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


Of sewer and paving that We have in Mn
neapolis. and 1t concludes with a 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
apolis. We must still believe that 1t Is the
highest duty of a city of this magnitude to
look forward and not back.
What is city? Practically 1t is a CO.
operative establishment for the prooaga-
ton Of mental. moral and material pros
perisy among its members, every stock
holder holding stock to the extent of one
share. And believe that the shareholder
Is rightfully restricted to one share for
each member: one share for the mlliona re,
another share for the hod carrier No man.
unless he is monopoist Of the rights Of
his fellow citizens. to hold more than one
share. daughter and aplpause) No set
of men, whatever their cmnence In finance,
In politics. IN education, or even in theo-
logy, to corral a majority of the stock.
U.aughterD The voters OF the city are the
directors of this company. But. gentlemen.
We vote no. only for ourselves but for
the women and the children. a:rl are an
swerable to them for The use that Ne make
of those votes. The corporation goes into
efforts that Il commercial business would
not effect. because i: has more than a
commercial responsibility. 1t reprehends
crime and arprri!. ads criminals. 1t edu-
relieves poverty; !, continually dissl ses
lis acts. essentially soctalstic in order
l!i.t the indivitua. might believe that lie
himself does all theS- ;!iinss And here is
wl!c,s tho municipal corporations DIP into
pp.lry. 1t is contributing to the comn,on
stock OF tn. Imagination.
Minneapolis is Il city; 1t is the largest
plant OF the kind in the state ri MINES ,t,.
II spends annually th,co millions of dol
lars. ii has borrowed over six million dol
f.,,.-.
to pat in the machinery OF the plant. the
sewers the water mains. the school build
i,iss. the public libraries. the w.;e' works;
The plant is still Incomplete. There are
many things seeabc; many things 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 we have not as yet. The city needs
more school buildings: 1t needs more parks;
1t needs 1, more ample and u better water
supply.
From time to time the directors OF the
company confer together to the best
means of accomplishing these things; and
when they come together there are only
two questions before hem. one is to raise
more revenue. and to do NOR. 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 it wise not TO buy
any moro prosperity than they could af-
ford. U.aughterD 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 speaking
now OF til" business policy and not of any
other policy" which has departed. u.augh-
ter and appausc)
IL 1t could. then we could never Justify
the outlay that has already been made here,
and Minneapolis would remain village.
We are all cxpansionists on this point Not
of the kind of eccles ,astt al expansion which
found it's voice i'll this room last evening.
the kind Of expansion that urges us to
pass over into the Ultimate Thule with 4
bible in one hand. aud A sword in the other.
carefully outstanding the sword in the right
hand. calling upon distant peoples to believe
or die. daughter and applausc) There Is
still some little difference of opinion "pon
that kind of expansion. But city expansion
need not divide US; ii should unite us to re-
alizo Eurke's definition of government. a
contrivance of human wisdom to provide
Tor human wants; and men have Il right
mat their wants shall be provided for by
That wisdom The city government involves
human wisdom and supcrhuman courage.
i no problems are not deep nor intricate.
We are all agreed that the pressing prob
lem of Il city's busn, SIS is that of :'dlsing
revenue: how TO obtain it, how to obtain
enough of Ii and still keep TO the constitu-
tlonil proposition that taxes should be laid
as nearly equal as possible The quality in
taxation does not mean horizontal 1educ-
ton or elevation OF taxes. 1t means to
take from citizens Tor the public good in
proportion to their benefits from the public.
1t means Il laying on OF hands on natural
monopoies created by the congestion of
population. 1t means special contribution
from specially favored classes. 1t does not
mean contiscation; Il does mean regulation:
IL may mean absorption, that depending up
ON how the favored classes look upon the
attempts OF the people to regulate them.
(ApDuuSc.D
We have municipal campaigns In this
town every two years. We usually select
two men to run for The office of mayor, ard
then about six others select themselves to
run for the same office. Q-aughter.) These
men become the large, Of the campaign.
one oil them survives and we praise him.
pouring congratulations into his gaping
wounds and setting him into the city hail.
our old city hall. where he may die of bad
air and unwhoesomc surroundings. Q.augh-
tcr) 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 clectng Il city assessor. L city
assessor who could find the assets Of Il
New Jersey corporation without IL search
warrant. our effort is vast, but it is MIS-
directed. The way to run IL city Is to ret
at the fountain OF the cty's life--its lcve-
nurs. Clear the stream, increase l:s How
anu watch without ccasing whore he life
stream runs. If there Is Il leak in the pipe
il it runs into the cellar of an alderman,
dam the leak. cloud laughter AMI ~
plauSc) If YOU lind Il part of this stream
running where 1t dues no good. ;uru ii into
more useful channels. This Is what the
directors of Il city should b. doing instead
of mixing their local affairs with the cur.
rcncy and the Philippine question:
The right of the people IN the streets: the
right of'thc return of the untarned mere
mrnt of profit TO the original Stockholders:
the development of mental. moral and ma
trriai prosperity among the members of the
company in Il city is n political trade by it,
self If it Is studied IL may become n sci.
encc: IL 1t is neglected II may develop into
II riot C\ppiause.)
Following Mayor Gray. Fred Schllpin
spoke on 1.-THE League of Democrats
Clubs" Senator c. q. baldwin on "rho
Mission of Young Men in Politics." Senator
s. y. Stockwell on The People and poIi
ties" II. ID. O'Brirn on "rhe DomocrnIic
Party" To the everlasting credit of thnsa
four men. they said what they had ia snv
said 1t uncommOnly we'll. From the sinh
jects assigned them it Will be understood
that anything they chose to say on Demnr
racy in general would ut either or an NJ
the subjects Sc they made their atldressa.
not III the political platitlldes of tho s,un,n
orator, but pithily and peppery, Just ihr
right sort OF appc,izcrs for the solid mart
of the program.
Gov. Lind spoke from manuscript and
apologiZed therefor. lie had prepared hi:
subject, Politics: ideal and Practical" and
pleaded that as an excuse for saving some
things which other speakers had said \vt,,i
applause greeted the governor when hr no.
gan. and although his address los, some,
what from being read. he made point after