St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-15
CITY HALL GOSSIP.

VII ilALL OO00lHs
Without doubt. the most important matter
which has come before the common council
since the new charter went into force is
hEely 10 lead to breach of the diplomatic
relations existing between the two bodies
which compose the council. The question of
the insurance OF the schools is of vital i'm
portanee to every taxpayer in the city. Alta
Time Wnen expenses have been cut down in
every direction. and the police aud fire de-
partments are working short handed in men
and material necessary, ii behooves the CITY
fathers TO use every means possible to carry
out the plan of retrenchment Yet upon the
insurance question, the strange spectacle is
presented of the assembly trying to cut down
the present heavy rate demanded by insur-
ance agents and companies, while the
board of aldermen decline to even
give the matter any attention. but
lay on the table the proceedings of the upper
house. why there should be SO remarkable
a divergence of opinion between the two
houses is perfectly mysterious The gentle
men of the board of aldermen are ali well
known citizens who have served the city
faithfully, and are equally as anxious as their
orotners IN the upper house to save Gny ex-
pense to the city where it is possible Yet
they refuse to take any steps to save the civ
thousands of dollars of expense which might
be dispensed with. At the present time the
insurance companies are drawing the sum of
-, 100 each year for insuring the school
buildings for the amount OF Sl,0OO.OOO. Ae
cording to the statements made by Mr.. Muir
ray and Mr. Oppenheim at last TUESDAYS
meeting OF the assembly, when the matter
was discussed at great length, combine was
formed by certain of the agents to bring pres
10 pOu mis- mi;
cago who fix Northwestern rates. not to re-
duce the present rate of insurance. Yet,
bona ice offer has been made by one of the
strongest companies to take all the insurance
at the rate of Sl.50- Under these circum-
stances there can be no doubt but that the
500 rate is hugely exorbitant, and steps
ought to be taken to end the payment of
large sums to insurance companies by the
city.
Another phase of the question fs what
right has the board or school inspectors to
create Indebtedness against the city by ac-
ceptlng renewals of policies which were is
sued when the old board of education was in
Office: The last legislature vested the school
buildings in the city of St. Paul. and the dis.
tinguished corporation attorney MIR. LawIer.
has given his opinion during the week that
the claims of certain insurance agents for re-
neWIng policies since the present board of
schooI inspectors took Office are not legal
claims against the city, but that the council
csn II 1t so desires, assent to the renewal OF
the policies. The assembly al least does not
desire to renew the policies at the high rate
now being ask for and it is satisfactory to
know that if the board OF aldermen do not
coincide with the assembly upon the matter.
the Insurance agents will renew policies at
their own risks, for certainly the upper house
VIII never pass any accounts presented by
the agents.
The last and most important feature of the
affair is the question OF insuring the school
buildings at all. We have a magnificent fire
department, second to none in the country
Fires In schools are of rare occurrence. for
III the last twenty years only one school
house has been destroyed. the old jefferson
frame building, and in return for the huee
sums paid in that time by the city to insur-
ance companies they were called upon TO
reimburse the city to the extent of S.. 900.
There are many buildings of the city which
are not insured which are more likely to be
destroyed by fire than the schools. For in
stance, the city hail. the market house. the
city hospital the poor house, the workhouse
and the police stations What should be
done in the matter is, to cancel all the poll i
cies, and establish an insurance fund. paw
ing into the fund each year the amounts now
paid to the insurance companies The city
would save thousands of dollars in addition
TO the benefit of the interest which the
money would draw.
Mayor Smith and all the city officials have
expressed themselves as strongly in favor of
COLI oil
tablishing a sinking fund. No person IN st.
Paul can possibly object to the saving of
$1,000 year, which was not spent by the IN
serance companies in st. Paul, and not one
dollar of which ever came back to the tax
payers in the course of business
Next Tuesday evening the board of alder
men will take up the Azotine matters and the
collection of garbage question. and it is to be
sincerely hoped that we shall soon hear the
last OF the matter The special conference
committee has already made its report that
the Azotine company be allowed to DESTROY
the garbage al South st. Paul and that bids
be called for from contractors for collecting
the garbage and delivering il to the Azotine
company at certain designated points in the
city The present contract with the Azotine
company will be so amended that no money
VIII be paid unless the work is actually per-
formed. This certainly seems wise solution
of the affairs under all circumstances.
As to the bills of the Azotine company for
the past few months, there are two phases of
the matter to be considered and when these
bills were presented last Tuesday evening be-
fore the assembly it was stated that the CITY
attorney had given mis- opinion to the con-
ference committee that under the contract
for dispOsing the Azotine company could
collect the money, even if they had done no
work, for the reason that the city had never
placed the company in default. The city AT
torney, Daniel W LaWler is one of the abiest
LAWYERS i'll the Northwest and acting on his
opinion. the special committee viii make q
report settling the whole matter Yet, Mr.
McCatferty, who is fighting the Azotine com
pauy, denounced the payment of the SepteIn-
Der bills as steal and robbery from the
treasury" in a thunderous speech made
last Tuesday evening. On the pay
ment of the bills for collecting the
garbage he is perhaps right. but certainly
not as regards the payments for disposal in
face of the legal opinion of the city attorney
Mr.. McCafferty also took occasion 10 charge
a change of front OIL the part of the coun-
Gil city officials and the newspapers '.as
soon as Mr.. Fleishmann arrived in ST. Paul
o.
1t would seem that the doughty McCafferty
himself. eX-Azotine champion. has also
changed front in the matter. aud assumes
that what is an offense when done by others
is virtue when done by himself Last Tues
dsy evening Mr.. MeCafferty, in speaking of
the bills which had been certified TO by
Health Officer Hoyt said:
DIR. Hoyt is a gentleman for whom per
sonally and as city official | have the high
est respect and regard
Tuesday evening. Sept. Q. Mr. NcCaferty
said:
Yet these bills come here. certified to by
the health officer that the WORK has been
done. We have an officer here who is wholly
unfit for his Office and is a disgrace to the