The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-10-20
NATIONAL COMMITTEEMAN.
An Able Address at st. James b,
Hon. T. D. O'Brien,

| an 1AUAS A0uASSS az Sls Jd1llCS ny
Hon. T. D. O'Brien.
On Oct. II, Hon. Thomas ID. Obi
en-, the Democratic national commit
teeman for Minnesota, delivered an
address at St James, Mimi, which
occupies six columns in the ST. Paul
Globe, and is devoted exclusively to
review of the work accomplished
during the last two years by the Lind
administration. 1t is decidedly one of
the ablest speeches delivered in Min
nesota this year. Speaking of the
work of the railroad and warehouse
commission and showing what it has
done in the supervising of the grain
inspection department, Mr.. O'Brien
said in part:
The grain inspection department is
one of the great departments Of the
state. The Republican candidate for
governor must have some views upon
| it, but whatever they are they are
carefully concealed. Shall we return
to the old practice? No answer.
Shall we continue as at present? No
answer. Yes, there is an answer
Don't haul down the flag" You
know persons are sometimes mesmer-
lied or thrown into hypnotic con-
dition by looking fxedly at a bright
object, and the Republican orators
seem to be so fascinated by the spec
tacle Of the Stars and Stripes raising
over the harem of the sultan Of Sulu
that they are incapable of forming
any ideas upon such little questions
as these, which affect the daily life
of our people.
When our railroad and warehouse
commission was reorganfzed by the
appointment of Mr.. Ringdal and Mr..
Knox, which could not be done under
the law until January 1, 1900, they
found that great inequality existed in
this state in grain rates. Through the
efforts of private individuals in the
STEVENSON case, with which you are
all familiar, the grain rates of North
ern Minnesota had been reduced, but
following the well known policy of
Republican officeholders, the old COM
mission went no further than they
were compelled to, and no individual
making a complaint as to Southern
Minnesota, those rates were left I'M
changed. So glaring was this Unequal
ity that all the railroad and ware
house commission had to do wsfs to
cite before them the railroads Operat-
ing in Southern Minnesota, and In
stantly, without the taking Of word
of testimony, without appealing to a
single court, grain rates were reduced
so as to produce a saving of some
100000 to the people of Southern
Minnesota. The change affected TWEEN
ty-two counties and over one hundred
stations, and was so just and reason
eble, as have said, that it was ac-
quiesced in at once by the railroads
interested. Had the old commission
been in the least vigilant of the PEI
ple's interest they would of their own
motion have insisted upon this change
being made in Southern Minnesota at
the time it was made in Northern
Minnesota, but their policy seems to
have been to remain absolutely dor
mant and inactive until some private
citizen, goaded beyond endurance by
exactions, took upon himself the trou-
BILE and expense of making COM
plant.
Our commission, however, does not
stop there. Scattered throughout the
state of Minnesota are various small
towns in each of which some little
manufacturing industry is struggling
to obtain foothold. The larger cities
have always been granted special ter
minal rates. The commission de.
manded that these smaller commune
ties be given equally good rates and
at once the cry went out that the rail
road and warehouse commission was
bidding for votes, and the Republican
daily papers We're filled with sneers
against the commissioners. But his
: tory again repeated itself and when
, it was seen that the railroad and
warehouse commissioners were deter
: mined that justice should be done II