St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-05
BRADIsH. RYAN, FOLWELL.
They Have a Personal Controversy
in the Park Board

They Have Personal Controversy
in the Park Board.
Somnolence hung over the meeting OF
the park board yesterday afternoon
until few minutes before the close of
the session, Up to that point the light
rap of the presiding officers gavel and
the occasional sound of a members
voice making a motion was all that
varied the monotony of Secretary Nye's
reading. Just before the board adj
journed Vice President Stoft announced
as a new committee on the East side
boulevard -CommiSsioner Ryan having
disrupted the old one by Withdrawing
because he could not agree with Fol
we'll or Bradish-Commlssio Brown,
Folwell and Bradlsh. The announce
ment of this committee brought Mr..
Bradish to his feet. He wanted leave
TO make an explanation, and he was
given leave.
After stating that the first meeting of
the committee on the East side bOule-
ward was held Feb. %, he passed up to
the clerk and had read letter written
to p. u. Mcmillan by himself, and
dated Feb. "a. T.. ID. Mcmillan, }. S.
PiASbury, and several others of the
property owners interested had met with
the park board committee Feb %. The
letter of Feb. "a requested Mr. McMil-
Ian TO use his influence with Ezra Farms
worth toward persuading Mr.. Farms
worth to lower his price on his land
which the park board needed. Mr..
Bradish believed that Farnsworth's
price was too high by 20 per cent.
Then, at BTadish's request, the clerk
read from a copy of the Times of March
IL, an interview with Commissioner
Ryan. In that interview Mr.. Ryan
was made to say that he had had enough
of service with Bradish and Folwel on
committees, because they wanted him
to agree to pay Ezra Farnsworth about
twice as much as his property was
worth. Bradish submitted his letter to
Mcmillan. written the next day after
the first meeting of the boulevard COM
mittee, as evidence that he had never
tried to get any one to agree to Farms
worth's price, and he called upon Mr..
Ryan to say when he Bradish) had tried
to extort from him (RyaW such an
agreement.
II can explain that" said Ryan
promptly. lit was right here in this
room before ever you turned out the
gas"
Commissioner Ryan then went on to
say why he had refused to agree. He
was not satisfied with the prices. More
over, he wanted the boulevard put
through the university grounds, and MIR.
Fowell said he could not agree to that
because he wanted to please j. S. Pills
bury and other regents OF the univer-
sity. Bradisl s-questioned Ryan,
and the latter finally admitted that
Bradish had never asked him to agree
to give Farnsworth $3.50, 900 for his land.
"But you wanted me to agree to some
proposition" said Ryan. when | said
| wouldn't you got mad and turned out
the gas over there-didn't even leave us
time to get out of here, but we had to
stumble around in the dark"
"Mr. President" said Bradish, 81
think that letter ought TO speak for it
self. / never made an agreement with
anybody to give SlS0,000 OF any sum
whatever for FarnswOrth's land. When
Mr.. Ryan or any newspaper makes that
statement it is absolutely false-in toto.
| ask to he relieved from any further
service on committees in relation to
this matter. | have wife and babies
with whom | much rather spend my
time. instead of spending it around here
in this quarrelsome manner"
Eyes. you did ask me to make an
agreement" Ryan reiterated. Il said l
never would, and l never will. You
got mad and turned out the gas and left
me. an old man, to find my way out as
best could"
Prof. Folwell also made an eXplana-
ton. He thought Mr.. Ryan misunder-
stood the matter. The discussion OF the
boulevard matter never went so lar as
to become discussion of prices. Any
how, the price asked by MI. Farnsworb
was only $4,000, instead of SlS0,000.
Mr.. Ryan was opposed to any scheme
that did not include the selection of the
favorable to putting the boulevard
through the university campus. the
part of the scheme that Ryan insisted
on. But he could not afford to push
that part of it. 1t was opposed by Mr..
Pillsbury and several other regents of
the university, his employers. lie could
not afford to oppose them. There the
matter was dropped.
A large number of the residents in
the neighborhood Of Loring park petit
toned the board against allowing the
old house of Col. John Ii. Stevens TO be
placed in the park. aS it would be all
eveSore and out of harmony with the
surroundings. On motion of Commits
sioner Boardman the committee on en-
ployment was instructed to negotiate
with 'Phon Berry to see if he could not
be secured for assistant superintend-
ent. This provoked no discussion, con-
trary to expectation. Commissioner
Ridgway reported that the plan of max
ing Lake Amelia reservoir for Mime
haha falls is feasible and is favored by
the residents out there. The water of
Minnehaha creek can be turned into
the lake. The falls can he improved
this year by putting small dam at the
mouth of Rice lake now, and letting the
water out later in the season. This will
be done. The following park police
were appointed to serve until Nov. 1,
they to not be assigned to duty until
they furnish the police committee with
evidence thar they are full American
citizens: B. M. Shelly, Matt Bros,
Martin Olson. j. S. Smith. r. E. Fisher,
Frank Mailman, A. Ii. Tuscany, ?. F.
Madden, Joseph Consineau, Henry Helm,
Joseph Ryan, Andrew Sandberg, Eli
Begeron, E. d. Salndon, John Bush