St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-07
MINNEAPOLIS
THE THRoBBlNG THINKER.

County Attorney Jamison says the grand
fury now ar work is a good one, and County
Attorney Jamison ought to know, for be has
seen the workings of several grand jurles,
and some of them were most assuredly not
good ones The present grand jury is not
calling any particular attention to their
work, anG have so far retrained from drag
ging in any reluctant newspaper men or
others to testify regarding sporting houses
and kindred evils. Such work as that is en-
trely unnecessary, and the absence of il i'll
this jury's work certainly goes TO support M
Jamison's statement. The sporting houses
are well known 10 every one who cares to
acquaint himself with the facts, ana II the
city desires 10 discontinue them ii can be
done by the police at any time by serving
notice, while il it is the intention TO derive
public revenue from them instead of having
them under the individual protection of GER
tain high officials it would be much easier to
BET by way of the municipal court and save
putting in motion the ponderous machinery
of indictments and trials in the court; and
then, too, the revenue would be placed in the
treasury of the city, where, if anywhere it
properly belongs. The croakers who howl
that the grand jury is not giving the town
the required spring cleaning, don't under
stand the first principles of police system.
-
The representations made before the coun-
ell committee on ordinance the other day IN
the contest between the Minnesota Gas Light
company and the representatives OF the new
company, which desires to manufacture fuel
gas in Minneapolis over the petition OF me
latter combination for q franchise enabling
to manufacture an6sen gaseous fuel in Min
neapolis several points that were new and
Interesting TO some of the aldermen. and will
doubtless prove SO to the public at large,
were brought out. The first Of these is that
the franchise of the Minnesota Gas Light
company lasts until 1919, having been
granted i'll 1870 to run forty years.
Second, That according to the somewhat
s'liberal translation" of the ordinance
as interpreted to the committee. the fran
chiSe covers the manufacture OF any and all
kinds of gases manufactured by any process
Whatsoever and for whatever purpose used,
and even if this point did not hold they
have an apparently lron-clad contract with
the city giving them the exclusive right to
Law pipe and mains for the distribution of
gas. True at the time this ordinance was
passed gas had not been used for other than
lighting purposes, and no one had supposed
that it would be, but by the wording of the
contract granting the franchise they are given
The earth so far as the gas business in Mime
epolis is concerned, the council reserying,
of course, enough for their their own use in
discussing the wage question and other
topics OF weighty import.
i
The action Of certain men, who are In st.
Paul as the avowed representatives of the
people of Hennepin county, in endeavoring
10 legislate out of Office DR.. S. s. kilvingtoD.
Suhn
despite his sometimes erratic judgment,
brought order out of chaos and in the face
of sneers. bowls and opposition. created q
health department for the city of Minneap-
oils, IS surprising TO say the least, or rather
would be surprising if the men referred to
were not Republicans and the doctor Dem
ocrat. But it will be more than surprising
g. after the general and widespread expires
sion of opinion in favor of the health officer
on the part of the people of Mime apolis,
both Republicans and Democrats, these men
do not desist, and they will certainly deserve
and assuredly feel the disapprobation of the
voters who elected them TO the positions
they now occupy.
i
The point made by President Loring Of the
park board, in his letter from Algiers, regard
ing the necessity or ACCESSIBILITY Of securing
all the desirable land obtainable for park
purposes now while the city is yet yonng.
and the land comparatively cheap. is worthy
of all the consideration it is liable to get.
Scores Of cities in the world have made the
same mistake that he warns Minneapolis
against and as result ale practically with
out parks at all, and have now grown to
such q limit as TO make any lands
otherwise available too expensive 10 be sci
harn orr
however, who being blinded by the CLINT OF
gold and deafened by its Jingle, can see no
beauty in trees or flowers nor hear any music
in the song of birds, and who will argue thai
the Flour City has already parks enough fol
London or Paris. But such human fos
sis. even though they own solid blocks OF
stinSide property and live in palaces, should
not be allowed 10 shut out the great mass OF
the people of to-day or the unnumpereo
thousands of coming generations from tne
enjoyment of what the natural advantages OF
Minneapolis place easily within her grasp
the finest park system the world has ever
seen.
A glance at the police records of Minneap
oils for few years past will show hundred
or more reports of men missing. Some one
has left his work TO go home or left his home
to go TO work and has not been seen since
e1tler at DIS place OIL DuSlHeSS VI LIS AoAiC'
Sometimes the disappearance antedates the
report by two or three days and sometimes
for month Men from all the ranks of life
have apparently dropped out of the world
and their number would surprise anyone
who has never had occasion to record them
TO scarcely one of the reports has later
clause stating that the man returned or was
heard from, been appended. Thus far
it would seem that men fade into thin
air or disappear beneath the surface of the
ground without any apparent reason, but
such is not the case, and it is more than
likely that more than two-thirds of the men
recorded as lost have returned to their fam
flies or have written from towns across the
lire inside of sixty days from date of dlsap-
pearance. and the police are rarely notified
of the second part of the programme and so,
you might think, they go on and on in a use
less search for the man until they trace him
home again; but that's where you wouldn't
think right. They don't do anything OF the
kind. They have 100 postal cards printed
and sent out, heaoed Mysterious Disap.
pearance," and bearing description of the
man, his clothing, beard etc., and then their
work is done, and if they never hear from
one of the cards they never think of the man
again.