St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-06-29
A FLEXIBLE APPARATUS.

| A FLEXIBLE APPARATUS.
Mr.. WHEELocK is quoted in his own
paper-as saying at the recent meeting
| of the conference committee that "the
charter must be treated as flexible
apparatus" The venerable editor has
devoted years of editorial writing to
condemning the 1exibility of the old
city charter and the methods which it
authorized. and his present change of
front is exceedingly amusing. The
present city charter is the outgrowth OF
his years of editorial teaching. Every
body knows that it is as inflexible as
cast iron, and. as leading Republican
official has put it, sit is a mighty good
hard-Simes charter"
The situation which has caused the
change of front is this: Too much
money has been spent; there is not
enough money available to pay the
salaries and necessary expenses of the
fire depaI tment more than four months,
longer. and the charter expressly for
bids the diverting of funds. Sec. 5 OF
the charter provides:
No ordinance warrant order of the COM
mon council, or of any officer, board or de-
partment OF said city. shall have any power
or authority TO authorize the city treasurer to
divert any of said separate funds or money
from the specific purposes for which the
same were estimated, levied, collected and
credited, as aforesaid; or TO borrow and
transfer any balance or portion of one OF the
said funds TO the credit of another fund. ex-
cept in the purchase of certificates as by this
act provided.
Following this language and else
where the charter lays it down
that the only diversion of the money
which eau possibly be made is in
the payment of the city's indebted
ness. That is to say, whenever the
city council deems it necessary so to
do. it may by ordinance order that the
moneys in any or all of the funds, ex-
cept those collected by special assess
ment and those collected for the sup
port of the public schools, be devoted to
taking up city certificates OF indebted
ness or city bonds. The charter ex-
pressly provides that the funds cannot
be diverted for any other purpose.
The estimate for running the fire de-
maximum amount allowed by the char
ter. The charter provides that, in an
ticipation OF tine tax collection, certifi
Gates of Indebtedness may be issued to
the extent of SO per cent of each fund,
and the money raised from their sale
shall be placed in the fund of the de-
partmeht. These certificates must be
M a. n tn foil ha foil
Der. One OF the plans urged by the
mayor is to extend the time of the pay
Sment OF the certificates which fall due
next November, and use enough of the
money which has been set apart for
their payment to help out the depart
ments which are behind. This is an
exceedingly weak proposition to come
from so good business man as Col.
WRIGHT is supposed to be. 1t does not
require great experience or intelligence
to see that this method would ruin the
credit of the city. After such renewal
of the city'S obligations, who would
care to invest in st. Pauls obi
cations? The proposition is di-
reetly against both the spirit and
letter of the charter. Section 10
of the charter provides that mo power
shall exist to create any additional ill.,
debtednesS Save as the remaining 20
per cent OF said tax levy OF estimate is
collected) which shall be a charge
against said particular fund or depart
ment, or which shall be in any manner
valid claim against the CITY," The eX-
tension of the certificates would neces-
sarily create an additional indebtedness,
for there would be an additional 8 per
cent Interest IT, pay.
Under provision of the charter some
of the idle funds, such as the Broadway
bridge fund, have been invested in city
certificates. These certificates fall due
this fall, and the mayors other plan is
to let them run on and use the money,
which should be placed to the credit OF
the funds, for the fire and other depart
ments which are short. This would be
diversion OF funds, and dangerous
precedent. Ii the law is to be violated
Ill one instance it may in another, and
there is no telling where such methods
would end.
Both plans are clearly contrary to the
charter, and the undertaking to exc
cute them would be criminal, as the
charter provides.
The maximum amount allowed the
fire department is S2l5,001; by no means
can it have any more money to spend i'll
one year. Now, suppose the depart
ment is helped out OF its difficulty by
the diversion of other funds. where will
it be next June? The money must be
paid back.
Last year this department ran short
$4,000, ami, Notwithstanding that les
son, it has spent 5000 more in the first
five months Of this year than it did dur
ing the same time last year.
The city's incomes have shrunk, and
are likely to shrink still more. We have
heavy shortage in tax collections, and
an equally heavy one in license collec-
lions, source from which a great deal
of our revenue is derived. This all
means much heavier taxes for next
year; and the people will be III poor
mood to listen to talk of treating the
charter as flexible apparatus.
1t is little singular that the health
department. the only Democratic one in
the list. is the only department which
has been ordered to keep within the so
per cent limit.
The only lawful and right thing to be
done in this case is to do as every good
business man does under like circum-
stances: cut down salaries and lop off
men wherever possible. If the fire de-
partment strikes, as 1t is said it will do,
it will be the fault of the men who have
encouraged them to believe that such
curtailment is unnecessary. and it will
also bevery discreditabie to the tiremen.
who ought 10 be loyal to the interests of
tue city.
1.-THE GIGANTIC CONSPIRACY"
MoREToN FREwEN is pretty well
known to American readers who have
followed the discussions of the silver
v r -