St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-19
LOCAL COMMENT.

Residents of the East side say that the
Maple Hill cemetery will be reOpened,
and DR.. Kilvington, backed by the COM
mittee on health and hospitals, say that
it shall remain closed. Practically the
health department consists of DIR. Kill
vington, and anything he says goes
with the committee, which is supposed
to supervise the health board. DIR.
Kilvington is in earnest when he says
the Maple Hill burial ground must be
abandoned, aud so far he has had some
what the best of the controversy. There
have been good many hard things said
on both sides since the thing mas been.
agitated. and, perhaps, it would have
been better if the whole matter was
considered in calm, business-like
way. Dr.. Kllvington, as the health o Ger,
found that bodies were inferred in
shallow graves, and consequently the
decayiEg animal matter thrt atened the
health of not only the immediate neigh
borhood but of the entire city. As the
guardian of the health of the city it was
his paramount duty to either insist that
just sanitary precautions be observed or
to abate the nuisance y.closing the
place. He chose the latter. OF course,
the lot holders were more or less incOn-
venienced, and naturally they raised a
howl. Led by Aid. Vogt they acted as
if they were going to eat the health
commissioner without pepper or salt,
but SO far they haven't. Now that both
sides understand each other, why
wouldn't it be good idea for both sides
to meet half way and shake hands?
Proper sanitary regulations are abSo-
lutely necessary for the public welfare,
but at the same time private property
rights should be respected.
II
Registrar Moody, of the water de-
partment, gets very tired when he finds
Il hydrant turned on and water running
to waste. He don't think It is right,
and in his annual report to the council
he makes strong plea in favor of
water meters. The average citizen
who has had any experience with the
gentle and inOtfensive gas meter will
| not take very kindly to Mr.. Moody's
suggestions. His statement that the
| use of water meters may reduce the
consumption of water may be true, but
| that it will materially reduce the cost to
the consumer, is thing that every
body is not willing to admit.
i
The insinuations made by Aid. Enc r
| son Cole against the aldermen of the
nu40 iAA lpOSIlIiS5 VI LDC
| Friday that they were opposed to the
| city vacating Water street because it
meant dollars and cents. has created
| considerable comment. Yesterday Mr..
| Cole said the matter had been amicably
! settled, and that Shaw & Elliott would
| obtain all they asked for. 81 did not
make any charges" he said, "but when
| the aldermen of the First ward changed
their minds after having agreed to the
report of the committee it naturally
looked very suspicious, and | said Just
what thought. Now we have agreed
| to give Shaw & Elliott oue-half of the
street. This will give them strip of
land 19SX33 feet. Perhaps the citizens
of the First ward may think they have
some rights in the matter. Aid. Ingen-
hutt has stated his grounds for OPP
| position TO the scheme in business-like
way. He says he is opposed to giving
| the streets of the city to any private in
dividual or firm, unless the city shall
| receive just compensation in return.
| The ground which Aid. Cole proposes
| to present to Shaw Il Elliott is valued at
not less than $1,000, and some of the
aldermen are of The opinion that it
| would not be just to make this firm a
present of that amO Int.
Since the Tribune fire. Building In
| speetor RaZen and his deputies have
| been making a rigid examination of the
buildings in Minneapolis, with view to
enforcing the fire ordinances. The in
spector has called the attention of the
council to the location of the engine
room and dynamos in the Harris theater.
This same matter was the cause of con-
| siderable talk some time ago. The thea
ter people claim that every precaution
has been taken to prevent a fire
from starting, and to prevent its
| spreading to the theater in case
it should start and point to the fact that
the insurancescompanieS have written
their policies on the portion of the build
| ing III which the boilers are situated at
| less rate than on the theater proper.
This means absolutely nothing, as the
| insurance people are fully aware that
most fires in theatefs start Oh the stage,
| and the construction Of the Harris the
alter, i'll case of a file starting on the
| stage, would do but little damage in the
engine room. Mr.. Hszen, in calling the
attention of the city council the con-
dition of things. is simply doing his
| duty. and now that the aldermen are
informed Of the facts, the matter is out
OF his hands. The committee on fire
| department., to which The communities