St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-08-28
MINNEAPOLIS.
City News on Page 6.
NOTE AND COMMENT.

NJ II - - - W "a " -s-s l.
Tonight there will be another council
meeting. The question of granting a
franchise 10 private parties for laying
water mains through the streets of
Minneapolis will come up again. An
attempt will, in all probability, be made
to pass the ordinance over the may or 5
veto. Mayor Winston has vetoed the
measure. His reason for so doing will
be fully explained to the aldermen.
They will be found weighty in the estl-
nation of all puDlic-spirited citizens.
The public at large is behind
the mayor in this matter. If the alder
men of the city of Minneapolis real
iZe that fact the better for them. There
Is no good reason for giving away fran
chises. They are the property of the
people. If they are to pass to the own
PrShiD of private corporations they
should be paid for. The city council
that gave to The street railway company
the exclusive right to operate cars on
the streets of Minneapolis, gave away
that right without one cent of cOmpen-
SatiOn. is still remembered i'll the curses
of the people. 1t will not be well for
the present council TO incur a like re-
membrane. AS Supervisor Mcconnell
has pointed out, this franchise may not
be very valuable now, but should
the time ever come when the city
must purchase that franchiSe-and the
time is coming when every public COLI
venience will be owned by the city-it
will be found expensive enough to sat
isfy the most inveterate purchaser of
costly bric-a-brac. There is no public de-
mand for the giving away or this fran
chiSe now. A few people who expect
to make money out of it are the only
cues clamOring for it. 1t is also time
for those Democratic aldermen who
may vote to pass this measure over the
veto to remember the platform upon
which they were elected. That plat
form declared in most positive terms
that the Democratic party was pledged
to put a stop to the practice of giving
away valuable public franchises.
This is not the first time that this pa
per has suggested to the park board that
the people now living IN Minneapolis,
and paying the bills of the park board
deserve a little consideration. 1t Is
cOmmendable this buying land and be
ginning TO improve it for the use of
pOSterity. The good father looks out
for the welfare of children, and does
what he can for his grandchildren. 10
do so, however, he does not StarYe his
wife. If he does he is not looked upon
as a model citizen. No one has any
fault to find with the park board
for casting an eye TO the future,
but it is a reverend adage that says:
"Take care of to-day ana tomorrow Will
take care of itself" This discOntin-
uance of the public bath houses at Lake
Calhoun savOrs of robbing the kitchen
In
lor. Give the present inhabitants some
of the benefits of the money expended.
POsterity will be as well able 10 buy
parks as we are, probably more SO.
MiSers who hoard their property and
deny themselves and families the neces-
SarieS of life are not looked upon as the
very best people on earth.
The park also seems to need just a
word or two of advice on this Lake Har-
riet pavilion matter. When the street
railway company was given permission
to build its pavilion on the lake front on
the city's land. it was given that per-
mission with the distinct understand
ing, explicitly stated in the contract.
that the public must have free access to
the building at all times. Now the
street railway people want to charge
admission. They want to get around the
contract by charging for the use of the
chairs. The street railway company
was willing to admit the public to its
old pavilion and give it seats free. Now
that the pavilion is IN A better location,
and about TO be visited by more people
than ever before, the company sees an
opportunity to make little money.
Here the franchise question arises
again. The public parks are not the
places TO locate mOney-making schemes.
If the park board wants some one to set
up an amusement hall on one of
the bOulevards or in park an adver-
tisement for bids will draw out some
generous offers. Concert halls, merry
go-rounds, shooting galleries, etc,
would draw mole people TO the parks,
but if the board has in mind the estab-
hShment of such amuSementS let those
who will profit by these schemes pay
for the privilege. Better still, let the
park board set up few of the institu-
tons, and get all the profit.
Among the features of the Exposition
parade and opening that escaped men-
ton yesterday were:
'BilI'' Rees falling out of the ranks
of Company | TO watch a dog fight.
The Mexican band playing several
American national airs, stolen from the
nations of the earth.
Charley MetZger, the lightweight
Splinter of the Fifth precinct, carrying
the banner at the head of the policemen.
The straw hat of B. H. Gonden, the
only one in line.
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