St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-10
HONE SHEET H0ME--ON sHARE,

The new conner trayersing the streets of
st. Paul for the first time will be disagreed
blv impressed with the almost universal
prevalence of the sign FURNISHED Rooms
for rent'' The inevitable inference is that
only favored minority can afford to have
homes of their own, and that a very large
proportion of the population of st. Paul is
unable to rent any abiding place without sub
dividing with dodgers or tenants to meet the
enormous rent There is no use denying the
fact that the rates of rent are unconscionably
and oppressively high. The newspapers adj
vert to the fact from time to time, and they
likewise call attention to the depressing
scarcity of the right sort of tenements for
persons of moderate income. Large houses at
forty, fifty, sixty and even seventy dollars per
month are numerous, and the number is
still increasing, until some of the conditions
of crowded quarters in very large cities are
thrust upon a population not quite prepared
for them, through the greed of capitalists, or
the misdirectiou of investment in barrack-
like rows of teaements filed to the roof with
gregarious assortment of humans, club
bipg their necessities and reducing their
rates of shelter.
Naturally such teeming buildings are not
homes in any consistent meaning of the
word 1t forfeits the title when there is
mereenary division of it with any stranger,
that by the partnership the rent may be met
without serious inconvenience.
In this sense St Paul has an inordinately
large representation of homeless people who
cannot hope to better themselves in the
present pressure of such one-sided specula-
tor.
A number of sagaeious, public spirited
men realizing the helplessness of so many
desirable inhabitants, have organized build
ing societies and loan associations whereby
they may be helped to secure homes of their
own on easy payments But the enterprise
is only partial outlet to the embarrassment.
There vet remains very numerous class OBJ
liged to rent in the old way, and forit needs
st. Paul capital has heretofore shown remark
able indifference. Going about the town
shows row after row of big houses for rent at
figures that make you stare. Now the class
which has the income to live in one of these
HOdSSS--htSnONt Tic nCtNSSAtl VI SA0t
ing it with outsiders TO pay the RENTS as
remarkably small as the other is large.
descriptive list of the persons who can
pay tue rent unaided, that is, without sublet-
ting, woald be curious reading.
The big rows of houses are on the increase
both as to size and as to
rent. The presumption Is that they must be
profitable or they would not be built, and the
presumption too, is, that there must be num-
bers of opulent tenants waiting aud ready TO
move right in. There are tenants-they are
constantly described in the newspapers
they are new corners and old residents, who
are hoping for the time when fairly comfort
able houses viii be provided for them at. the
moderate rents Of other cities. At present
the prospect is rather discouragiug The
same old big houses are going up at the same
big old nuts, and the same class of tenants
is ready with ludicrous desperation to take