The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-07-03
MIR. PINGREE, THE RADICAL.
An Interview to be Printed when
I'm Dead -


III J Cleveland in Chicago RecordO
Some two years ago. when the late
Hazen S. Pingree was endeavoring TO
bring about the sale Of the Detroit
street car lines to the municipality, I
spent a week with him studying the
conditions for and against municipal
ownership il Detroit. 1t was Just be-
fore the governors now well known
address at Cooper institute, New York,
on the trusts, and was while Tom L.
johnson of Cleveland was with him.
] had an excellent opportunity to know
the governor as he was, to measure
him better than cartoons or interview
erS ever had. Johnson was stopping a
the Russell House, and the governor
came there almost every evening TO
consult and talk with him. One even
ing Mr.. Johnson was so busily engaged
with the appraisers who were valuing
the property of the street railway lines
that the governor had TO sit quite a
time in an ante-rOOm awaiting him. It
CHANGED that I was waiting for Mr..
Johnson also, so I stretched my legs
alongside those of the discoverer Of the
potato patch" and waited for him to
speak.
He started ledge-hammer-like on
Grover Cleveland. He exclaimed:
Grover Cleveland had the greatest
opportunity of any president since Lin
coin to do great things. But he got
fat on the / ain. Prosperity hurt him
as much as it has Mckinley. Both
men had devilish struggles with pow
erty before they got into the White
House, and when they suddenly found
they were certain Of three square meals
q day and change of linen twice a
week. they simply couldn't stand il.
They got right away from the people
and began to be chummy with the men
who had no use for the people except to
10 nd Lee
Buffalo all his companions were fell
lows that SWore by the vOx pOpuli. but
after he got to Washington all his COM
panions were men who think the United
states is purse to be picked. The
Ohio country didn't contain a bigger
radical man than Mckinley before he
got the right dip into politics He was
everything that meant reform and
greater democratic powers. Well. he
amt now. He got scared Of the people
and it's the trouble of everybody that
gets into too much politics that they
begin to duck from the people. I never
did. but I didn't have to. and I've
never been afraid to be on the peoples
side of proposition, whether it was
popular or not.
"They call me old Pingree,' 'dema-
gogUe Pingree,' crank and a lot Of
other things, but if you'll scratch the
. the most about me and against me-
you'll find that what I'm doing is hurt
ing some property right of theirs that
isn't exactly on the square. You can
go up and down the streets OF Detroit,
n all the stores and houses, and where
you find man that calls me all Kinds
of mean things you'll discover that he's
interested in some property or political
job that my reforms would make over;
would correct abuses in / was over in
Chicago the other day, and ] stopped
at the Annex. and Mr.. - - came
to me, and while we were talking (we're
old acquaintancesl he said tC me:
Ping, why are you making all this
muss about municipal ownership Of
street railways? Why don't you let
well enough alone?'
Sam, I said. how much street rail-
way stock do you own in the companies
in the United States?'
He got red in the face and wouldn't
answer me-said that had nothing to
do with the question.
Yes said ], it has great deal to
do with the question. If you didn't own
share and We're a thinking man in
tead OF a money-mdker, you wouldn't
call my efforts 'muss.' You'd use a
better term: you'd be more compliment
airy and would help me along. But
you've got stock in these companies.
you know it's watare6. YOU know YOU
have a thousand privileges that amt
right, and you're sore when I come
along and urge the people tc make you
De square. You call me a fool, and
the people anarchists.
The governor thought this a capital
story, and he laughed over 1t. Then he
took nav tack. He said:
Most men cant get a great deal of
money on hand without becoming sell
nsh ana towards. In war times few
men had money and there was bravery
on every side. the idea that money was
better than honor wasn't very strong