St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-09-07
WHO OWNS ST. PAULa
Does it Belong to the Street Com
tractors or the Citizens 2

The conundrum in the above heading is
one which has been quite frequently asked
OF late, and is becoming quite a serious
problem. So serious that it is questionable
whether property owners can afford
to hold or improve property
in this city. The system of street
improvements seems to be conducted for
the purpose of inticting expense and pun
ishment upon those who are so unfortu-
nate as to have secured little realty A
case in point occurred Yesterday, and as it is
only one of numerous complaints which are
constantly being made, it is worthy Of being
recorded.
The GLOBE company is erecting building
on Fourth street between Wabashaw and st.
Peter, and during the past week work has
been suspended on the building to enable S.
P. Folsom, Jr., the contractor for paving
Fourth street, to do his work on that portion
OF the street. The paving was substantially
completed Friday night, it only remaining
20 complete few feet in front of the GLOBE
building by putting the dressing of tar and
gravel on the cedar blocks. The little spot
left incomplete was where the mortar bed
for the building had been previously located
and where Mr. Costello, the contractor for
the building, designed to again place
1t as soon as the paving
was done, and resume his building
operations. The brick masons were on hand
yesterday morning to resume their labor and
Mr.. Folsom, the paving contractor, began
completing the work as desired, when he
was ordered to desist by one VIM. R. Sache,
an employee of the city engineer
ing department, and instructed
to leave that spot unfinished and
work further down the street This man
Sache impudently notified the brick masons
that they had delayed the paving contractor
and he (Sache) would delay them in proceed
ing with their work on the GLOBE building.
Here was man supposed to be employed by
the city for the purpose of protecting
the interests of property ow
ers in seeing that the street
contractor did his work properly, deliberately
using his brief authority to damage property
owners.
Mr.. Folsom was evidently quite pleased to
have the city official ''stand inn with him,
thought it is due him to say that when he was
pretty emphaticaly requested to complete the
omitted spot, instead of working farther
down the street. he expressed willingness
| to do so if permitted by the inspector, and
said he had skipped the spot by order of this
man Sache. 1t was also very evident that
the street contractor and the city inspec-
tor were ON most excellent terms,
and person not informed on
the subject might have very
naturally supposed, by the remarks of the
parties, that the contractor and city official
were partners in the paving job. Whether
they are or not is a matter upon which they
are undoubtedly better informed than is the
GLOBE.
When Sache was requested to have the
desired spot, perhaps 16 by II, completed, he
replied that if he had his way he would keep
it open all the season; that the contractor for
the GLOBE building had had his material on
the street and delayed Mr.. Folsom from COM
peting his contract, and he (Sache) didn't
care how much the building was delayed.
The GLOBE calls attention to this, not
especially owing to the annoyance it has ex-
perienced by this understrapper of the city
engineering department, but to call attention
to the fact that the department he repre-
sents and the street contractors appear
to think that they own the city and
the property owners have no rights which
they are bound to respect. 1t is about time
that the issue was made and the question of
who owns the city determined. If property
owners are to be bled for the benefit of con-
tractors their rights disregarded, and if the
city officials in charge of such work are paid
by the taxpayers for protecting con-
tractors and outraging citizens, it is
about time the fact should be
clearly understood and people who would
otherwise be willing to improve the city can
make their investments where there is bet
ter prospect for remuneration and apprecia-
ton. If the engineering department of St.
Paul desires to have this kind of an issue
made, relative to their conduct of affairs,
they can undoubtedly be accommO dated, aud
the style of procedure adopted by this NAV
Sache is good place to begin.
BLUE RIBBoN wearers follow your peerless
leader. Francis Murphy speaks at the Grand
Opera House at 8 80 this afternoon.