The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-29
The SUNDAY ISSUE
Senator Snyder's Platform Has Ex-
c.ted Wide Com ment.
HARDLY PRACTICAL POLITICS
Even Politicians Who Desire Best
Things Question the Wisdom
of the Announcements.

Fred B. Snyder's platform of no Sun
day saloon and no Sunday theater is the
talk of the town to-day While the man
is greatly admired for his personal quail
ties, while there is every confidence IN
his Judgment, ability and integrity, and
while it is believed that he has the COM
bination of natural qualities and train
ing TO make him the best mayor Mime
apolis ever had, there are those who in
sist that the first step of his candidacy
was a mistake politically.
1t was admittedly bold, courageous,
splendid thing to do, and represents
the high water mark Of fearless, indie
pendent political action in Minneapolis
but it was bad politics. Mr.. Snyder IN
his own personality, in his record in the
city council and the legislature, in every.
walk of life, by the fact of his education,
training and associations would naturally
stand for the highest possible civic stand
ards.
1t needed no enunciation of platform
to tell the people where he stands and
the character of the administration he
would give the city if elected mayor. He
could have gone before the people at the
primaries or at the polls on his own
personality and record alone. platform
was wholly superfuous.
And the surprise is great among the
practical men in party circles, how with
his political acumen and experience he
could have been led to announce himself
in such terms.
1t has been suggested that by so doing
he would call to his standard all the
church people and all the 5000 voters who
rallied to the Dean standard in the last
campaign. But the practical men say he
would have all these voters anyway. 1t
needed no statement of his intentions to
get~their support, while on the other hand
his anti-Sunday saloon and anti-theater
platform is bound to drive into the other
camp a large element of good citizens
who believe honestly in a reasonable
measure of moderation and compromise
in the administration Of the Sunday law.
Minneapolis is cosmopolitan city. Its
foreign vote is large. 1t has an excep-
tionally numerous floating population,
men without permanent home, who
naturally seek the good fellowship found
about the saloons on the day they are re-
lieved from toll. -.-
Then it's people generally are a long
way removed from the puritan spirit OF
the New England community. They will
rot stand for Sunday program fitting
the conditions of some other communi-
ties. And these elements are numerous
enough in themselves to influence ma
it is claimed. Mr. Snyder while making
himself stronger than ever among Ger
tain other classes in the city has at one
stroke, they declare, alienated the sup
port Of this important vote and put him
self in the list of impossible candidates.
On the other hand there are those who
insist that Mr.. Snyder has done not only
the right thing from moral point of view,
but from the political standpoint as we'll
They declare that there will never be SO
opportune time to test the great ques-
tion of the Sunday saloon and the Sun
day theater as this fall, following the IL
cense and decentralization and corruption
of the present administrations. II the peo-
pie won't stand for the other standard
now they never will Iherefore, now is
the time to settle the issue, and Mr.. Sny-
der has done the fine, fearless thing to
bring to a test. They believe. too, that it
has been no political mistake.