St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-14
LEFT WITH DOWNS.
Mayor Pratt and Other Min
neapolitans Arrive With
Their "Offer."
RETURN SADDER AND WISER.
A Cold Indifference Marks
Their Reception in the
Capitol
RETURN SADDER AND WISER
SITE LEFT WITH Mr.. DOWNS.
One legislators Timely Sug-
gestion--A Peculiar Doc
umenrs

Like the famous soldiers who
marched up the hill and then
marched down again, the few men
composing John Goodnow's capitol
site brigade marched up the various
flights of stairs in the capitol build
ing yesterday-and then marched
down again.
When they went up they were full
of March zephyrs and hope. When
they went down the string attached
to the sham balloon that had buOyed
them up was cut. And it had not
been severed by the sharp knife of
the Ramsey county delegation; but
it was none the less completely cut,
and, as the committee had no new
balloon ready, they were long on
ozone and short on solid ballast. 1t
happened this way:
When the committee reached the
capitol they had decided that
under all the depressing circumstan-
ces, it would need a man of nerve to
try the temper of the house by in
Producing a frivolous subject at a
time when the legitimate business Of
the body is in an almost hopeless
state of swamp" So that veteran
raconteur and generally likeable
man, Hon. Tom Downs, was selected
as the proper person to present the
formidable document. Mr.. Robbins
has dismissed the matter from his
mind as unworthy of serious con-
sideratiOn; Mr.. Dingman would not
touch it with an extended pair of
tongS; level-headed AlpheuS Dale
takes life too seriously to engage in
any monkey business; MIR. O'Reilly,
| as Democrat, believes in fair play
too sincerely to encourage anything
| savoring of piracy; Mr.. Dahl, while
willing, was not thought to possess
sufficient dignity to maintain his
| composure while making so hollow a
proposition; and, for one reason or
another, the other delegates from
the sister city were not available.
But MIR. Downs, while one of the
best men on earth and deservedly
popular, Is
A CONFIRMED JOKER
and never happier than when String
ing" an individual or a party of indi-
V1duals. So he was decided on as the
| best man to have the custody of Lor-
ing park for the time being.
| linen few of the most prominent
men who had conveyed Mayer Pratt
and Offer retired to committee
room to smoke off the effects of their
| chilly experience among the house
| members. While in this room a prom
| lnent representative from a country
| district expressed himself in about
these words:
| The state of Minnesota is not ask
ing tenders of a site for a new capitol,
| nor are We asking donations of money
| for any purpose. But if Mineapolis
mas land to spare and money to give
| away, 1t might be a holy and a whole
| some thing to sell the land and then
distribute all the money among the
thousands who suffered by the gigan-
tic losses sustained in the failure of
the Guaranty Loan association
This was spoken in the hearing of
the Minneapolis. men, and met with
| such hearty Endorsement that they
| quickly realized the sure failure that
would attend their mission. In addi-
ton, a second member remarked that
Minneapolis had got all the advertis-
ing she deserved out of the alleged
| offer, and should be satisfied,
THE OFFER"
was not sent to the speakers desk
yesterday, although Mr.. Downs is
supposed to have had it in his posses
sion all day, after the committee ar
rived. In the wording of the docu-
ment there are peculiarities that will
strike any one given to analysis OF
language. Mayor Pratt opens his pa.
per by stating he has 1.-The honor tt
transmit the formal resolution of the
board of park commissioners of the
city of Minneapolis, rendering to tn,
state of Minnesota Loring park, il
said city, as a site for the state capito
building and grounds, and also tn,
resolutions of the city council of tn,
city of Minneapolis, passed March s
1885, and approved March 8, 1895, for
mally ratifying the said act of thu
board of park commissioners of tn
city of Minneapolis Both document
; are certified to and formally sealed
. respectively with the seal of the boart
, of park commissioners and the seal O
the city of Minneapolis.
He then goes on to state that tn,
park is beautifully improved anC
"conservatively estimated as worth a
: least S2,000,000." Further language i
used which would lead a stranger t,
l suppose Minnesota wants a state parl
and Minneapolis is willing to give he
one. The document says: at is per
> | feet in every way and ready for tn
use and benefit of the people of tn
state without the necessity of eXpend
ing one dollar on it in any way 1
:, is also stated that, if the Legislature
desires, a committee will show tn
!, park at any time. This is a possible
junket that none of the legislator
. will be very anxious to take.
The delegation from Minneapoli
i consisted of Mayor Pratt, Vice Presi
dent Stoft and Commissioner Loye
of the park board; Aid. McAllistel
City Attorney Simpson, G. H. Warren
of the board of trade; F. G. Winston
: H. C. Akeley and W. NJ. Regain.
= consultation was held with member
g of the Hennepin delegation, and tn
S result of this conference was that tn
: Minneapolis visitors lost a great dee
g Of their ''peartness." They not onl
/ found the sentiment for possible n
n moval
VERY FLAT AND COLD,
II but it was also discovered that I'll
~.