The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-07
EIGHTH WARD SCHOOL SCHEME
HANGS NOW BETWEEN EARTH
AND HEAVEN.
ASSEMBLY TIES A KNOT IN 1T
BY KILLING THE REAL ESTATE
DEAL RECENTLY PROPOSED
TO BE MADE.
PHALEN PARK ASSESSMENT.
Park Board Defers Action On 1t for
Four Months to Accommodate
Taxpayers.

If the citizens of the Eighth ward
ever get a new school building or an
addition to the German school it will
not be completed and ready for oc-
cupancy until the school season is
fairly we'll advanced. The assembly
wrestled with the problem for over an
hour last night, without accomplishing
any result whatever, except TO kill the
real estate trade contemplated by the
resolution recommended by the COM
mittee on public buildings. AS the
resolution repeating the action of the
old council, providing for an addition
to the German school, has been adopt
ed by both bodies, it leaves the whole
matter sin the air. and $4,000 in the
school fund, to be expended for such
legitimate school purposes as the
council may, in the future, determine
upon.
Almost the first matter to engage
the attention of the assembly last
night was the resolution directing the
mayor and the president Of the school
board to proceed to secure a suitable
site in the Eighth ward for school
building and to erect a suitable school
building thereon. Mr.. Lewis took the
floor at once, and in terse and en-
phatic language stated his objections
to the resolution.
In the first place, Mr.. Lewis pointed
out that the resolution contemplated
the purchase of a new site, because it
would not give the mayor and president
of the school board the power to trade
the Albemarle ard Wayzata street site
for another piece of land. Mr. Lewis
was not opposed to giving additional
school accommodations to the German
school district He had looked over
the entire district, and had found that
the German school was centrally locat-
ed geographically, though a majority
of people i'll the district resided on the
east side of it. AS for the site, 1873 feet
square, at Atwater and Woodbridge
streets, offered by the John Martin
Lumber company in exchange for the
city's property at Wayzata and Abe
marie streets, it was only about one
third the size of the city's property,
and in Mr.. Lewis opinion, not worth
a dollar more per front foot. More
over, Mr.. Lewis considered the Way
zata street property as suitable a site
for a school as the Atwater street land
Furthermore, the Wayzata street site
had the advantage of rot requiring an
excavation to be made for a founda-
ton. Mr.. Lewis said that he favored
an addition to the German school,
which is located only six blocks from
the people who want separate school.
In conclusion Mr. Lewis called atten-
ton to the fact that the school board
had recommended the Wayzata street
site, and he could not justifably vote
to exchange 1t for another site. If he
owned the cityS property at WayZata
and Albemarle streets he certainly
would never trade it off for the site at
Atwater and Woodbridge streets
Therefore, he could not, as a member
of the council, vote in favor of such
trade on behalf of the city Mr.. Lewis
said that he talked with a number of
residents in the school district and
found the great majority of them in
favor of an addition to the German
school. "~
Mr.. Mabon denied that the people of
the German school district were in
favor of an addition to the German
school. On the contrary he was pos
ttive that large proportion of them
wanted a separate school.
President AroSin then suggested that
two parts; one authorizing the mayor
and president of the school board to Sc
cure a suitable school site and the
other directing the same officials to
erect a suitable school building.
Mr. Mabon accordingly moved that
the resolution directing the mayor and
president of the school board to secure
q suitable site for new school bull
ding and to erect a suitable school
building thereon be divided into two
parts
The motion prevailed by a unani-
NOUS vote and then the roll was called
on the motion to adopt the first por-
ton of the resolution-that directing
the mayor and the president of the
school board to secure suitable site
The motion was lost, receiving only
five votes out of nine, two-third vote
being required. Those voting in the
negative, were Messrs. Lewis Reardon,
krahmer and President Arosin.
The second proposition of the orig
inal resolution was then voted upon.
namely, that authorizing the mayor
and president of the school board to
erect a suitable school building 1t was
defeated by a unanimous vote
A little later in the evening. Mr.. Ma
bon introduced a resolution directing
the mayor and president of the school
board to proceed to erect a school bull
ding at the city's site at Albermarle
and WayZata streets and moved its
adoption. s=s
Mr.. Lewis asked Assistant Corpora
ton Attorney Phillips for his opinion
as to the right of the school board
TO use the $4,000 appropriated for an
addition to the German school, for
other school purposes, in view of the
fact that the council had repealed the
resolution for an addition.
Mr.. Phillips was Of the opinion that
the $4,000 could be used for any legiti-
mate school purposes. Mr. Lewis then
called upon City Comptroller McCardy
for his opinion relative to the same
question. In his deliberate, sententious
fashion. Comptroller McCardy an
gwered:
The school board can't use that
$4,000 for any other purpose except
building a school building In this dis
trict. The common council only can
appropriate it for another school pur-
pose:'''~ -
The resolution was then put to vote.
When the clerk announced at the con-
clusions Of the roll call, six in the
affirmative and three in the negative 81
the advocates of a separate school
smiled, but the smiles disappeared
when President Arosin remarked:
1.-The resolution is lost"
And it was lost, as 1t requires three