The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-22
MUSIC IN THE PARKS.

The attitude which the street railway
subject Of music at Como park offers a
good illustration of the folly of the plan
Of farming out pubGdo rights and privi-
leges to individuals. It Is the duty Of
the city to furnish music at that most
popular resort. The people look for 1t,
and they have the right to obtain 1t at tho
public expense. AS It is. their wishes In
the premises are mere secondary con-
sideration. The pecuniary interests Of
the street car corporation are the whole
thing. The park is as good as sub-let to
that concern; and the advertisements
which they maintain on their street cars
and elsewhere show very clearly that
they get every dollar out of the situation
which can be gotten.
Years ago, before the interests Of the
street car corporation became anything
like the important factor that 1t has been
for some years past in the policy of the
city. we managed to maintain concerts
at thu different city parks. And the peo-
pie showed their appreciation of the fact
by attending in such numbers as left no
mistake as to how agreeable it was to
them. We have since become inspired by
the spirit Of reform and retrenchment;
and we delegate to others or leave wholly
undischarged many of those comparative
" inexpensive and wholly avoidable func-
lions which bring the city administration
close to the people.
It Is pleasant to read the statement I'M
puted to the president OF the park board,
that next year the board proposes to run
the park Itself. If we had not become
so used to transactions Of the general
character Of this secondhand concert ar
rangement at Como. we would long ago
have voted 1t down as fraud on the
masses of our people, and as little better
than scheme to bring additional nickels
to the Minneapolis carrying concern.
If the park board is unable or unwilling
to bear the cost Of maintaining public
concerts at Como, they should be dis
pensed with. But the absence of them
should not be the decree of the city rail-
way company, but to those upon whom
the people have placed the responsibility
for administering our public parks.
GROSVENOR AND THE ISSUES.
The popularity about Gen Grosvenor,
the venerable warning voice of Ohio, Is
that when he delivers a political address
to the country he gives everybody a close
view of the innermost workings of his
mind, his motives and his fears. The
general has just returned from Europe,
and he was hardly on dry land before he
began to beat the tomtom for Mckinley.
The principal impression gained from
reading the rather lengthy note of alarm
issued by him through the Associated
Press is that Mr.. Grosvenor is scared to
death. 1t Is also easy to see that in the
opinion of GrosYenor the Republican
party would be whipped out of it's boots
on the issues of trusts and Imperialism.
and that its only hope is in the reaffirma-
ton of 16 to 1 at Kansas City.
In giving out impossible figures con-
corning the political complexion of the
senate during the next few years, In the
event of Bryans election, the Ohio con-
gresham has started the argument that
will shortly be universal among the Re-
publicans, and which was made possible
by Mr.. Bryan's own orders at Kansas
City. Under the pretense that the issues
of trusts and Imperialism are merely
stalking horses for free silver, the Re
publicans can be expected to indulge in a
calamity howl Of vast proportions, in
which all sorts of hobgoblins will be con-
3ured up for the inspection of those who
incline toward the dollar of 100 cents
Mr.. Grosvenor does pretty well for a
starter. He makes the senate stand A
If Bryan 'reverses the verdict of 1885,"
In order to do this he gives a free silver
senator to New Hampshire and West
Virginia, and adds that eff Bryan sweeps
IAiO Guilty. we oAS 1S 1ifAS4y 70 lOSS INCL
son in Minnesota, Cullom in Illinois and
Mcmillan in Michigan" as to gain a gold
standard senator in New Hampshire! In
short, there is apparently nothing impos-
sible to Mr.. Grosvenor in the way of
financial calamity If Bryan wins But
Mr.. Grosvenor has great hopes that the
16 to 1 declaration at Kansas City will
enable the Republicans to avoid the &C.
tual paramount issue and thus keep a
grip on the offices. His conclusion, as
follows, is very interesting as giving the
cue to Republican spellbinders and ed
itors
fortunately, it is not too late to sound
the alarm and rally the gold-standard
forces. The miserable cry of trusts by
the organizers of trusts and the silly and
senSeleSS cry of Imperialism are but the
stalking horses Of the Democratic hosts,
whose real purpose is found In the plank
Of their platform which Bryan made as
the ultimatum of his acceptance of a
nomination he had been working for for
nearly four years."
1t Is plain that the Republican purpose
is to lessen the force Of the Imperialism
issue as much as possible, and. as Mr..
Grosvenor indicates above, they are as