The St. Cloud journal., 1870-07-14
LETTER FROM w. 8. MOORE, ESQ
ON THE HOTEL BONUS.

LETTER FROM w. s. MOORE, ESQ
ON THE HOTEL BONUS
EE11oa JouRNAL.-In view OF tn
fact that your paper for the last tw'
weeks has contained three or four ar
ticles in relation to city bonus for tn
building of hotel at St. Cloul, IL
which both you and your contributors
have been guilty Of the most insolen'
personal abuse Of myself with others
as we'll as assumptions and misrepre
sentatiops Of fact in relation to my
connection with the matter, I assume
that space for reply will not be de
MED. It is claimed that the hotel &C
| commodat1ons Of St. Cloud are not
sufficient to meet the wants Of the pub
lie, at least that portion of it designat,
ed by your hotelists as jfrst-closs, and
that the city should donate Of its In
terest besring bonds sl2,5o0 to induce
private parties to supply the deficiency
These bonds are to be made payable IN
ten years, and to bear interest at ten pei
cent and when due with the accumu-
lated interest would amount to $25 ,OOO.
Under this arrangement our tax payers
would be called upon for 81, ,25O per
year for tea years and at the end Of
that time for the prinaipal of @l2,5OO
to be given as present to the st. Cloud
Hotel Company. This, bad as it ls, is
made worse by the almost certain pros
pect of further bonuses and taxation for
the purpose Of keeping this frst-class
hotel running when built. This same
kind of deficiency in hotel accommoda-
tions was claimed in the winter and
spring Of 1869, and was equally as
true then as now. Upon what was sup
posed to be sufficient authority for do
mating city bonds to the amount Of sl2'-
500 the City Council spent Of the pub
lie funds about 5000 in simply adver-
ti.ing this offer of bonuses, and yet
not one man offered to receive it upon
the conditions that the people voted it !;
that is, upon condition to build and
operate in first class manner hotel at
St.. Cloud to cost not less than S5O,O
The offer was withdrawn aud the tax
payers Of the city settled up the bills
(quitc snug little sum to the editor q
The JouRNAL) and settled down to
the conclusion that the actual business
for first class hotels at 81. Cloud was not
sufficient; and further, that our imagi-
nary prospective business did not ans
wer the purpose. We paid about $500
tor the practical judgment Of hotel men
and concluded to .ct upon it, and fur
ther concluded very unanimously to
Withhold city bonuses from all other pri-
vate enterprises, number Of which
equally meritsrious and advantageous to
the welfare aud prosperity Of tie city
were, at that time, asking aid, and to
concentrate all our resources and ener-
gics in securing if possible the construc-
ton of certain railroad connections,
without which our city could hope for
nothing either in commerce or manu-
factories. It was concluded that it
would require all the strength We had
to secure these railroad connections, and
that it was better to reserve and hus-
band this strength and all our resources
for this purpose, to be used whenever
the opportunity should occur; aud it
was believed that with the future Of the
city assured ard its resources enlarged
by the building of these railroads, nee
essary hotels would follow, and flourish
without public aid or bonuses. And not
only this but it was and is further con-
sidered by quite number of citizens
in St. Cloud that the charter and en-
dowment Of the St. Cloud and Mime
apolis r. r. Co., valued at over three
millions and secured by gentlemen for
the benefit of the city at liberal cx-
penditure of their time and private
funds, should If possible secure to St
Cloud these railroad connections that
che needs; and that her energies, in:
dustries and property, or that of he,
citizens shall not be incumbered by any
debt for bonuses This among some Of
our citizens was policy very we'll set
tied and so far as we have any knowledge
still remains settled. It seems howeve,
that in the early part of June last OF
thereabouts eight or more out of the
t,oelre of our Town Councilmeu with
some others determined upon the or
ganization of corporation under thu
General Statute for the ostensible pur
pose Of building hotel. They deter
mined at the outset to make the success
Of tho project depend upon their success
| in the 6onus line. Should the cit,
| give them Of its interest bearing bond:
$4,000 and the citizens or "any othe'
man" give them with tho $4,000
enough to make = satisfactory security
| to capitalists for any further amounts
they might need, these public spirited
| Councilmen and others would under
take on their part LIST, To do most 0
the heavy standing around; 2ud, TAX
all contracts for furnishing material ant
building where there was any money t.
be made; Sd, To locate the hotel wher'
if it amounted to anything it woult
double the value and make available