St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-22
a MILD RETORT.
st. Paul Does Not Vigorously Re-
sent the minneapolis Slap-in-
the Face

st. Paul Does Not vigorously Re-
sent the minneapolis Slap-in-
the Face.
To the President and Directors of the st.
Paul Chamber of Commerce: Your commit
tee appointed to confer with a proposed com
mitlee from the MINNEAPOLIS board of trade
as to the practicability of a union OF the cities
Of ST. Paul and Minneapolis, beg leave to re-
port that The said board of trade declines the
conference. This decision is announced in
report signed by committee of the board
OF trade, which contains certain missIate-
mentS OF TACT ana Recommendations of mo-
tive requiring attention at our hands, 1t is
alleged by the board OF trade committee that
this agitation comes almost entirely from
persons engaged in land speculatons be-
tween The two cities" This statement is I'M
true. The TACT is, the first suggestions of the
matter were made TO the ST. Paul chamber
of commerce in the form of sugges-
lions made by prominent citizens of
Minneapolis, which were referred to
the proper committee of this chamber
whose chairman does not own and never
has owned a foot of interurban land
i hat committee afterwards submitted q re-
port containing a general Endorsement of
the ultimate union of the two cities Later
another director of this chamber, who has
40 property in the Midway district intro
Huced resolution under which was ao-
pointed this committee. That resolution
proposed no scheme Of union; it did not even
commit this city or this chamber in favor of
the union. 1t proposed simply a discussion
Df the subject with view of aseertainine
whether or not any practicable plan for such
nnion could be devised. Ii was a friendly
reception reimbursement by this chamber
of those suggestions and was inspired by no
local or personal motives. The people of St
Paul have for Twenty-Five years looked to
this chamber for cham ionship of all the
larger interests of this city and this state
unbiased by faetlonaI or individual policies,
and their trust las
never Been Betrayed.
The Minneapolis committee charges that
previous committees appointed by this cham
Der 10 confer on matters of cooperation
''haYe avoided. as lar as possible. all con-
EideraIion of the essential point at issue By
The term essential point at ISSUE is evil
IDENTIFY meant the frequently reiterated de-
mand on the part of Minneapolis that ST.
Paul should surrender to that city certain
square miles of intermediate territory as a
preliminary 10 the consideration of any
measures of cooperation or reciprocity. AS
TO This essential point your committee re-
specially submit that while the ST. Paul
gentlemen who declined to yield to il loyalty
represent Il unanimous sentiment Of their
fellow citizens,it IS evident that by the union
Of the two cities all future DEVELOPMENT of
The Midway district would equally benefit
both minneapolis and ST. Paul
The board of trade committee vaunts the
superiority Of Minneapolis. yet, in the same
breath II plalntiYely chldes ST. Paul for de-
eliung TO surrender certain conceded adj
Eantages. and thereby reduce Itself TO fair
Equality with Minneapolis, so as To negotiate
Oh level The obliquily of vision which
fails TO detect this inconsistency is but one
Df the unique features of that report.
the statement OF the committee that a
"space of some five miles. consisting largely
Of farms and unsettled Districts" separates
The cities proper would. even il were true. be
no practicable bar To n united municipality
since all of that territory is now under the
laws and ordinances of one or the other city.
But II is not true. There is no ground in the