The state herald., 1892-06-03
OUR ST. LOUIS LETTER.
The Nicaragua Canal-Busincss Unlm-
pairsd--workingrnen's Proapects-
Municipal Matters

ST. Louis, May 80, 1s0a.-Grcat inter.
est is felt in the Nicaragua Canal con.
vention, which meets hero the first
week In June, and Tor which great
preparation is being made. St Louis
having the bulk OF the wholesale trade
Of Mexico and Central America, is cs-
pecially interested In the canal project,
and that IL why the city wns selected
for the convention. The Canal com
pany wants subsidy from the govern
ment and the convention Is to meet
June 2, in order that the national con-
ventions Of both political parties may be
pctitioned TO put In their platforms in
dorsements of the company and Its re-
quests. Morris NJ. Estee, the Rcpub-
lican leader Of California, will be here
and will afterwards 60 to Minneapolis
TO urge the claim of the company be-
fore that convention, and Don Dicltin-
son of Detroit, will do the same thing
before the Democratic convention.
The fall OF the water in the Mssis-
sippi shows how immaterial has been
tho damage to st. Louis, although
there have been scarcs of water and
coal famine in abundance the last few
weeks AS matter of fact the flood
touched the real business life OF the
city very lightly. People who live
out of sight OF the river would have
known nothing of IL but for the papers,
and to many it was simply spectacle
10 be wondered Mt from the big bridge
and the decks OF the excursion boats,
Thousands of dollars have been raised
by the Merchants Exchange and the
newspapers TO relieve the distress OF
the poor river dwellers whose homes
have been inundated, and this prompt
generosity has prevented much suffer
ing. The damage to the railroads and
The lcvce interests has been considcra-
BILE. Railroad men say that the de-
posit of earth left by the river when it
rccedcs will strengthen all the en-
banltments and trestles that have been
ovcrilowed. 1t is remarkable that the
only accidents that have occurred on
the st. Louis roads since the flood be
gan have been caused by the careless,
ness of conductors who ran their trains
against orders, and not by the water.
The worlsingmen of the city will pro-
ut by the overflow, for every unem-
ployed laborer here will be kept busy
for weeks cleaning of the levee and
iigging out the buried switches of the
manufactures along the river front
corrupt pOlitlclins VINO look on n city
rs something to he taxed and plum.
dered would not understand at all the
contest that has been going on in the
municipal assembly of st. Louis in the
last few days. The comptroller wanted
10 cents on 500 taken from the tax
rate, believing that the city would in
crease SO rapidly in the tax values dur
ing the next few years that 1t could
afford the reduction. The house sus-
tanned him but the council wanted the
surplus money applied TO the payment
of the ciiy's debt The comptroller
won, md the tax rate goes down. In
the discussion of the question in the as.
sembly it was developed that the city
taxable property Is Increasing at an
average rate OF 5000, 900 year The
increase next year, according TO the
statements OF Assessor O'Bricn, will be
sli, 900, 900, The solid prosperity of the
city can better be understood when it
is explained that this tax reduction
is undertaken while the city is build.
ing city hall to cost million dollars
and system of water works that will
cost over five millions