The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-11-30
A Paper That Will Pay for Careful
Perusal and Thoughtful COnsidera=
ton.

J. uC Cuitl WOIh DclOIC UllC ICY loldU Z
just elected will be the enactment
of a law relating to city charters.
Two years ago bill was prepared by
a commission made up of city attOr-
neys, from the different sections OF
the state, and several attorneys from
the larger cities. The bill passed the
senate with large number OF amend
mentS by the senate and came to the
house too late for action. The bill
has been printed by the state authOri-
ties as it passed the senate and is in
the hands of many Of the city clerks
of the state. Its purports to be a
complete charter for every city in the
state. The charters of Minneapolis
and St. Paul as they exist at present
formed a basis of that bill. The
small cities of the state paid practi-
cally little attention to that bill.
They were exceedingly anxious that
some bill should be passed, as many
OF them were in need of amendments
| to their existing charters. Mime
apolis and ST. Paul are not in such
urgent need of legislation upon the
subject, but are exceedingly anxious
that any bill passed shall be satisfac-
tory to themselves.
| There are many very serious objec-
tions to the passage of bill such as
that of two years ago. In the first
| place, the system cOntended for by st.
| Paul is radically different from the
system contended for by Minneapolis.
| Minneapolis wishes substantially all
power to be centered in her city cOun-
! Gil and to have the members of all
| boards elected. ST. Paul desires a
charter giving very large powers to
the mayor and considerable indepen.
| dent powers to various boards, the
members of which shall be appointed
by the mayor. Experience has dem
onstrated that the public business
| of Minneapolis is safer under the Min
neapolis system. Experience has also
demonstrated that the public bust
| ness Of St. Paul is safer under the st.
| Paul system.
The difference is the result of the
difference between the people of the
| two cities. The Minneapolis system
| with some concessions to the ST. Paul
system was that adopted by the COM
mission who prepared the bill, and by
| the Joint committee of the senate and
| house to which it was submitted be-
| fore it's introduction into the senate.
The senate substituted many fea-
lures to the st. Paul system while
| the bill was before it. AS it came to
| the house, it was unsatisfactory to
| the Minneapolis members and could
not be passed on that account. Had
| the representatives Of the smaller
cities Of the state examined the bill
with care, they would have discover
ed very many provisions entirely I'M
suitable to their condition and neceS-
stiles, and many provisions, the result
of which would have been to increase
their municipal expenses. 1t is
doubtful whether or not any bill can
| be prepared upon the line adopted by
| the legislature,of two years ago which
| will be satisfactory to both st. Paul
and Minneapolis. II is certain that
any bill which they do agree upon
will be unsatisfactory in fact to the
smaller cities of the state. 1t is
equally certain in the opinion of the
| writer that any such bill which passes
| this legislature or any other will be
| the result of a combination in which
either St. Paul or Minneapolis will
| get the worst of it. 1t does not mat
| ter which of these two cities gets the
worst of it, the smaller cities are sure
| to be in trouble with the system OF
either. The rights and interests of
| the smaller cities are certain to be neg
| lected unless they by organized work
attend to their own interests. The for
| mer bill was drawn by men experience
ed in the transaction OF the business
of large cities. They were eminently
fitted for their work so far as it relat-
ed TO those cities. They were not
equally experienced in the business
of small cities and therefore not
| equally fitted for the work affecting
| them.
If the state of Minnesota were a
level prairie with no streams of water
| or lakes or waterfalls to qualify the
circumstances of it's different cities,
| it would be reasonable to suppose that
a single charter might be made which
would be suitable for all cities in the
state. Even under the conditions
mentioned, it would be necessary that
all the inhabitants should be of prac-
tically the same general character.
1t takes far more government to gov