The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-19
TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1904.
TWO DEMoRALIzED ISSUES.


The Republican campaign started out
in limping fashion and now it has not
a leg left to stand on. The managers are
not entirely to blame for this, because
it is a difficult job to manufacture is
sues where no facts exist from which
issues may be IegitimateIy constructed.
Probably they did their best, but their
best has turned out to be very poor.
The bosses and speakers and heelers
found only two lines of attack at all
likely to appeal to the voter. There
upon they took up these two, foolishly
forgetting to inquire whether or not
they were available as against the
facts. They have found, in the single
week in which an active campaign has
been conducted, that their course was
strung as thick with dangerous mines
as the entrance to Port Arthur, and
both their selected issues have been so
badly damaged that they went to the
bottom.
The first point made was that of an
honest and orderly government. This
was foolish, for st. Paul is char
acterized by orderliness and by hon.
esty in administration among all the
cities Of the country. This is a matter
Of patent and universally acknowledged
fact. Every man who has ever lived in
any other city knows it. All our intel
ligent people who are readers Of gem
eral news understand it. The police
authorities Of every other city in the
country admit it. So here the oppo-
sition has to run hard upon immovable
fact.
All that it has been able to do is to
institute comparisons between Demo-
cratic and Republican administrations
so infinitely unfavorabIe to the latter
that this campaign argument in the
mouths Of Republicans has become a
sufficient and convincing reason for
their defeat. The pftifuI attempts to
make some sort Of sensation by cali
ing attention to few local conditions
common to all Of the cities in the
world, great and small, under all differ
ing parties, policies and administra-
tons, has made local Republicans ri
diculous and merely emphasizes the
eXcellences of existing municipal rule.
The raising of the taxation issue is
equally futile. Even the very multiple
cation table rises up to confuse ana
confound the Republican orator The
statistics are at hand and have been
drawn with deadly effect. 1t has been
proved that Republican adninistra-
lions Of ten years ago-when our pop
ulation was much less, when all our
municipal requirements were simpler.
when the cost of government was natu-
rally reduced greatly below what It
Should be now-imposed actually =
heavier tax burden upon property than
It now carries. In spite Of all our
growth and added wants, municfpa1
taxation has not increased excent to
meet the single item Of school ex-
penses. The children had to be pro-
vided for, and If Republicans wish TO
take issue with US on that point we
shah gladly meet them there.
The fact for us is that, while the
burdens Of taxation have been far
more equitably distributed, they have
not in the aggregate increased in fer
years. This is a record not tn ba
equaled anywhere and one creditabIe
TO the Democratic administration TODAY
ana dlscreditable to tile Republicans.
who must have spent money extrava-
gantly then If the city's affairs can be
conducted for the same amount now.
Both Of these issues have been
mined blown uD and turned turtle.