The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-04-24

When, City Attorney Markham went
after the charter commission and got
that body to leave the appointment to
his Office In the hands of the council he
showed personal shrewdness, as we'll as
political cunning. But 1t will avail him
nothing. = AS certain as it is that Robert
A Smith will be next mayor Of st. Paul,
it is not one whit less certain that the
council will be Democratic In both
branches by large ma1orities.
The Republicans have abandoned the
fight on the mayoralty. They are now
concentrating all their energies on the
effort to save either McCardy or the
council. The employees of the law de-
partment of the city of st. Paul, from
Jim" Markham to Johnny Selb, have
delivered themselves over to the awful
problem Of saving their own bacon. They
have passed UP Chester R. Smith and the
practice of law. Three months salary
of every man on the force is available
in the effort to save the council.
sse
For the first time in his political career
Jolly Joe % McCardy feels himself In
serious preddcament. Mr.. Betz is hasten
ing the comptroller's footsteps and he
moves around with a decidedly worried
expression of countenance.
All pretense of contest for the treas
urership is now at an end, and Repub-
licans politicians in the several wards
are wondering how the thing was done.
of putting up such a soft mark as Filter
s zsss = = $3.50
Self-preservation is, of course, the first
law of nature, and nobody is particularly
to be blamed for the complete desertion
which has set in In the Gaze of the Re-
publican candidate for mayor. Some
body ought to be blamed, however, for
the false promises with which the real
estate man was lured into the contest
OF course, in some measure, he is the
victim of circumstances. His present ap-
ponent had withdrawn from the race
for the Democratic nomination, and
Fred Schiffman was universally regarded
as certain of nomination before Chester
r. Smith was brought out as a candl-
date. He had all kind Of assurances of
financial support from leading Repub-
licans in that situation, all of which, Of
course, dropped stone dead when Rob-
ert A. Smith was nominated. He was
'jollied' into going after the nomina-
tion, and many Republicans are now
heard on the streets expressing their
wrath over his desertion.
When he dined with Chief of Detectives
McIntire, after the nomination, and
gave that politician "fer revenue only
the necessary promise to retain him, Mr..
Smith got other assurances of financial
support upon which, as a man not spe-
cially versed in political affairs, he was
justified In placing reliance. Mr.. Nc
Intire, too, has done his best to redeem
his promises. He has assessed the un-
fortunate "eoppers'' $40 per capita and
he has used threats and cajolry without
limit to enforce it. But 1t has been of
little avail. The average policeman is
in too close touch with average citizens
not to see which way the cat jumps in
this contest. And so the police assess
ment, like all the other financial kites,
flown in the interest of Chet Smith, has
been hopelessly wrecked. Young Dona-
hover went to Minneapolis on a begging
expedition for the st. Paul Republicans
and he raised a few dollars But natur-
ally, very few There remains the ma