St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-14
LEGAL DEPARTMENT.

LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
The rapid growth of the city has greatly in
creased the work of the legal department.
The vast amount of public improvements
the opening Of new streets, the rapid build
ing up of the city beyond the limit of side
walks and proper grading, the decay of the
wooden Sidewalks, and the prosecution of
violators of city ordinances, in addition to the
usual requirements of city of this size. have
required vast amount of attention from the
legal department. When we consider the
amount of this work and the failure of the
city to have its streets and sidewalks in as
good condition we might desire, and
nevertheless remember that of all these
personal injury suits brought against the city
there have only been two verdicts against the
city, for the comparatively small sum OF 500
during the past year. we have reason 10 be
more than satisfied. For the valuable servi-
ces of Capt. j. n. Cross, who has manifested
great ability in the management of the legal
affairs OF the city, and his able assistant, Mr..
Frank Il. Carleton, the city is greatly in
debted.
The mayor reviewed at length the indi-
vidual suits to which the city is party.
The work of the engineering and fire de-
partments was deliberately given, covering
the points already given in the GLOBE.
THE PATROL LINE.
Following the statistics of the police
department. the mayor gives the following:
When the vast amount of territory en-
braced within the populated portions of our
city, on both sides of the river, is taken into
consideration, it will lie seen that the police
force has much ground to cover, particularly
when If is remembered that of the ia men
on the force there are quite a number who
have special work and duties and caIrnot
serve rs patrol men. Nor has the police
force been enlarged in proportion with the
growth of the city. ! am fully convinced
that our liquor ordinance, which has confined
the sale of intoxicating liquors with the pa
troll limits and imposed much higher license
than formerly, has very materially aided lin
the good government and morality of the
city. Under this wise ana salutary ordinanee
the passage of which Recommended two years
ago in my inaugural address to your honCt-
able body, and which believe was the frit
attempt made by any city, to con
fine the sale of liquors to small
portion of the city, very much has
been accomplished in lessening the many
evils of the liquor traffic. Despite the i'm
mense growth of our city the numbers OF sa-
looms has been very greatly diminished DUR,
ing my administration. Not only have many,
ceased to exist, but the liquor curse so far as,
open sales are concerned, been driven out of
three-fourths of the area of the city. There
are to-day no open saloons in what may be
properly termed the residence portion of our
city. Our beautiful suburban property, with
its charming lakes, parks and boulevard re-
gions is not objected 10 their deteriorating
influence. The outlying Saloons which are
often the theater of drunkenness and untold
crimes, which are often the resorts of rough
characters. and which always have baleful
influence upon children, and are frequently
the places where the first lessons in crime are
inStilled into the youthful mind, have ceased
to exist. AS result beautiful homes have
been built around our entire suburbs by la
boring people of very moderate means. The
value OF property has been increased. In
many instances mu ch of the money which
would have gone into the saloonkeep-
er's till has been wisely invested,
and homes are happier. Those re-
gions in which there have been no LIQUOR re-
sorts to inveigle the young and unwary have
steadily improved. And women and chill
dren, fathers and mothers, who have been
spared the evils of a saloon in their neighbor-
hood, have been directly benefited. Often
times the influence of one saloon will con-
tamiuate the morals and diminish the ma
terial value of the property OF whole region.
For this reason we cannot too greatly appre-
ciate the services of our patrol limit ordi-
nance. When we remember the fact that
the ordinance is not yet two years old; that
it was a new way of dealing with a question
that has vexed the world for centuries; that
the mos able and brilliant legal talent of the
state was arrayed against it in the courts of
this state, from the lowest to the highest le-
gal tribunals; that it was attacked and con-
tested inch by inch on every conceivable
side, by every device, objection and obstacle
that the ablest legal acumen could suggest:
that an organized body, backed by brains
and wealth, laboriously and sys-
Dramatically endeavored to break it
down and decry it, and that il is only about
year since the last batch of cases were de-
cided in favor of the ordinance by our ST.
prone court-ia the light of all these OBJ
stacles, it is really wonderful that this ordin-
ance has effected such grand results. As you
are aware reforms come slow, but we all,
think. have reason to be proud OF such grand
results accomplished in so comparatively
short time. tits doubtless true that there
| have been some instances where liquors have