The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-09
woRKINGmEE rs MAYORS.

When the present mayor of Bridgeport,
Conn, was elected the surprise was great.
He was mere coal HEAVIER, working in
one of the large manufactures Of the
city. His nomination was taken as joke
by the unthinking, and it is recorded that
those who follow politics and ofice-hold-
ing for living were more surprised than
any other class Of citizens. A correspond
ing event had taken place at Ansonia; but
nobody paid much attention to that, as
Ansonia is at best but small place, and
the people Of small places are given to
political vagaries of different kinds. The
man as city executive seems to have be-
come endemic In Connecticut. And so
1t is that the press dispatches now an
nounce the election Of a dry goods clerk
as mayor of the principal city of Connect
cut, and one Of the richest and most pros
porous communities In the entire country.
In the factory towns Of New England
in one or two instances the people have
elected mayors from among the laboring
masses; but in every such case the social
ist idea had gotten hold of the workers,
and the result was looked upon, and right
fully SO, as indicating simply abnormal
political conditions. The latest event of
that kind in New England city Of the
first class cannot very well be passed by
ind
ton.
From what the country has already
heard, it does not seem at all likely that
Hartford has made the wisest possible
choice Of a mayor, looking at the matter
purely from the personal standpoint. The
published statements imputed to the new
mayor of that community do not indicate
that he Is a particularly thoughtful per-
son; and the event may prove that neither
the city nor the mayor-elect nor even the
workingmen for whom the new political
character stands will have reason to be
pleased with their choice six months from
now.
However this may be, events have made
it quite plain that the city of Bridgeport
made no mistake in electing "Old Rugged
Honesty Mulivihill. He is a man of
brains, even though ha has horns-on his
hands. SO, too, with the city of San
Francisco They have there mayor who
is a member Of labor union He is a
first-class musician, just as Mayor Mulvi-
hill, Of Bridgeport, was a f1rst-class man
at his work of firing boilers. The man
who has shown himself to be master Of
his calling, whatever it may be, Is not
unlikely to prove other than first-class in
any public relation which he may allow
himself to assume.
Every citizen can rejoice at the appear
ance of the working people as important
factors in municipal affairs. Just as the
men that till the soil are the mainstays
Of the prosperity of the state, SO are the
men who toll at the various productive
industrial callings the pillars of municipal
prosperity and greatness. T h G To g
welcomes the appearance Of the I'M
masses in important municipal positions.
The laboring people of st. Paul are at
this moment furnishing an object lesson,
through the movement for the Coliseum,
of their local pride and patriotism. There
is no position either in state or munich
paIity which cannot be filed with. advan-.
tage to the general public by working
man. With good judgment shown In the
selection Of their representative, the men
Of the several labor unions in every COM
munity have it always in their power
to place their own men in important pub
lie position. And they can do this-and
they will do It, if they are wise-with-
out setting themselves up as a class in
| opposition to other elements of municipal
| society.