The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-25

approval of the railway deal itself, de-
scrlbed by the electorate as 'the sale of
the country This ranked in the breasts
of the masses, not only from sentimental,
but also from practical reasons The
measure was held up to them as the sale
of everything Of value the colony pos
sessed for a mere pittance- q tenth of
its value: 1t was pointed out that prop
critics which Reid had paid less than
$300O,OO for he was about to sell for $25,-
100000, and it was asserted, with what
truth none could say, that when Reid
was getting the railway for $1,000,000 an
other offer of $1,000, 900 was to be had for
the same property. The people as
whole are handicapped by their insularity
and could not readily grasp the fact that
Mr.. Reid's enterprise and expenditures
had effected a transformation in the
value of the properties, and made than,
in combination, workable undertaking
which alone would warrant the capitali-
cation at a large figure and make 1t like
ly that ffnanciers would be ready to in
tereSt themselves in 1t.
The main bone of contention, however,
was the manner in which Reds land
grants had been awarded Amounting to
4,OO0,O0O acres, and requiring to be taken
up within three years it was impossible
to properly survey them. Huge blocks of
territory aggregating many square miles
We're reserved by Reid in different parts
of the island, on the reports OF his pros
pectors to him of the mineral forest or
arabic resources of these sections Claim
ing these tracts as a whole 1t followed
all over the country should be appropri-
ated, and that timber areas for public use
should be transferred to Reid. In this
island, where fishing is the main indus
try, the building of boats and schooners
is an important cognate aVocadOn, and
! from time immemOrial it. has been the
custom to procure this wood in the for
ests which fringe the deep bays without
payment to anybody LAUNDERING on q
small scale has also developed of late
years, mills being set up on the banks of
minor ~
These were, in many instances, Ousted by
! Reid also and it is not difficult to i'm
ed against him by these facts. When to
! this there is added the further circum-
stance that In several instances churches,
cemeteries, schools and public buildings
are included, that in other cases he holds
! stretches of foreshore including whole
| villages, that in still other cases he
| blankets desirable fishing locations eX-
| tending to the waters edge and that
practically every mining area in the ISL
! and is pre-empted by him, 1t Is scarcely
| surprising that there is widespread
! public agitation against him and his mo-
| nopoly.
THE DANGER FORESEEN.
| The control of the telegraphs by Reid
! is another unWelcOme arrangement. 1t
! gives him an oversight of everybody s
| business, and in branches of industrial
| activity where he is a competitor with
| others, such as mining, numbering,
! freighting, etc, it gives him an immense
| advantage over them, should he be dis
| posed to use improperly the knowledge
| he could thus obtain The immense value
! this control of the wires is to him has
! been illustrated in the present cam
! patgn, which has been an object lesson
J to the country as to the necessity of re-
! covering them from him and re-es tablish-
| ing them under public management. The
| curbing of any disposition on the monOp-
! olists part to assume autocratic powers
! in this connection is generally agreed to
| be essential. and the prevention of Reid s
making political agencies out of the SerV-
ices which he directs is regarded by right
thinking men as being imperatively nee
| essary.
But over and above all else was the
| one cardinal fact that if Reid secured
control of the legislature he would be
| lord and master of the whole country.
A man must be unsuspecting indeed who
| would not see in the forces Reid has ar
| rayed behind him as a parliamentary
following prospect of grave danger to
| the islands liberties.
| But a diversion was created by the
| Reidites and worked the past month on
! the subject of sectarianism. Catholic be-
| ing arrayed against Protestant and an
| attempt made to secure the solid vote
of the latter by the using Of all sorts OF
| cries against the "PGpists." The latter
as BODY, are strongly opposed to the
| contract with Reid. Their bishop DR.
| Hcwley, has been most outspoken in his
tricts where they are in a majority have
been reckOned as anti-Reid from the
opening days of the campaign All this
has given point to the movement foI
Protestant rights" which mas been Sci
on foot.