St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-13
FORM AN ASSOCIATION TO PRO-
MOTE THE CITY'S REAL ES-
TATE INTERESTS,
AND PROTECT 1T GENERALLY
AGAINS THE EVILS OF OVERTAXA.
TION, IMPROPER VALUATION
AND OTHER EVILS.
PROMINENT CITIZENS INTERESTED
New BOdy-Wiiliam DawsOn7s
Practical Address.

i
owners met yesterday afternoon at the
Commercial club to perfect an organi-
cation for mutual protection and ben
eft. William Dawson was chosen
chairman. The duties of secretary
were entrusted to Oscar Taylor.
Ferdinand Willius read the report of
his committee on organization. The
committee recommended articles of as
ISOLATION and bylaws for 1.-THE st.
| Paul Association of Real Estate own
ers." The general purpose of the as
ISOLATION was defined to be ito promote
the real estate interests in the city of
! st. Paul, to protect those interests
against the evils of overtaxation, i'm
proper valuation, and the various other
abuses to which they are subject;
| Furthermore to cooperate with other
associations engaged in the effort to
| secure honest, efficient and economical
city and county governments, and
further to secure as far as practicable
consolidation Of county and city Of
fees" Any person is eligible to MEM
| bership who holds in his own name
the title to any real estate in this city,
The administration of the association
will be vested in the usual officers and
an executive committee Of nine mem
bers. The annual meeting will take
place on the second Monday of jan
uary.
When, on motion of Josiah Fairchild,
the articles of association had been
unanimously adopted, Mr.. Willius read
the bylaws, which were also accepted
without dissent. The bylaws pre-
scribe regular meetings on the second
Monday Of January, April July and
! October; special meetings on the usual
conditions; annual membership dues Of
| 81; and the presence of fifteen members
to constitute quorum. Assessments
| are prohibited.
Rush 3. Wheeler then proceeded to
| nominate the officers and an executive
committee, but Gen. Bishop suggested
| the improperly of conducting an cleo
ton until members were duly quail
fled. Col. Newport suggested taking
names before the votes were cast and
| the chair thought that gentlemen not
intending to become members had bet
ter rise and give their names.
AT this Assemblyman Reardon arose
and asked IF that wasn't rather arbi-
| trary." The asSemblyman didn't know
whether he would become a member
And he had heard some one say that
the intention of the association was to
protect the property of members by
reducing their assessments regardless
OF the assessments of other citizens
| Again, at the preliminary meeting.
some one else had said that, if the new
ASSOCIATION was to attack the jobbers
| VINO had been accused of making their
own assessments, then the association
should be discouraged. Mr.. Reardon's
mind, altogether, was filled full Of
doubts. He had expected to hear
speeches, which he hadn't heard. ex-
planning the object of the association.
which he didn't know.
Mr.. Fairchild asked that the section
OF the articles defining the object of
the association be read again. Hearing
the section second time Mr. Reardon
thought that it about covered the
| ground but he didn't want to be party
TO any such schemes as the .iobbers
| were accused of.
AFTER few words from the chair if
| was agreed that each person INTENDING.
TO become member sign the roll then
ana there and deposit his membership
Zee. Despite the real estate depression
| every one present, including Mr.. Rear
don, seemed blessed with a large silver
com. The roll signed, Mr.. Wheeler re-
neWed his nominations, which were
! unanimously accepted, constituting T
Z. Richardson president of the new
body; Maurice Auerbach, vice presi-
dent; William G. Reed, secretary: Osz
car l.. Taylor, treasurer; j. w. Bishop,
! Gardner ). Moore, J. H Weed. TT 6
Falrchild, Luther S. Cushing. Ed r
Schurmeier, H. T. Drake, r. M New
port and L. B. Scott, executive com
mittee. o0iii-
Mr.: Dawson, who had been requested
|
eral practical suggestions in further
ance of the associations objects Mr.
! Dawson said:
-, AZ the present time the most important
Ihihg is 10 nave fair assessment for the CITY.
believe Mr.. Seng is very anxious to haye
! the work we'll done but he has dificu1+ "a l.
10 perform. When was on the state eoualiza-
uon board | suggested that large man of
NIL naa showing the average assessment
per acre Ior each county, would enable one
to make more valuable comparisons than COL
umns or prepared lists The suggestion oar
T me our, proved so satisfactory that 1 called
MT. Sengs attention to the matter He has
| agreed TO nave prepared a similar large man
OF this city, which will indicate the assess
Ileht LOT eacn lot in st. Paul. Property owners
can then, at single glance, satisfy them
selves whether they are being assessed higher
than their neighbors or higher than the own
ers OF otner property similar to their own.
NOT only Will Mr.. Seng arrange this map but
! he will, l am convinced, aid our association
in all reasonable ways.
The next thing of Importance in NV onin-
ION, is the question of sidewalks Cement
sidewalks are much the best where thew can
De aHorded, but they are too expensive for
the outlying streets and the small property
Holoer me day Of the wooden pavement in
81: Paul has passed away, 1 hope, never to
return. think the wooden sidewalk should
follow the wooden pavement
Where cement cannot be afforded I believe
we should use brick. Eighteen brick laid on
their broadsides will lay a sidewalk / foot
4 feet wide, q brick will lay 6-foot sidewalk
l foot, and 80 brick, an S-foot sidewalk foot
l inquired of the board of public works To
learn the cost of 6-foot wooden sidewalk.
They told me the average cost was 80 cents
and, for an S-foot sidewalk, 40 cents per run
h hg 1901. from the best information l have
been able to obtain, brick can be laid at
cent each, or $40 per thousand If this is
correct, 4-foot sidewalk can sbe laid fol
IL cents per running foot; 6-foot walk fol-
u cents, and an S-foot walk for SO cents pei
running foot. The bricks are laid in sand
Inc prlck sidewalk has great many ad-
vantages over the wooden sidewalk. In the
first place, 1t will last probably five times as
long, and, in the second place, if you wish
to widen it, all you have to do Is to ado
one or two bricks to the width already
laid
There is another thing we must bear in
mind, and that is the great amount of dam.
ages paid for broken and sprained limbs
| From the legal department of the city
learned that it has cost st. Paul an average
of $1,000 per annum for damages from acct
dents, or supposed accidents on broken wood
CH SiueWdihS. NoW, 9lo,OOO year WOULD lay
each year over ten miles of 6-foot side
| walks.
Then too, I would like to direct the at
I tention of this meeting to the matter of stree
grading. 1t has been a great mistake on the
part of our city engineering department t
make the driveways of streets so wide
In New York, for instance, at sixtieth stree
and beyond, one sees very few streets will
| wide driveways. In Italy, France, Germany
| almost everywhere on the continent the drive
way is made only wide enough for two yehi
cles to pass each other. This rule of a mar