The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-02

The Distinguished Divine Depre-
Gates the Fact That i'm st. Paul
the Most NimbIe Vote-Getter
and Best Patron of the Saloon
Is the Man Selected to Run for
Public Office.
Rev Samuel G. Smith delivered point
ed address upon 1.-THE Christian Citizen"
yesterday afternoon, in the Y. M c. A.
rooms, before a good-sized audience Of
young men, in which he denounced COR
ruption in ward politics in st. Paul in no
uncertain terms. The reverend gentle
man said, "Why is it that the very ward
in which this meeting is held is run by
the saloons and brothels on election day?
1t is because the best of our citizens vote
some of them don't. but I am glad to
say that the better part debut go no
further than that. They do not take hold
and organize the ward and precinct, gath
ering together the highminded people,
and put up the right class of men for
office. Instead of that the element that
I have just referred to puts on the ticket
the man who is the most nimble vote
getter and who will spend the most
money in the saloon. Not until the good
people of this city awake will public serv-
ice become public honor
ga man will tell you the ward or pre-
cinct is in the hands of a boss and that
nothing can be done. I tell you that
boss or an evil political element is moth
ing in the presence of an awakened COM
mInity. The churches are full of men who
are not Christian citizens. The Christian
citizen is the man who has faith, and
goes forth to the polls to down these
elements of iniquity, and gets his neigh
Dor to go, and gives his time to a study
Of pure municipal government. Every
young man in the city of st. Paul should
study the government of our city. Every
man should have an intelligent opinion
on subjects Of local Importance and eX-
press it as we'll. A few young men
could band themselves together and
make their influence felt. Why, for one
thing, I should like to see the matter of
public franchises enter local politics. L
should like to see it so that, when we
find a man in the council who is allow
ing himself to be bribed, he can be put
out and man of character put in. L
have been p1 esent at a meeting of the
first men of the town, and actually heard
a man boast of getting bill through the
legislature by bribing the members. 1
believe that the man that brides is worse
than the man that is bribed, for the rea-
son that he has influence and wealth,
while the man he approaches is poor
man and a weak man, and he draws him
further down and degrades him.
1.-THE better governed the town the more
the people get out of it. The time Will
come when a much higher tax will be in
vogue, and it will not be the aim to see
how low a tax we can get along WITH
but how high a tax the people can stand
We will then have better schools, Ii
braries and galleries. And we will get it
all back by people coming to our city
and spending money here. 1t will be
known that the municipality has these
things and besides the aesthetic value TO
the people such advances will give ma
terial returns to the people who paid Tor
the improvements. There is nothing so
remunerative as money put in a town.
Instead of spending it ourselves we spend
il on others and in the end it is
source of great benefit.
s'In politics we should put the very best
men in Office. We should use our con-
sciences in voting, and If we do this the
scoundrels will be thrown out Of public
affairs The man to run for public office
is the honest, straightforward man. Not
the man who has no enemies, for he IS
invariably a weak man. You never saw
a strong, straightforward man that was
without enemies. He is the very one VINO
stirs I'D the opposition, the opposition to
all that is good and the friends OF the
devil
eve have seen a great deal of pa
triotism during the last year, and partic-
ularly during the last few days. The
celebration that has been going on IN
New York is all right, but what we want
right here in st. Paul is a new patriotism,
a patriotism that will make st. Paul the
ideal city of the country, and deserving
Of the name it bears"