St. Paul daily globe., 1895-11-12
SAYS JUDGE LUSN, THAT THE
CITY OWES POLICEMEN
BACK SALARY si'S@N
THE MAYOR AND HIS CHIEF
APPEAR BEFORE THE INVEsTI-
eating COMMITTEE WITH
FACTS AND FIGURES.
MJCARDY RECALLED.
MIR.
Will BE Asked Today why Taxes
of '93 and '94 Weren't Used
for Salaries.

Mayor Smith and Chief of Police
Clark appeared before the Parker
investigating committee yesterday
afternoon, the mayor to furnish in
formation and suggestions regard
ing the city government in general
and liquor licenses in particular, and
the chief to inform the committee
concerning the police department, its
duties and it's compensation. The
committee did not finish it's eXamina-
ton of the affairs of the police de-
partment, but expects to do so this
afternoon, which 1t has reserved for
the purpose of ascertaining why the
city has not paid the policemen the
salaries due them for November, 1894,
and November, 1898. AS no one pres
ent could answer this question, the
committee decided to call in City
Comptroller McCardy today, when
Col. Clough will ask him what has
become of the delinquent taxes of
1898, and why, when he apportioned
the tax collections for 1894, 1893 and
prior years among the various funds,
he placed some $4,000 in the police
department fund of 1895 instead of
the years for which those taxes were
levied. An interesting session is
looked for, in view of the close and
searching character of Col. Clough's
questions, and the sensitiveness of
the comptroller upon this matter of
paying the policemen the arrear-
ages due them.
AS soon as the committee had
come to order yesterday Mayor Smith
announced that his sviews on the ques-
ton Of extravaganza could be found
in his last message to the common
council. In this message he had
recommended the reduction of sal
aries. The message was submitted
and Mayor Smith suggested that that
portion of it recommending the re-
duction of salaries be read, as he
had not changed his views in that
respect.
Mayor Smith said he did not be-
lieve it advisable to change any of
the city departments. The proper
plan of retrenchment was to reduce
salaries. Six years ago, so the mayor
said, he had recommended consoli-
dation of the city and county gov
ernments. Referring to the statistics
of Minneapolis, the mayor Remarked
that it was very difficult to COM
pare Minneapolis to ST. Paul, as their
affairs were not organized on the
same lines. The mayor favored the
one-man power in the government of
cities. He thought they could be so
governed at one-half the expense
necessitated by the department sys-
tenn.
The secretary then read that por-
ton of his honor's message recon-
mending the reduction of salaries.
Asked if he had made comparisons
between the salaries Of st. Paul city
officials and those of officials of other
cities of the same class, the mayor
said that he had, and that, generally
speaking, he had found the st. Paul
salaries were lower rather than high
er. Referring to the county govern
| Il6uI, luS Ildy VI SApl IliC Oplll-
ion that the office of abstract clerk
ought to be abolished, and his duties
performed by the register Of deeds.
Asked how good the credit of the
city would be on a thirty-year bond,
the mayor said that he thought
31a per cent bond would sell at par.
The great trouble in ST. Paul was
that the city government had been
taxing posterity, had been anticipat-
ing it's income The mayor had no
doubt that the city's assets equaled
it's liabilities. Col. Clough thought
that posterity ought to bear some Of
the tax for permanent improvements.
Gen. Sanborn remarked that he
did not think the city ought to levy
taxes now to further reduce the debt.
Judge Lusk called the attention of
the mayor to William Hamm's state
ment that there were from rs to 100
places at which liquor is sold, from
which no license is received. The
mayor said that there was a license
inspector whose duty it was to look
after those places. AS for the houses
of i'll fame, the mayor maintained