The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1903-12-30
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE. /

enjoys more than the other, it is to
see good man jump out of his in
closure and make a bold break for
liberty when he finds himself in bad
company. St. Paul is just now wit
Messing such spettlcle D. W.
Lawler is man whom every one
likes. He is admired alike for his
sterling manhood, and his legal and
oratorical abilities. He has always
been democrat, not for what there
might be in it in a Gemoctatic city,
but from conviction. He was once
nominated by his party for govern
or of this state, and he held many
positions of honor and responsible
ty in the city governmental St Paul.
He could have held still other posi-
tions could he have spared the time
necessary for a conscientious per-
Torrance of their duties.
~
The democratic party of Ramsey
county is in the hands of half doz
en- men. These men decide in adj
vance who shall be nominated at all
conventions, and they furnish list
Of persons to be appointed by those
who are elected. Every once in
while some one with little self re-
spect becomes disguised with this
regimen of bossism and flies back
and breaks his halter. There are
others who have brief intervals
when they feel the existence of
something akin to conscience.
During these periods they some
times kick over the traces and op-
pose some of the rascality and rot
tenness of this political machine.
But all such are co AIRED by the
grand sachems of the party. jerked
back into the ranks and to do ex-
IRENE penance or be kicked intoo out
er darkness.
But, Mr.. Lawler, while firm in
the principles Of democracy, as he
understands them, will neither wink
at nor countenance municipal cor
ruption in any form. On the other
hand he is so unalterably opposed
to what his conscience tells him is
wrong that he is openly accused by
his party of not being democrat at
heart. And this is not all. He will
not be led by his party into the vag
aries of some of it's leaders. When
the silver tongued Bryan was going
up and down the land singing his
siren song of sixteen to one, Mr..
Lawler took an invoice of his mental
assets and concluded that while his
continuous performances were
pleasing to the ear he was not of the
right material to be president. and,
true to his nature he took the stump
for Mckinley. And when John
Lind, who, gormand like, had swal-
lowed Bryan without mastication,
was nominated for governor, Mr..
Lawler took the stump for his op
ponent.. The democracy OF ST.. Paul
undertook to discipline him for his
contumacy, but he woulon be dis
ciplined. They didn t want to read
him out of the ranks because they
realized that if he went be would
take with him about all the political
decency there was in the party.
*
In order to give the police COM
mission veneer of responsibility
Mayor Smith appointed Mr. Lawler
to the membership of that body.
But things did not run smoothly.
Mr.. Lawler had very undemocratic
notion thata police commission, even
in a democratic city, should cen
duct its business honestly and de-
Gently, and there was no other mem
Der of the commission who would
agree with him and he resigned.
took bath, and now proposes to
spend the balance of his life in such
way as to atone for his past asso-
Citations. 1t is whispered that he
will run as an independe ut candi-
date for mayor, not SO much because
he bankers for the Office as to get a
chance. if elected. TO clean the Au-
gean stables. Should MIR. Lawler
enter the rae, as an independent he