The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-16
COL. WRIGHT WOULD
GUST THE POLICE
The Republican Candidate for
Mayor Says Chief O'Connor
Must Be Deposed.

| After having previously and upon
! several occasions pledged that if elect
| ed mayor of the city he would not in
! terfere or attemI to interfere with the
present police department, Col. F. P.
wright, the Republican nominee, last
night went on the platform in Mozart
hall and proclaimed before mixed
audience of 500 people that he had
changed his mind. This is what he
said:
AS to the police department. I must saw
| e eIldt ~ y Shamefully managed. Never be-
| Iofe In st. Paul has vice received the nro-
TIection that it is now receiving, the Rev.
eta arlG Morgan TO the contrary, notwith
Sldhplng. The sermon of DR.. Boyle has
! awakened the people, and standing here
DeI9re you this evening 1 make this
II solemnly pledge myself to use my
pest r, endeavors to remedy the evils that
Or. Boyle has pointed out. Let it be said
s Sg Inc ~ Republican candidates, if they
snouIq pc successful that they did not ask
and did not receive the support of anv
OF OF the men responsible for the conditions
TO make his point clear and give the
Republicans the promise that they
nave asked, Col. Wright agreed to make
changes IN the police commission as
soon as he goes into office. He said:
It has been said by my opponents that
MIHe IN office before l made mistakes. I
old make mistakes But twelve wears is
Wb long time and 1 have had experience.
Wnen went into office then 1 dismissed
from the police force a great many men.
not one of whom, I believe, should have
I peen retained. further believe that 1 al
lowed many men to be retained that
should nave been discharged.
Would Remove O'Connor.
AS further pledge, made to get the
support OF the partisan Republicans.
VINO are demanding that the police
force be changed and made Republican.
ne said, in effect, that he was willing
10 face the people on the issue and
guarantee that if elected Chief O'COn-
nor VIII be at once removed from of
nee, repeating at every opportunity
that the police manag cement of the city
is shameful" AS a further induce
ment, he promised ito properly en-
force the laws admitting that it will
De impossible to enforce all ordinances
ana laws, but saying that he would
do the best within his power
The audience was made UP largely of
republican precinct workers, a ma
Jorlty OF whom will be applicants for
police positions if the Republicans
should win. They cheered wildly the
reiterated pledges that if elected
Wright would take possession of the
ponce department to reform" the
city Col. Wright made no reference
to the crimes that were committed
WhlIe he was mayor, and did not at
tempt to deny that gambling was then
common, but promised that such would
not be the case if he is again elected.
Inc entire speech was regarded by
thoSe present as a complete surrender
py the Republican candidate to the
demands of his campaign committee.
and to his belief in the power of the
sermon that was delivered by DR..
Boyle, who happens to be the pastor
OF the church to which he belongs.
Roofing is Feeble.
This remarkable flop of the Repub-
1can candidate followed soon after a
scene in which Gov. Van SAINT made a
dismal failure of an effort to arouse
enthusiasm on Wright's entrance to
the hall. The governor was speaking
against time at the moment, and when
Wright arrived called for three cheers
for the candidate. About forty men
arose to their feet and gave forth three
feeble cries. Lashing the party whip
over their heads the governor angrilv
demanded that the candidate be prop
erly received. Another forty of those
present got up and, acting according to
the example OF the governor, they did
| cheer quite loudly.
Andrew r. Kiefer, the candidate for
| comptroller, the friends of whom have
admitted time and again that he never
| Kept book, was the comedian of the
occasion. What possessed the usually
dlgnified old gentleman even his best
| friends could not tell, but he delivered
| the most rambling speech heard from
a local platform during the campaign.
SO remarkable was the effort tina the
| entire audience was kept in a continual
uproar of laughter. Among the choice
bits that he produced were:
kiefer Harangues.
1t is not ten years ago, but here
! now that we are after. 1t is time when
the people must be relieved of taxes.
They have referred to my boarding
house. 1 never kept a boarding house.
My opposition stands as much chance
as a one-legged grasshopper in a, crate
| with lot of hungry turkeys. l am
| going to be elected. There was never
anything more trUer than that. The
democratic figures show an error of
| $50 in the taxes that 1 pay. 1 could
| buy three suits of clothes for that
AT the conclusion of his harangue
| Mr.. kiefer said that he would "see to
| 1t that when / am comptrollerS that
nothing crooked comes in or goes out
! OF the Of1ce, upon which there was
| another outbreak, and he settled down
| 10 reading manuscript that he had
evidently forgotten up to that time.
| oscar Ha1lam made an effort to re-
| ply to the figures enunciated at the
| Democratic meeting Wednesday even
| ing, attempting to show that the in
| crease in the tax levy was due to the
! increase in the cost of lighting the city
| hall, which is done by contract and let
| to the lowest bidder He attempted to
| belittle the great improvements that
| have been made in the public schools
| during the past four years, but noticed
| that his argument was not taking with
| the crowd and desisted.
| Oar Reese made one of his charac-
| teristic addresses and after begging
| the pardon of Chief O'Connor for pre-
| Suming to do so. launched into a phil
| lipic regarding the mana cement of the
| police department. He read and asked
| for the adoption of the same platform
on which the Republicans made their
| campaign in 1892, but as the chairman
| had disappeared to recover from the
effects Of Col. Kiefer's speech there
was no one to put the motion. Before
a substitute could be found the crowd
| was filing out of the hall and Reese
was compelled to pocket his proposed
| platform without it having properly
| come before the house. He was evil
| IDENTIFY much offended
The other speakers were t. G. Wal
Their, who presided; H. S. Fairchild and
j. J. Leighton.
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