St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-20

Comptroller Roche Replies to tin
Pioneer Press Attack.

Comptroller II Oche Replies to the
Pioneer Press Attack.
To the Editor of the Globe:
During the past week the newspapers Of
the city of Minneapolis have been over
whelming in their slander0us abuse OF me
They ask ''the people OF the city OF st
Paul to proceed Immediately to the sup
preston of the fresh individual who is
bringing ridicule upon the city OF st. Pau
over the official signature OF John w
Roche, city comptroller" and maliciousIy
claim that my horoughly-correct statement
of the bonded indebtedness of the city OF
ST. Paul, as published in the newspapers OF
ST. Paul, sis false" This is also desper-
ate effort to destroy the high financial credit
of the city of st. Paul.
But the more astonishing comments upon
the bonded indebtedness and upon my Off
cial capability as city comptroller appeared
in the editorial of the Pioneer Press of the
18th inst.
All well-balanced minds will not dispute
that the 81, 100, 900 bonds of the city of ST.
Paul, bearing the signatures OF the mayor,
| city clerk and city comptroller, with the
city seal, and issued for the purchase and
extension of the st. Paul waterwOrks, un-
der authority of the common council
and the legislature of the state
of Minnesota, are actually part
of the bonded Indebtedness of the
city as much as all the other city bonds in
my debt statement which have been signed
and sealed, and authorized under the same
authority, no matter whether the interest
and principal are a charge upon the tax
revenues or not.
The Pioneer Press says ''that the
81, 100, 600 city bonds issued for the pur-
chase and extension of the st. Paul water
works are technically a part of the city debt
and are not actually part OF 1t, lnasmuch
as neither interest nor principal is charge
upon the tax revenues OF the city," claim
ing ''that such city bonds should not appear
in my debt statement"
l claim that the Pioneer Press is wrong.
1t ''places the cart before the horse" The
words technically" and actually" should
be transposed, which will Immediately
place the amount in my debt statement
where it properly belongs, and thus avoid
the error the Pioneer Press makes by strik-
ing it out.
The Pioneer Press states that the board
of education is an independent corporation,
having bonded debt of $3.50, 000 which ii
claims lis not technically city debt, but
|
has to be paid from taxes upon the assessed
valuation of property, and the interest is
included thereon in the annual tax levy
1t claims THAT such school bonds should
appear in my debt statement"
The Pioneer Press is again wrong as to
the school debt. The words technically
and actually should be transpOsed, which
will show that the school bonds should not
appear in my debt statement, as they be-
long to an independent corporation.
| School bonds are never included in city
debt statement, except when such bonds
are directly issued by the common council.
1t is strange that the Pioneer Press makes
no reference to the board of county commits
siOners of Ramsey county, an independent
corporation with bonded debt OF $3.50, 600,
being identical with the school debt in its
bearing upon the city debt.
1t is also strange that the Pioneer Press
makes no reference to the bonded debt OF
the state of Minnesota, which is about five
million dollars (S5, 900, 000.)
The city of st. Paul pays about One-tenth
of the state taxes, which makes $500, 600
of the bonded debt of the state for ST.
PauIs portion, and making the state debt
identical with the school debt in its bearing
upon the city debt.
There are four representations for which
taxes are required to be levied upon all the
aSsessable property i'll every city where the
revenues other than taxes are not sufficient
to meet the demands, viz: State, city,
county, school, all perfectly independent OF
each other in every particular.
The Pioneer Press is not fair in partly
quoting my remarks in the debt statement,
particularly my views of the ''farcical pei
cent. limit of assessed valuation does not
apply to conservative st. Paul"
The quotation should have been: 1.-THE
city of st. Paul cannot issue bonds without
! legislative authority. The farcical pei
cent. limit Of assessed valuation does not
apply to conservative st. Paul"
The conservatism of the city of st. Paul
is in her city charter, in not allowing any
bonds issued without legislative authority.
With such a restriction in the city charter,
kept inviolate, the people can feel thank
full that the 'farcical per cent. limit OF
assessed valuation" cannot control st.
Paul.
To illustrate the force of the IS per cent.
| limit of assessed valuations" A city with q
debt of 81, 000 900, and an assessed valua-
ton af S25, 600, 900, without legislative aul-
thOrity, wishing to increase the debt to
81, 600, 900, can simply raise the assessed
valuation of taxable property to $40, 900, 900,
increase the debt accordingly, and subse-
queutly reduce the assessment at will,
thereby swindling the taxpayers.
No tax should be levied for sinking
| fund to redeem bonds through the course OF
years. unless such fund can be kept sacred
for the purpose.
But the danger is in subsequent legisla-
ton diverting it for other purposes, which
is Characteristic of prosperous western cit
| les
There is a sinking fund annually levied
to cover the bonds maturing the following
year. Such fund fortunately is of short du-
ration, as subsequent legislation cannot be
obtained to divert it for other purposes.
The detailed reports DIETER known as the
''tallow candle reports') are almost ready
for presentation to the common council, on
account of the last legislature allowing the
! city comptroller one full grown clerk, after
a hard struggle for four years to get one.
JOHN W. ROCHE.