The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1872-01-25

D. VI ~ ~ y uh.
Thursday Jau. IS, 1879.
THE ST. CLOUD BONUS DILL.
f2Efl sttGssitj5<s- ,.ff-'t@& 5 So
49, No bill of LEGAL character pr sent.
cd to the Legislature has probably ever
been the cause Of 50 muuh sdiscu sioo
IS that allowing this city to issua bonds
forIrailroad purposes. Being the 6rss
bill of the kind introduced ia either
branch this season, it drew both the
speaohes Of Senators who had been
bottlink their eloquent indignation
against railroad companies in gen,ra'
ever since they had received their cer-
t6oates of election Profound opia.
ions as to tho unoorstitutiouality Of lex.
islatioo authorizing bonds to be- is>uoo
by towns to aid railroads, were deliver.
ed by back-oouutry pettifoggers who
would have had considerable difficulty
in conducting a,trespasss case before a
Justice Of the Peace. Men who had
meyer been nearer than the State CAPITAL
to St. Cloud and knew l,ttls or nothing
about it's wants, dictated what it was
Tor tho interest OF tho people Of this
place to do, aud what not to do. All
this, iu the face of tho fact that never
before had bill Of this kind been
questioned when supported by the DEL
egation FROG: the locality for which the
legislation was asked. Aod it is some.
what remarkable that Senators who
have always heretofore voted Tor local
bonds, in amounts much ia excess Of
what was asked for by St Cloud, found
it for their interest, under a certain
pressure, to violently oppose this bill.
But the Senate contained a large ma.
:jority Of honest, fair minded, Intelligent
men, who vera. willing to leave to the
people Of St. Cloud the regulation Of
their Own matters, believing that they
were the best judges OF what was for
their interest. They very readily ap.
preciated the motive Of tho opposition
made by Wait, Clarke, and NJ Clure, oud
understood it to DO solely ooe of per
sonal agg'andizemcut-a fight for the
depot, 10 opposition to the wishe,
and interests OF nineteen. tweutieths Of
the people Of the town. Their apprec.a.
ton Of this was quickencd by tho know,
edge that in the first stas. Of The proceed
ing, tho passage Of the bill had been
strongly advocated at S.. Paul by Mr
Wait who converted his 81 ppprt ut
opp osition the Instant the location ofthe
depot Was cha nged. This, majority
being full two-thirds-has stood faith.
fully by the BILL, "..
The provisions OF the bill, as amend
cd BY, Its friends, arc briefly as follows
Bonds to the amount of $4,000, pay.
able in not less than twenty years and
within thirty years, bearing seven per
cent. intero st, are to be issued for the
construction of the bridge; and s15,
900 additional for the purchase of right
of-Vay and depot grounds; those prop.
os itions to be submitted, after due 90
lice, toa vote Of tho people, each prop
oaition 10 DO voted on separately Ia, ut
the same election no pers"n shall b.
entitled to vote who has not lived in thu
t>wn for three months imm edlately pre-
ceding the election.
>, On Friday, when the bill was read
the first time, a lengthy debate arose,
at the termination of which it was
passed, but With an amendment requir-
ing tho railroad company to accept any
regulations with regard to tariffs which
might ever be enacted. The effect Of
this, which was to virtually kill the
bill, vas not understood at the time.
On Tuesday, on a motion to strike off
this amendment, there was another
long debate, The interests Of Saint
Cloud were ably advocated by Senators
Wright Baxter, Rice, Rogers and
Batchelder, while Senator's Page, Buell.
and Childs opposed -deuy ing that the
people had any right to express them.
selves for, or against measures which
they believed to be vital to their vel. !!
fare. But BY tho decisive vote Of 26 to
9 the amendment Was stricken off,
Senators Page, Caild ands Aaveps CO.
deavored without avail to have other
amendments tao led on, and the. bill
was finally ordered to its third reading.
i will soon 90 through the Senate, aud
into the House. There will b. little de.
by 10 that branch, as the opposition o.
tanned scarcely any foothold thers.-
The contest, 60 fur as legislation IS con-
:ecrned, is virtually over, and the bill
viii soon come to the people of Saint
Cloud for action. The sentiment here |
IS overwhelmingly IL its favor. The
importance u the road and the neces.
sity Of having ths dept located 10 a
convenient place, are fully appreciated,
and the character Of any opposition
which can be made At the polls is SO
thoroughly understood here that the
men Who cap be influenced by il are
exceedingly few in numbers. s.*'
g LArER.-Tho bill had its final pas
sage in the Senate yesterday, by 4 vote
81 32to7. e.. '''s .s', @''''. = |
PRoR: CAGE, Principal Of the Nor
NAL School at Mankato, has written
{ L. RI - =