Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-20
The board of directors of the chamber
of commerce held their regular weekly
meeting yesterday morning.
LETTER FROM E. F. DRAKE.

or commerce n6lu IuoII LCSu4oA "SOhAJ
meeting yesterday morning.
LETTER FROM E. F. DRAKE.
After reading the minutes of
the last weeks meeting, the secretary read
the following letter from Hon. E. F. Drake,
and the same was referred to the commit
tee on roads, streets, and parks:
DRESDEN, Saxony, Jan. %, 1883.-Hon.
J. B. Sanborn, President Chamber of Com
merce My Dear Sir-Since my arrival in
Germany, and my visits especially to- Bre
men, Berlin and Dresden, have been so
impressed with the wise forethought of the
founders of these quaint old cities, in pro-
viding public parks, gardens open spaces,
fountains and statues, that l cannot well re-
frain from exerting all the influences pos
sess to induce the people of StPaul TO fol
low the wise. useful and beautiful example
of the ancient kings who made all parts of
Germany and indeed of Europe so attrac-
tive. For beauty of position and natural
scenery, none of these cities compare with
St. Paul. In fact nature has seemed to
show before US and all around Us sugges-
tive objects for improvement and orna-
ment. Hill, valley, water and forest invit-
ing us to add to their beauty and utility.
Our opportunities are fast passing away,
and the present is the opportune time to
secure parks and fountains at cost that
the people will deem reasonable. We
should secure and hold as city property
forever most of the triangles formed
along Fort street; The vacant land
along Trout brook; the fiat between the
railroad and river above Chestnut street,
~, ob ofar
for boating, skating, bathing, etc., and
convenient for the people who have little
leisure and no means to reach distant
woods. What thing of beauty it could be
made at a small cost! AS taxpayer, and
a citizen of ST. Paul, desiring to make our
city the most attractive in the Northwest,
beg to entreat you, your chamber and
our fellow citizens to cooperate and act
at once to secure the ends suggested. The
legislature is now in session and will not
be again for two years. The legislative
committee of the chamber should be in
structed to get authority to make
debt of two hundred thousand dol
lars to be expended under board of
park commissioners Carefully selected) in
purchasing suitable grounds for improve
ment. To realize the best price for bonds
at the lowest interest, let the lands pur-
chased be held as security for the bonds.
The present expenditure should be to Sc
cure the lands, before too late, leaving the
improvement to the future, or to those
who follow US. The current interest will
be contributed by this generation and the
debt paid those who follow US, and for the
debt they will give US their blessings. Of
beg to suggest that in this connection, it
should be provided by law that in every
original plat or subdivision of ten acres
or more, or in the case of less
than ten acres plated, if the
same be a part of a larger tract of the
same owner, that in addition to streets
and alleys at least oAe-tenth shall be plat
ted as parks for ornamental public pur-
poses. Such law would work no hard
ship, as the owner of the plat would be the
gamer in the increased value of his lots.
This should be state law, but we should
not endanger our application by extending
it beyond our city, or better our county.
Trusting that what l have hastily written
will meet your views and that of the
chamber ard get the support of our
papers, whose managers are ever ready to
forward any good object, I am, dear sir,
truly yours. E. F. DRAKE.
Mr.. Murray stated that the suggestions
of Mr.. Drake had been largely anticipated
by the legislative delegation.
SANITARY MATTERS.
Mr.. Hodgson, from committee on health
and sanitary matters, read the following
report:
To the Chamber of Commerce of the City
of St. Paul:
Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen: In com
pliance with your instructions, the under
signed respectfully submit the following
report:
The city is at present in fairly health
full condition. We have had more diph-
liberia during the winter than usual, and
the disease prevails, but not to an alarm
ing extent, and there seems to be no cause
for serious apprehension as to the future,
either so far as this disease is concerned,
or any other epidemic or contagious disease
if houses, streets and alleys are thoroughly
cleansed in the early spring and kept in
this condition during the summer, and our
water sources are kept pure, and efficient
quarantine is preserved to prevent the
spread of any cases that may occur. 1t
should not be difficult to keep the city of
NV L ouA POAO anu ClOdu. Liz COulOur
its site is such as to facilitate through
drainage, and by so much the greater will
be our culpability and responsibility if
disease should be invited and fostered by
uncleanliness.
We found the ever active and efficient
secretary of the state board of health, DR..
G. N. Hewitt, assisted by Mr.. Lane, of the
attorney generals Office, engaged in codi-
flying and amending existing laws in ref
erence to infections and epidemic dis
eases. When they have completed their
labors, the code will be presented to the
Legislature for enactment, which will prob
ably be before the next meeting of this
chamber.
The gentlemen above named have also
prepared a bill regulating noxious and of
fensive trades and occupations, such as
rendering, Strengthening, and the like. and
also one in reference to sources of water
supply, substantially the same as the Mas
sachusetts laws on these subjects, which
bills will also be presented to the legisla-
ture for enactment. As these bills more
particularly affect the large cities, we give
the substance of them herein, beginning
with the one first above mentioned, neither
of said bills being yet entitled.
Section provides that whoever uses any
building for carrying on Strengthening, rem
derlng or other noxious or offensive trades