The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-01
\ PURELY PERsoNA1 MATrpR ;,


A "PURELY Personal MATTER"
Queer notions some persons have who,
by some strange dispensation Of Provi-
dence, are put where they can pose their
notions as public opinion" or the voice
of the press" For instance, here we have
an evening paper saying that what it
is pleased to term the quarrel of Gov
Lind and Senator Miller is "a purely per-
sonal matter" A senator of the state,
who is also editor of a rural paper, says
In his paper that bill which he, as sem
ator, introduced and fathered. was vetoed
by the governor because some influential
person, whose interests he assumed were
affected tnjuriously by the bill, ordered
the governor to veto it. The governor
replies, in dignif1ed open letter, ignor-
ing the insinuation Of corruption made by
the petulant senator, and proceeds to
state at length the legal reasons which
led him to veto the bill. And this matter
Is only "a purely personal matter in the
opinion of this astute molder Of public
opinion.
Cne who has read the editorials of the
Republican papers since the veto of the
Miller bill will conclude, from the prom
inence given it, the constant harping upon
it, the echoing and re-echU1ng of Miller's
destinations, that, so far from being a
purely personal matter" between the
governor and the senator-editor, it was
matter of the highest public concern.
Urban papers, respectful of their own po-
sition, still clipped these yelptngs of the
Trays, Blanches and Sweethearts, and re-
printed them as expressive of current
opinion. If we concede to these first the
ability to distinguish between what at
fects the public and that which affects
their party, and assume their sincerity,
then it is quite clear that the Republican
press of the state regard this as some
thing more than quarrel between two
state officials. of purely personal inter
est" to themselves, and look upon it as a
matter of serious public concern.
But much depends upon the point of
view, and that is as various as is the con-
cept of what is public and what is purely
personal held by the various onlookers.
1t may be difficult for a person normally
instance, that the legislator who sells his
vote or accepts a bride is engaged in a
purely personal matter of no concern
whatever to the public Or that a govern
or might, for monetary or other valu-
able consideration, negative a measure of
general Importance as he might refuse to
buy or sell horse, or transact or refuse
to transact any other business whose
private nature was indisputable. And
still it happens now and then that one
meets persons who do hold that any such
action is a purely personal matter with
which the general public has no right to
NEEDLE and the discussion of which by
the public or it's press is an unwarranta-
BILE piece of impertinence.
But we are inclined to the more charita-
BILE view that the paper taking this pc
culiar position is merely making a Fill
Pine retreat; getting out of range of the
governors artillery. So much has been
made of that veto, so large a quantity OF
party capital seemed to be wrapped up in
it. it seemed so promising a find, and, after
the governor finished with it, there was
so little left of it, that. really, there is
nothing left for the carping press of the
opposition to do but to assume that it IS
a trifting affair, only a quarrel between
matter