The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-21
PROFITABLE PROPOSITION
The Way Alderman Lissner Regards
tho Offer Of a Piece Of School
Land.

Tho Best Chance tho City Gould
Have to Secure q Public
Library site.
How the Question IL Regarded by q Prom
inent H%usiness Man From An Econ-
omieal Standpoint.
"Tho plan outlined at the . nmtttee
meeting on Wednesday last" said Alder
construction Of a buil6ssaR in which tho
conventions coming to Helena this summer
could hold their meetings. is the most bus.
iness-liks and profitable proposition made
to the city council in the last Ave years. I
I'M in favor Of the city voting $40, 600. or
$25,000 II necessary, to avail itself Of tho
chance il has to secure the ground. We
have at one time and another fooled away
a good deal Of the city's money, suoh. for
instance, as Oh the cemetery west of the
city. But this offer Of the school trustees
Is too good a one to miss. The city has
the chance to secure on = ninety-nins year
lease, for a merely nominal rent, q piece Of
ground worth S25 900 or 100000 simply by
putting on 1t . building that it 10 aim ost
absolutely necessary we should have. For
a year past ths matter Of buying ! piece Of
ground on which to put a library building
has been agitated. And thsn W nssd a
big hall for city purposes. Here is the OPP
p%ortunity to secure both, and not
buy the ground, in a most de-
sirable location. II is 4 fine bus
mess proposition, too. Say " put $15,o 900.
in it. The interest on this will not exceed
$1,000 a year. We now pay $1,000 a year
rent for library rooms. With tho proposed
building We would save this rent and have
asurplus Of $500 bssids,. Another point.
! believe il i only = question Of : little
while when a larger and finer building will
DO put IN the site whore the public library
now is. do not think We eanbgst suitable
quarters, in case We are compelled to nsvs.
for less than 5000 a month. We are spend
ing $1,000 or $1,000 a year on this library.
and il is growing all the time. 80 that in
not to exceed two years We will DO COM
pclled to put up a library building or pay =
very large rent for the space We will ,e-
quire. I an in favor Of q building 1O0x100,
solidly built, stone foundations and twelve
inch brick walls. WedOn't want any frame
affair, but something that will last for
years. and allow for growth.
I'VE cannot Afford" continued Mr.. Liss-
nsr, either to lose these conventions or not
be fully prepared to entertain them when
they do come. Every member will leave in
the city ct least SD. and that means. in
the aggregate, n large amount of money
put into circulation. Another thing that
must not be lost sight of is that the mem
bers of the conventions are representative.
the city and its hospitality as to carry home
with'them a good report. I certainly am in
favor Of the city a~vailing itself Of this
opportunity to secure a public library and
hall for the city on such liberal terms a. are
now offered"
OF the city council, which the general COM
mittee had bean assured would be called to
consider the auditorium question, was the
OCCASION of q great deal Of comment yes
terday, and but little of the criticism was
an endorsement of the apparent desire of q
certain aldermen to marshal all the forces
he could in opposition to the city accepting
the generous offer of tho school board,
voting an appropriation and pushing the
auditorium to completion. One of the
largest taxpayers in Helena, a man who al
ways responds whom called upon to aid any
public enterprise. and yet who does not
thrust himself forward. while paying his
ject yesterday from a business standpoint.
II am surprised" he said, lat the opposi-
ton suddenly developed to the plan Of tho
city OF Helena erecting and owning q struc-
ture suitable for a library building and
lecture hall. From what l read of tho pro-
ccedings Of the meeting of the joint commit
tee on Wednesday, l supposed that tho
last night and with tho sentiments of the
city back of the project, would put it
through. / understand that ono Of the
principal opponents of the proposed plan
is Alderman Thompson. At the meeting
on Wednesday he expressed himself strongly
$4,000 toward the plan. Looking at the
auditorium question as il new presents
itself, it ia susceptible Of several cxplana-
tions and is also open to argument. First.
questions arise which affect the proj-ot
from the standpoint of the economist and
argument being the saving of 1880 per
wear rent on the library, and its eligible To-
cation in quarters specially designed for its
accommodation. The rents obtainable
from the proposed building will pay inter
est on twice it's cost. which should settle
tuo Que6LlOn OI economy.
again. the method of raising the needed
funds by IN appropriation by the city will
for once take the burden of doing what is
actually necessary from the shoulders Of a
and place the cost p,o rata upon the
whole who receive the benefits. But above
all rises the question of u proper entertain
ment of our visitors.
ut meaus much to US, that dollars and
cents cannot pay for, whether We care for
these people az bolts our standing as u
city, or WHISTLER VIC bring them here and let
them shift for themsolves, TO 60 away
damning the town whose whole-souled and
boosted generosity exists only on paper.
Again, lot not the people of Helena suppose
it 10 too late to change the meeting
places of these conventions. With one
the mower lies in one man who
is our friend, but who cannot afford to
allow the people he represents to be abused,
who would be doing simple Justice to
if he kept them from tho discom-
forts of adequate quarters for their enter
,ainment.
1.-The cause of the enmity to the proposi-
ion to build on the school ground, and the
favor INTO which the old barn,
called an armory, has sprung, is generally
to be II selfish endeavor to aid
business enterprises. Other tsa-
sons are also given that are almost AZ un-
| am slow to believs that this oity
any man, or cot of men, who
allow any motives of solf-intsrest to
in the way of this necessary under
,aking. but in times past just such work