St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-07
RIDDLED The PARSON.
Mayor Smith Foreibly Shows
Up Glaping Sensational
Pulpit Pallaeies.
The Cost Of Governing the
City Is Not a 1.-THE So
Large as
Rev. Wallace H. ButPick Has
Attempted to Make 1t
Appear.
Dastardly Attempt to Smirch
the Character Of Honest
Officials.

The city hall officials yesterday en-
fort of Rev. Wallace Butrick to hold.
them UP to public scorn. Mayor Smith,
in speaking of the sermon, said: "As
| have stated before, simply treat
with contempt any attack made upon
me personally, but when the credit of
the city is attacked by this notoriety-
seeking preacher, | think few words
will not be amiss. No man, not even
the dirtiest kind of a politician, would,
III an open meeting, dare to make such
malicious and lying statements as have
been made by this preacher, who
shields himself behind the pulpit. Now
he says that the debt of the city is S12.-
100000. Why, that is the most outrageous
and ly ing statement l have every heard.
The city comptroller is here at my re-
quest, and he will verify these figures
which will give you. The city's debt is
about S10.000,000, and of this amount
S2,500,000 is for the water board and
Sl,500,0O0 for the board of education.
So that the actual debtof the city proper
is about So, 900, 600, OF half what Butrick
says it is. Then he says that the tax
levy of the city is S5,000.000. l can
hardly believe than any man could make
such reckless statements"
Turning to City Comptroller POnthan,
the mayor asked that gentleman what
the tax levy was. Mr.. Ponthan replied:
For the city it IS 81, 1877, 900, and for
the schools 1886, 900, a total, inclusive of
everything, of sl,672.O00, or S3,32S, 600
less than the figure quoted by Mr.. But
rick"
Speaking of the attack made upon the
gentlemen who have charge of the ciTy's
funds. and whom Mr.. Butrick speaks
of 'as class of men who want to
handle enormous sums in order to get
the pickings," the mayor said: That is
ScurrilOus attack upon the characters
of three gentlemen who are
Respected by Every One
in the city. Only three persons have in
recent years handled the city'S money
John Roche. George Refs and f. r.
REM. Mr.. Roche was for twenty-SiX
years the city comptroller, and he died
universally respected. No one in this
city would dare TO attack the characters
of these gentlemen except this man
Butrick
These false statements are bound to
injure the credit of the city abroad. To
show the high credit of the city. will
state that since the year 1881, sos, 900
has been received in premiums from
the sale of per cent bonds, and in 1889
S27, 900 was received as premium on the
sale of similar bonds. As regards the
liquor licenses, no conference was ever
ever held with politicians, nor did the
SalOonkeepelS make any protest against
high license. The whole thing is made
out of broadclOth. No bridges have
been built except on the authority
of the legislature.
II would like to know who it is that
controls 5000 to 5000 votes in the city.
don't believe there is a single person
in st. Paul who could control even 100
votes, much less thousands.
''As to the rest of this sermon, why, it
is beneath my notice, or that OF any
sensible man."
City Treasurer Refs laughed heartily
when asked about the figures quoted by
Mr.. Butrick, and said that some one had
put up job on the preacher.