St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-15
The MONEY IN SIGHT.
Auditorium Scheme Endorsed
by the Conference Com
mittee.
The Cost Included in the Tax
Levy for Next
Year.
hr. 0ppenheim Skillfully En-
gineers the Scheme to
Victory.
The Water Board Make a Hard
Fight for Additional
Funds.

Without some peculiar Intervention,
the auditorium project is now assured.
A one-milI tax. amounting to Sl20,0CO,
has been included in the tax levy esti-
mate. The conference committee passed
upon the schedule last evening. But it
was not effected wit hont struggle. w.
II. SanbOrn. chairman of the ways and
means committee of the board of alder
men, was opposed to the enterprise, as
was Isaac Z. Wright, chairman of the
board OF control. They alone voted in
the negative when the crucial test was
made.
After the usual reports of city officers
had been accepted and ordered placed
on file, the resolution adopted by the
citizens committee Oh promotion, pub
ished in another column, was read. This
was accepted without comment, and the
chairman of the board of control pre-
sented an elaborate statement of the
immediate needs of the city hospital.
1t recommended that $50, coo be provided
to meet the cost of alterations and re-
pairS-in building steam laundry in
the basement, putting in a steam cook
ing apparatus. cold storage apparatus
room and an electric lighting plant.
This plan met with favor from Aid.
SanbOrn, and there was 10 opposition.
AT this juncture Assemblyman OPP
penheim appeared before the confer
ence ~ behalf of the public auditorium
committee and urged the One-mill tax
levy plan.
He had no sooner resumed his seat
than Judge HOyt, of the water board,
asked to have included in the estimate
an item of $4,000 to pay that board for
water used by the city. He explained
that the law provides that this sum
shall be paid June l, 1898. This eXpOSi-
ton brought Mr.. ODpenheim to his feet
again. lie showed that there is no need
OF making that levy the present year,
and
Argued with Feryor
that it belongs to the succeeding year if
anywhere, and then he emphasized his
position by the exclamation that the
city will never pay dollar of that bill,
and asserted that it was really never i'll
tended to be met. When the legislature
meets again it can provide for the
emergency if it is found necessary.
ut can be postponed another five Years,
and then 1t can be taken care Of said the
assemblyman land if you don't know how l
can tell YOU. 1t is like taking money out of
foolish extravaganza. If that S210, 900 is put
into this levy it will lay idle until June l,
1893. 1t cannot be touched for any purpose
whatever. / want to say il would be a bit of
foolish financial management If this scheme
comes here now for the purpose Of side
tracking popular enterprise, | think it had
best be met ut once, and the aSsembymRn
removed his huge coat to get ready for a
warm debate
Judge HOyt renewed his declaration
that the law maps out the course of the
conference committee and called for an
opinion from the corporation attorney.
Mr.. I.awler replied that the law is
very plain. 1t contemplates the pay
ment June l, 1893. and the matter of
placing it i'll the present levy, or that of
next year, is merely a question of
policy,
Comptroller Ponthan stated that he
had left the item out for the reason that
it did not appear to be necessary at this
time.
Then came the bill of Henry Horn for
legal services-a bill of S3,024. Mr..
Murray advised that 1t must be pro-
vlded for in the levy, and Aid. Sanborn
moved that it be added, and the motion
prevailed.
Comptroller POnthan called attention
to the tact that the 20 mills had been
exceeded, and Engineer RundIett moved
that S25, 0G0 be added to provide for the
construction OF bridge across the Mil
waukee track and do some bridge paint
ing.
And so the sum Kept mounting up,
until things looked little Shaky, but
Mr.. Oppenheim has 10 lack OF resources.
He had come well fortified to protect
the auditorium project. lie agreed that
the city is under some obligation to pro-
vide a bridge for the Milwaukee road.
but urged that the council Will find
means to provide it. With a little
economy in the engineers department,
he thought money enough can be saved
to do all the painting that will be
needed. He felt confident that there is
no necessity of a tax above 81 mills,
and he pointed to an item OF
$4,000 in the estimate that did not be-
long there. 1t was to
Provide for the Payment
of certificates of Indebtedness that will
fall due Sept. /, 1898, and there
fore should be held in allegiance for the
next estimate, the same as all ordinary
1eYyS are made. This $4,000 cannot
be made available for any other purpose,
and the city would simply lose the use
of it until Sept. l, 1898, which, in his
estimation, is bad management. He
suggested that this item be cut down so
as tOinclude the Horn bill and the engi-
neer's S25, 900, or just $2S,024. leaving
the total levy at q mills.
MIR. Murray then moved that the
item of $4,000 be changed to S67.916,
and it was adopted, Aid. Sanborn yot-
ing against it.
The vote was taken on the $4,000
for remOdeling the market house, and
all voted for it save Aid. Sanhorn and
Mir. Wright, and il passed, to 2. This
was done on the motion of Mr.. Murray.
Then followed protracted discussion
On the water board claim, and Judge
HOyt moved that committee of three
be appointed to meet with the water
board at o'clock today to inspect the
needs of the department, and that the
estimate wait until tonight for final
action. Mir. Murray moved as sub
Stitute thatsthe tax estimate be adopted.
He explained that he did not do kthis to
prejudice the committee proposition,
but he favored an adoption of the levy
assessment at once The amendment
prevailed 6 10 i. and then. upon motion
of Mr.. Rundlett, the chair appointed
Mr.. RundIett Mr.. Murray and Mr. War
ner as committee to confer with the
water board this afternoon.
The tax levy will come before the
board of aldermen this evening, and
the joint committee on ways and means
will consider the WaterWOrkS claim.