The Saint Paul globe., 1900-04-28
ABUSE VS.. ARGUMENT.


In the red heat Of political strife it Is
always more or less certain that things
may be said concerning candidates for
office and political opponents generally
which could not find expression in times
of complete public and private sobriety.
Many of the things which are being said
now perhaps on both sides will sound
quite far-fetched and exaggerated two
days after the election has passed.
Abuse of the plaintiff or his attorney is
not an effective weapon in court or in
politics. The Democratic party is the
plaintiff in the present cause. Men in Of
flee are to be judged according to. the rec
ords they possess. If Comptroller Nc
Cardy has done all for the good of the
people, and has, succeeded in doing it well,
abuse will not affect him. If the exist
ing administration. in it's control Of city
affairs has given the people satisfaction
and met all reasonable requirements as
to protection of person and property, and
the safeguarding of the city's interests,
abuse cannot harm those who are respon-
sible for it before the people. Abuse Of
them is worse than harmless; 1t is harm
full to those who indulge in it. In such
cases the people ask for facts.
The G has endeavored to confine
itself to facts. in its treatment of both
the general and specific results derived
FROM, EooDuhIioap oop+rol IN +biS oStx for
eight years. We have said, and we be-
lieve the facts sustain the statement, that
neither life nor property has been secure
in this city under Republican control.
We have said that the police force and
its administration are responsible for the
general, prevalence of crime; that the
police officials have proved themselves to
be incompetent or to have been in league
have cited the evidence Of these condi-
tions from the pages of both our Repub-
lican contemporaries.
Does the G o b e abuse Mr. McCardy?
denim him. We have nothing to gain by
abusing him. The claim the Pioneer Press
put forward in its defense Of Mr.. Nc
Cardy yesterday is not tenable. 1t urged
that while he may have made mistakes.
and may have subjected individual citi-
zens to much inconvenience In connection
with their claims against the city, the
fact of his having done this should be
taken merely as proof of his devotion to
the citys welfare, and of his determina-
ton that the city's moneys shall not be
misused.
There is a sad fallacy In this kind of
argument. The Pioneer may not see 1t:
but it is there. Mr.. McCardy is surely
not the only man in st. Paul that might
be chosen to his present position who
could be relied on to protect the public
funds against private raids. Why ex-
empt him, then, from the consequences
of his mistakes in the. directions indi-
charge his duties we'll and honorably, and
safeguard the public funds without doing
injustice to the citizen or needlessly hurt
u
ing the citizens sensibilities, then some
man should be found who can and will.
We know of no proprietary interest
which Mr.. McCardy has in the funds of
this city by virtue merely of his official
position which affords him warrant for
assuming that the approach of the citizen
to the city strong box conceals under all
circumstances a dishonest raid on It's con-
tents. And yet that is morally the posi-
ton which Mr.. McCardy has allowed him
self to occupy for years. The people ap-
pear to be tired of it, and they are not
at all unlikely to resent it by refusing to
re-elect the present comptroller. Were
he less of a Republican partisan politi-
clan, recognizing all his good qualities as
a man and official the ordinary person of
a different political faith would be inf
nitely more likely than he now is to con-
ceive of Mr.. McCardy merely as the faith
full watchdog, who knows neither friend
nor enemy save as his master or masters
property is assailed.
Personal abuse seems to be the only
remaining weapon left to our contempo-
rary and its companion in scurrility the
Dispatch. We leave them in possession
Of it, and we urge them to keep on US
ing it without regard to cause or conse-
quenees. The G 10 b is content to meet
scurrility by statements of indisputable
fact and by legitimate argument and
abide by the result, whatever it may
prove to be.
WASTE PLACES BEING MADE FER