Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-02-01
MINNEAPOLIS wORKlNGMEN.


MINNEAPOLIS wORKlNGMEN.
DO 70" Want to add to Your Burdens on
Voting q Quarter of a MilIion More
Bonds?
M1NNrAPoL1s, Jan. 31.-The question has
been asked, will the workingmen of this city
vote bonds to the amount of $25O,OOO for the
building of narrow-gauge railways? AS the
junior partner of that firm should like TO
respond. We want all those projected routes
providing can have them without the
foreclosure of that public mortgage called
taxes. There is no portion of the commu-
nifty as well acquainted with the good results
Of an enterprise that has work connected
with it as the workingman-the mechanic.
We want to survey those routes and CON
struot those roads; we want to cut the ties
and lay the track; we want to build the en-.
glnes, cars, stations, elevators, depots and
oil belongings that is sure to accompany this
great enterprise. We are willing to pay our
share toward this undertaking, providing we
do not swamp ourselves in doing it, Oar
taxes during the last three years have
been 2, 2l5 and 3 per cent, which is
just double the amount any community can
stand. That city whose artisans have no
ambition for owning homes is a failure in
every respect; it )s there we see poverty.
drunkenness, pauperism and crime-but the
city whose rulers become political class of
money rabbers is impoverished indeed, and
there is just whers We are to-day. The in
telligent workingman finds that t Q home he
has so long coveted is burden to him. He
looks at his neighbor, who is worth 5000 900,
and knows he is paying taxes on but 800 ,OOO
He himself is worth $4,000, and is paving
taxes on 81, 900. He is acquainted with hun
dreds OF just such cases of UNEQUAL ASSESS
ment, but what can he do? He knows the
public are paying from $4,000 to $40, 600 to
many OF Its servants who could not com
maud rnore than 81 900 in competition with
their fellow men. I refer to our clerk of the
court, register Of deeds, county sheriff and
company.
he feels the disgrace of placing man
over the city's books in any department who
has not the ability to take care of his own.
He hears the board of trade and city council
talking of the advisableness of cutting down
the salaries of our police. He knows these
men are exposed to cold, rain, heat sleet and
snow twelve hours seven days in every week
for the mental wages of $50 per month.
These men labor faithfully to preserve pub
lie peace and property. Yet our city fathers
claim that these men have no right to get
rich off of the public. He hears the oft re-
peated assertion that our public schools cost
thrice the amount they should both in build
ings and teachers, and he wonders why the
community complain of paying teacher
$40 per month for saving hundreds
of the human race, and are
willing to pay preacher three hundred per
month for saving an occasional soul. He
hears the continual groan of extravaeance
which accompanies the building of one
High school, the actual cost of which is
$4,000, while hundreds of thousands are
piled up in church property-all exempt
from taxation and wholly unproductive. He
cannot understand why the intrinsic value
or a dead man should be fourteen times
greater than that of live man. He is as
tonlshed at the Vigor and ability of the
county commissioner who labors for the
welfare of the county just s's1x hundred and
eighty-three days in the year, and is not
surprised to learn of his not being satisfied
with $3 per day; he also knows that heavy
real estate men are appointed as assessors:
he knows that these facts along with others
too numerous to mention are all "un.ge
oVer-able,' and when he is asked to vote for
more bonds, he thinks of the $l.4OO.OOO
municipal debt that the city of MINNEAPOLIS
has got to pay and he very naturally
says "no.''
1t seems as though Minneapolis was con-
trolled by men who are actuated by no HIGH
er motive than to get the city in debt, in Or
der that they may have something to do. or.
some money to handle.
We have here city surrounded bv every
thing that is beautiful and grand-rivers.
lakes, bluffs, valleys, prairies, everything
apundantly beautiful that nature prepares
Tor man-everything natural, but little arti
hclai' yet we have in this city class of men
VINO would bond us with more debt, in or
DER that they may build an artificial park.
Think of it, with the whole surrounding
country park such as only nature can pre-
pare. Yet the worst feature of it all is to
Know that IN the end they will accomplish
thelr purpose. Eventually some of these
men will sell some out of the way tract of
brush lana to the city for park. and the
CITY Will pay all expenses for lobbying the
thing through.
Inc greatest obstacle in the path of Amer
lean prosperity is our debt. The nation.
the State and the city are determined to have
Improvements without any consideration as
TO where the money comes from or as to
wat rate OF interest or taxes will be levied.
Ihe very same facts I have shown of our CITY
are applicable to the entire nation. nation
that was free from debt in 1886, now owes a
debt of over two thousand millions, which
Keeps in its service one hundred thousand
civil officers and pays them twice as much as
any European power pays for the same num-
Der. We have thirty-nine States owing an
aggregate of three hundred and eighty mil
hons, and of which eight pays neither in
terest nor principal
ask, In the name of common sense, can
we expect anything but hard times?
Workingmen, think of these facts and