St. Paul daily globe., 1893-02-18
HAD A RED-HOT TINE
Over the Assessments for the
Purchase Of Indian Mound
Park.
Attorney Rogers Uses Strong
Language in His Little
Roast.
Property Owners in the Sec
ond Ward Profess to Be
Indignant.
A Wide Difference in the
Value Of the Property to
Be Taken.

for Indian Mound park would be conSid-
cred at an open meeting OF the board of
public works yesterday afternoon drew
a crowd of 800 persons to the office of
the board President German, in calling
the meeting to order, said there were
three matters to be considered by the
board. The valuation of the land to be
taken for the park, the district over
which the assessment was to be spread,
and how it should he made. The prop
erty. he stated, comprised about seven
teen acres, eight and half acres bein g
in the ten lots in block II, Suburban
Hills addition. aud the same area in
Clifton Park addition. The board had
heard from the committees composed
of representative real estate men as to
the valuation of the land to be used for
the park. After looking 0yerathe fig
ureS from the committee Oh behalf of
those to be assessed, and the committee
sent to consult with the owners, the
board had averaged the values and
found the amount to be SS945l4 The
assessment district considered was that
territory included in the following
streets boundaries: Along Hoffman
avenue to the Phalen creek valley, TO
Seventh street, to Book street, to Burns
avenue, to place of beginning. The
number of lots to be assessed WAS about
six thousand.
E. &. Rogers wanted to know how
much of the proposed park was under
the bluff. President German explained
that about one third of the land was un-
der the bluff, but a part of this was
level and available. In considering the
value Of the land to be taken, the board
had taken into consideration the fact
that all the streets had been graded,
sewer and water pipes laid. In no case
had the Valuation of any lot been fixed
at more than S2, ,500 and from that figure
down to $1,000. Dlr. Rogers asked 70
the names of the committees who had
reported as to the valuation of the land.
He was Informed by Mr.. QunbY. OF the
board, that Messrs. Middleton. Nash,
Taylor and Thomas, of the real estate
exchange, were one committee, aud
their figures were $52,975. The other
committee, Oh behalf of the property
owners to be assessed, consisted Of
MessrS. Allen, Davis, Bell and one
other whose name he could not recall.
This committee reported the property
as worth Sl26, ,S31. The board bad av-
eraged the two sets or figures and ar
rived at those mentioned, $50, 4l4, which,
however, was not decided upon and Was
subject to change.
Rogers Red.HOt Talk.
MI. Rogers asked several other ques-
tions incidental to the subject, and then
started in on a fifteen-mlnute speech,
in which the park board, the law under
which the park board met and the own
erS of property to be taken for park
purposes were roasted to turn. During
his remarks Mr.. Rogers was Interrupted
by loud applause, cries of "Good, ""Irue
for you, "That's so, 'and other EXPIRES
sions of satisfaction.
Under the law Mr.. Rogers said there
was no appeal except by owners Of land
to be taken for park purposes. For this
reason the board should be very careful
as to the valuation put on the property
to be used. The board should see that
persons who had to pay assess
mentS should not be wronged. He
made no charges, but the men who
were most active i'll securing parks for
the city were the owners OF the property
to be taken for such improvements.
There was, he said, no uprising of the
people around Pnalen and Indian
Mound parks to have the parks located.
The facts were, to his knowledge, GER
tain property owners had been laboring
for two years to have the city purchase
parks i'll different localities in the city.
1t was true the board was not RESPONSE
BILE for this, but i'll fixing values much
care should be taken so as to protect the
hn uyic
law they had no right TO appeal. The
men who were seeking to have the
parks located on their property were
the only ones who could appeal. They
would take what the board offered
them. He was sure the owners Of the
property to be taken for tile Indian
Mound park would jump at S52, 900. 1t
was not possible at this time to sell the
property on the market for any such
price. The chances were that So, 600
or $50, 900 was more than it
Could Ese Sold For.
In the present financial condition of
the city it would be unwise to fix the
value at the figures mentioned. The
owners were not obliged to take the
sum offered by the board. They could
appeal and have jury of business men
fix the value of the land, and if they
didn't like the amount offered by the
board they could do what would best
suit the people-keep the property. AS
to the Judgment of the committee who
reported the land worth $126.00 he
would say nothing; the figures spoke
for them. At no time. he continued. in
the last SIX years could the prop
erty have been sold for S52,0
The question of valuation in the park
cases was serious one. and would have
much to do with the growth of the city.
The statement mad been made that the
assessments would not have to be paid
in ten years. During the past week
fifty-four mortgage sales had been
made by the sheriff. Three-QuarterS Of
the property in the district to be as
sessed was mortgaged, and in every
mortgage was a provision that the fail
ure to pay any assessment would be
grounds for foreclosure proceedings.
This fact showed what there was in the
last ten years to pay the assessment
toll. He questioned if the owners
would not accept $4,000 and be glad to
get it for the property. The response
biIity rested upon the board, ana to it
the overbnrdened taxpayer looked for
justice. The park question, he said,
was largely one of sentiment, and as
far as the advantages were concerned
they were confined only to those in the
Immediate vicinity of the parks. The
mass of the people could not afford to
pay for sentiment. The new law. under
which the park board was working
Should Never Have Passed,
but since it was the people looked to
the board to see that they were pro-
tected.
Ben Davis, who was one Of the COM
mittee which fixed the property valua-
ton at $126,000, followed in short eX-
PLANTATION. He stood ready at any time
to substantiate the figures given by his
associates. While he and Mr.. Rogers
might differ as to the value of a lot,
there was no occasion to intimate there
was any undue influence used. The
property on st. Anthony hill was highly
valued by Mr.. Rogers because inf1uen-
tial men lived there, but the property at
the other end of the city was worth
nothing, according to Mr.. Rogers state
ments. The records Of the park board,
he claimed, would show petitions
signed by from six to eight
hundred property owners and citizens
asking for the park to be located. Dur
ing the last four wears private and pub