St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-01
THE REVENUE SIDE.

TO provide st. Paul with a public IL
brary building, it is amazing to see
with what agility the parties opposed
to it have lodged the revenue issue,
or stultified themselves whenever they
approach it. A pet proposition with
them is that, in this time Of close
living and needed retrenchment, st.
Paul ought not to expend anything for
library purposes. They ignore the fact
that nobody has proposed that st. Paul
] should put dollar into any such
project. All the different arrange
ments that have been suggested con-
template an exchange of one property
for another. In addition to that they
contemplate the lifting of an annual
charge upon the city treasury for main
tanning the market house, and trans
forming 1t into an annual revenue by
additions to the tax list. Twist and
turn the matter as you WILL the fact
remains that the adoption of any such
plan will be a substantial addition to
the financial assets of st. Paul. The
G o e has shown several times, in
dealing with this question that,in addi-
ton to obtaining a library building, we
would be from $4,000 to $4,000 a year
better off if the market house prop
erty were disposed Of to be used for
business purposes, and library build
ing erected from the proceeds 1t does
not speak well for the sincerity of
the opponents Of this proposition that
they can find no better point to raise
than the need of retrenchment. where
it is retrenchment that is offered to
them.
The willingness to consider such an
offer as that of Mr.. Rauen which has
been rejected for the present, in obedi-
ence to an outburst of popular indig-
nation that followed the Globes
exposure of it's real meaning is some
thing gained; but we warn the people
that this raid upon the public treas
ury is not abandoned, but only held
in allegiance. The plan of those be-
hind 1t is now to prevent any other
use of the market house property, to
have it stand there idle, a charge upon
the city and a detriment to surround
ing property, until the people become
so weary Of the situation that they
will consent. some months later, to
making a present of it to the parties
having political influence enough to
force such a scheme through the coun-
Gil. To exhibit the insincerity of the
supporters Of this scheme, we have
only to consider the statements credit
ed to Mr. William Bickel in a recent
interview published in the Dispatch.
Mr.. Bickel stated that he approves of
the Rauen lease as a business-like ar
rangement. and the best thing that
could be done under the circum-
stances. In the same breath, he says
that eight years ago he favored hav-
ing the city make the necessary i'm
proVements in the market house and
| lease it for business purposes. Had
that been done, he says, the city could
easily have obtained revenue of So. 900
year therefrom. If this is true, then
the income from the three-year lease
asked by Mr.. Rouen would be $50, 900.
Nobody estimates the cost Of the i'm
| proponents at over $4,000, and they
! could probably be made for half that
sum. The arrangement which COM
mends itself to Mr.. BickePs business
! judgment is, therefore, on his own
statement, a straight gift by the city
to private individual of from 500, 900
to $4,000 cash on this lease. If that
can be justified by any argument it
is one that we have not yet seen ad-
vanced.
AS the G o b e has said from the
outset while it ardently desires to see
public library building erected in ST.
Paul, the chief attraction which the
propositions that have been made for
an exchange, and the resolution of Mr..
Parker for an attempt to dispose of the
property, has had for it, is their GER
tain result in increasing the city's rev.
| enue. 1t is as means of retrench-
ment of turning a dead into a quick
asset, of exchanging an annual charge
for an annual income, of making this
property contribute it's quota to public
expenditures, instead of leaving it to
be fought for by politicians and their
friends, that has seemed TO us to COM
mend it so strongly to public favor.
! Assemblyman Johnson thinks that
council which should make a business
| like disposal of the market house prop
erty would be cursed in the future.
While that is to be denied absolutely.
he is probably aware by this time
that a council which should offer it as
present to some pet individual of its
own selection would be still more
| heartily cursed in the present
Whatever public opinion can be
| brought to bear on this question at the
! present time should be exerted with
| out cessation and in spite of all oppo-
| sition, to clean up this useless prop
erty and turn it into something at
once advantageous to the business in
! terests of the city ana helpful to it's
| treasury. OF $500 votes that have
! been sent in unsolicited to the Com
mercial club. 80 per cent are in favor