen,is
crime and ai3pr"!:.iiIa criminals. II nd,,-
cntcS; 1t looks into The public health. II
relieves poverty; i, continually dissi s=s
its ACTS, 50 essentially soc.;,listc In order
Tia, The individual might believe that lie
llinauit does all the$c ;!linSS. And hero is
wi!".e the municipal corpjra tiuns d p into
poetry. 1t is contributing TO the common
stu Is OF tn. Imagination.
Minneapolis is a city: 1t is the largest
Plant OF the kind in the state rI MINES ,t.,.
1t spends annually lheo millions of dol
lar.. il has borrowed over six million dol
.ars ON its credit. Ii has useu This money
TO l'nt in the machinery ri the plant. the
sewers, the water mains. tn" school build
i,SS. The public libraries. the waite. works;
The plant Is still Incomplete There axe
many things srcublc; many lhngS seen;
but those who have opportunities. and
whose duties call them to examine the SIT
uation more carefully than others. know OF
hundreds OF things that we ought to have
that wc have not yet. The city needs
more school buildings: 1t needs more parks;
II needs Il more ample and Il better water
supply.
From time to time the directors Of the
company confer together to the best
means of accomplishing .llese things; and
when they come together there are only
two questions before th-m. one is to raise
more revenue. aud To do mors' things. The
other is to got along with revenue they
have. and divert their energies from one
direction into other channels. During the
past few years the directors of this cor
poration have thought 1t wise not 10 buy
any moro prosperity than they could af-
ford. U.aughter.) They have resolved net
to increase the public contribution, but can
this system be made IL permanent feature
Of the policy of this city? | am spe liking
now OF the business policy and not Of any
other policy" which has departed. Iauyh-
ter and applauscD
If it could, then we could never Justify
the outlay that has already been made here.
and Minneapolis would remain Il village.
We are all rXpansinnists on this point. Not
OF the Kind of cccleS asst, al expansion which
found It's voice in This room last evening.
The Kind of expansion that urges us to
pass over into the Ultimate Thule with Il
bible in one hama. and sword in the other,
carefully outstanding the sword in the right
h;tnd. calling upon distant peoples to believe
or die. daughter and appl:lllScD There Is
still some little difference of opinion "pon
mat kind of expansion. But city expansion
need not divide us: ii should unite us to re-
aliZo li,lrke's definition of government, IL
c"htrlVance of human wisdom to provide
Tor human wants: and men have Il right
That their wants SHALL be provided for by
that wisdom. The city government involves
human wisdom ana silpcrhuman Lour ,ge.
me problems are mol deep nor intricate.
We are all agreed that tho pressing prob
lem OF il ctys busin, SIS is that of :'alsing
revenue: how to obtain it, how to obtain
enough of 1t and stilI keep TO the constitu-
tlonal proposition shat taxes should he laid
as nearly equal as possible. Tn. quality in
taxation does not mean Il horizontal fed,lc-
ton "r elevation Of taxes. 1t means to
take IRON citizens for the public good in
proportion to their benefits from the public
1t means Il laying on of hands on natural
monopolies created by the congestion OF
population. 1t means special contribution
flom specially favored classes. 1t does not
mean rontlscation: Il does mean regulation;
II may mean absorption, that depending up
Oh how the favored classes look upon the
attempts Of the people to regulate them
CApplauSc.)
We have municipal campaigns in this
town every two years We usually select
two men to run for The office of mayor, and
then about six others select themselves to
run for the same office. U-aughterJ These
men become the target OF the campaign.
One OF them survives and we praise him,
pouring congratulations into his gaping
wounds and setting him into the city han,
our old city hail. where he may die of bad
air and unwhOlcSomc surroundings Q.algh-
terD We believe then that we have done
our duty and retire from politics for a
couple of years. All OF this time we should
have been clecting IL city assessor, a city
assessor who coli!h find the assets of IA
New jersey corporation without IL search
warrant. our effort is vast but it Is ms
directed. The way to run IL city Is To :;,t
at the fountain of thu citys life-i.s lc:c-
MUGS. Clear the stream, increase Is How
ana watch without ecasinS where he life
stream ruilH II there is Il leak in tn. pip.
IL ii runs into the cellar OF an aidnyu M
dam the leak. cloud laughter ANA 10.
pauSc) II You i!ld Il part ur this steam
Turning where ii does 10 good. ;,,iu IL into
more useful channels. mis- Is what the
directors of Il city should b. doing instead
of mixing their local affairs with the cur.
rrncy and HE Philippine question
The right of the people in the streets: the
right ofsthc return of The ul,arncu incre-
mrnt of profit To the original stuckhul,lrrs.
the development of mental, mora! and ma
lrrEli prosperity among the members of the
company in Il city is 4 political trade by it,
self IL il IS studied 1t may become , sol
cnrc: II II is neglected i! may develop into
Il riot. CApplause.)
Following Mayer Gray Fred srhilu,,
spoke on 'rhc League of Drmorrnti
Mission Of Young Men in Politics." Scn,,nr
S. ~. S.ockwrll on The People ana poli-
ties Il. ID. O'Brirn on "rhe Dumocrnlic
Party" To the everlasting credit of tins.
four men. they said what they had In saw
In Just about three minutes apiece, and they
said 1t uncommonly we'll From tho s,,h.
jects assigned them il Will be understood
that anything they chose to say on Demnr-
racy III general would lit either or ali nf
the subjects Sc they made their addresses
not In the political pl:.titrdes of the s,umn
orator. but pithily and peppery, lust ihn
right sort OF appctlzcrs Tor the solid mart
OF the program.
Gov. Lind spoke from manuscript and
arologized therefor. He had prepared hi.
subject Politics: Ideal and Practical" and
pleaded that az an excuse for saving Soma
things which other speakers had said Will
applause greeted the governor when he be-
gan, and although his address los, some.
what from being /, ad. lie made point after
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