Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-29

in Russia, is dead.
The Golos newspaper has a second
The Fort Ssreee Ianprors~ nent.
To the Editor of the Globes
Sr. PAUL, Dec. %, 1@,s2-Your renort
of meeting of city officers and others
held yesterday to Consider the LEGISLATION
needed for tho V.ty, contains among other
things the tollowing substance. Alder
man snu'.h argued that it was
necessary that the revolving fund
skaS.d lbe increased to at least 100000.
ID this connection Mr.. Murray. city
attorney. illustrating the consequences 10
sulting from an empty treasury, is report
cd to have said: s:The result is as in The
Fort streaG improvement. In that case the
contractor has done the work, but ga tao
money is not in the treasury the assess
ment cannos be made, and he caanOt be
Pzid. At the same time the city Is paying
MIN per Gent. interest," ON the contrao
price,
This is a singular condition in view Of
tina statement made hereabout after the
work referred to had been suspended for
the season. have feegotten the date Of
your issue to which allude, but its con-
tents we're that in addition to the percent
of the contract price, detained by the'terms
of the contract, 500 had also beon with
held for the reason that the work
had Snot been completed. It is we'll
known that the contractor. was
INDUCED by an extension of time,
made necessary by the magnitude of the
work and the difficulty of obtaining labor.
1t is notorious that the job is not finished
and the work has not bees accepted. If
so, WHY'S the city paying 9 per cent. in
terest on the entire contract price? If the
work'fs done and the city is already legally
liable, tits notorious to all observers that it
is lily done and should not have been
accepted. I do not make these suggestions
to criticise the contractor, who, / believe,
has acted with the greatest efficiency. so
far as he has progressed, but of those Off
Gals who may have approved of work both
incomplete and incompetent under e CON
tract of great Importance.
While writing you upon this subject,
| permit me another word or two, as am
one of the many taxed as a property owner
for the paving of Fort street: When the
project of this pavement was before the
| board of public works, it having been
| rumored that the Street ilway company,
| running two tracks over the street, much
| to the detriment of its free use as public
| highway, and against tn. wish of the
| property owners, expected to be ex-
onerated from its share of the cost of the
improvement, I was permitted by the cour
tesy of the board to protest in behalf of the
proprietors, against the Illegally of the
discrimination. made an argument be-
fore the board. The city attorney being pre-
sent requested an adjournment to prepare a
reply. The adjourned day arrived. No reply
was made. The matter was further adjourn
ed to enable the railway corporation to be
present and heard by counsel The time
came. the directors werespresent with Mr..
Horn, their attorney. Nothing was dene
or said further than desultory conversation.
1t is we'll understood that the board inciin-
| cd to the legal views which / had before
urged, j. o. that the corporation having an
easement in the real property to be i'm
proved could not be legally exempted from
Its proportion OF the expense of the i'm
provement. d This proposition rests upon
| aximatic principles. At this juncture, by
1 o~iAxO wv vi pICos1uSAthIIOu Will WHICH, i
am incapable of knowledge,
the subject was withdrawn from the board
| of public works and resumed by the coun
Gil. Alderman Smith was known to be op-
posed to the exemption desired by the rail-
way company. In fact it was we'll known
that votes had been given him and personal
exerticns made in his behalf, because his
| views were pronounced upon this subject.
| II UQS afqo q currank rurpOp fhat uonov
and personal influence wore opposed to his
election for this cause. 1t could not bat
be known that by reason of the fact that
he is large, probably the largest proprie
tor on Fort street, and q man Of unchal-
lenged first capacity and Influence, and
withal conscientious and untiring worker,
that he would be felt upon this and ell
cognate measures affecting the tax
payers. He was elected. An emergency
was precipitated. The newly . ected mem
bers were to take tho official oath. On the
last day in, the afternoon of the last union
of the old council, in the midst of the rush
of business usual at such times, with the
knowledge of Mr.. Smiths views, a rasolu-
ton was adopted directing the board to
advertise for bids to pave Fort street to
the outer rail of the street railway track.
AS SO many inutile meetings had been held
the board of public works had assured me
that the subject referred to should not be
taken up there without notice to me.
Prominent members of the council. and
the city attorney knew that was anxious to
be heard, not only in my own behalf but
in that of numerous others. and among
them the largest owners on the street. No
notice was given me, but by accident
(perhaps?) at least one of the directors of
the street railway company wss present
and argued its side of the controversy.
As the poet watts hymns believe)
beautifully writes:
'You may call me aquiz, yoa may call me q
guy,
But don't like to see things that look queer to
| the eye.''
| 1t is said that the corporation is willing
| to pave between its tracks in its own way
and at its own ''sweet wilf' with cobble-
stone or "block-heads," with which latter
| this market is glutted ergo, they are cheap.
It Is obvious that litigation is inevitable.
The result, it appears to me, cannot be-
doubtful, and still the per cent. interest
goes on. say the result cannot be doubt
full. am unable to find any authority in
the city charter which authorizes the
| CITY counci1 fN 1iroof ho IF a