St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-20
MUST BE VOTED ON.

According to the provisions of the
law, it would be useless for the coun-
Gil to attempt to prevent a vote on the
Howard charter at the spring election.
A petition containing the requisite
number of signatures having been pre-
scented to that end, it would not be
worth while to invite the possibility
of holding a costly special election
later, to get rid of this disturber of
the peace. by waiting now to inquire
into the genuineness of the signatures.
Since a few Of our citizens, animated
by motives that are incomprehensible
except the attraction of novelty and
the love of sensationalism and notori-
ETY., have insisted that the Howard
charter act should be put to the test,
let it be passed upon now. If we shall
dispose of the nuisance in that way
for good and all, it will be a welcome
radiance from what is at present
serious menace to good government,
economy and the return of prosperity
to st. Paul. For we are convinced that
every one of these desirable ends would
be made difficult Of accomplishment if
not impossible by the adoption of the
Howard charter.
The only thing needed is to make the
public understand the gravity of the
issue. With all that can be done be-
tween this and the date of the munich
oil &c RI q
large number Of the voters of st. Paul
will find themselves either without def
mite information on the subject Of the
proposed charter, or what is still more
serious, possessed only of the elaborate
misinformation that has been circulat-
ed so Zealously by its advocates There
is not the slightest need to fear the re-
suit as far as they are concerned who
have made a study of the new instru
ment or compared it with the old. But
the foolish and parrot-like cry of
'board rule" which has been the single
slogan of those urging the Howard
charter, regardless of the fact that
they themselves rely in most important
particulars upon boards, and that the
most expensive board in the history
Of this city was one elected by the
people, like their proposed council,
seems to be relied upon to make votes.
that have been written and the
speeches that have been made, no man
has yet pointed out where the city
of st. Paul could save one dollar by the
acceptance of the Howard charter.
Recognizing the Importance of the
issue, and the desire of the voter to
know something more about this ques-
ton upon which he will be called upon
to pass, without the necessity Of spend
ing days in examining the complicated
new law and comparing it's provisions
with the Bell charter, the G l o b e has
arranged to publish a series of arti-
cles by a competent authority, compar-
ing the two laws in such fashion that
the reader can readily examine and
judge between them for himself. This
study will be made without bias, with
a sole desire to give the facts to the
people, and with only such reflections
for or against either system as the
ineXorable teachings of experience may
offer If the people of st. Paul are to
be compelled to vote upon this worse
than foolish proposition, the G o b e
proposes that they shall have oppor-
tunity to vote intelligently; and that
without wading through the labyrinths
of the involved Howard charter act
itself. It will then submit with con-
fidence to the people the question
whether they are willing to exchange
their present safe and economical gov
erning system for one copied from the
municipalities where extravaganza
and corruption have reached their eli
max. In the meantime, let everybody
take note of one fact; that st. Paul
is the only city in the state in which
the adoption of the Howard charter act
is so much as suggested. In no other
are there emiSsaries of the interests
that lie behind that bill so dead to con-
siderations of the public good as to
attempt to force it upon the people.