The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-26
is THE ORDER OF THE SUPREME
COURT TO COMMISSIONER
COPELAND.
OLD BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS
WILL RESUME IT'S BUSINESS AT
THE OLD STAND VERY
SHORTLY.
DECISION WAS NO SURPRISE.
Globe of Last Sunday Prepared
Them for It-Text of the SyIIa-
bus and the Ruling.

The old board of public works has
been sustained by the supreme court.
The G. 10 b e's unofficial announce
ment Of Sunday was made official yes
| terday.
The manifold public works of the city
of st. Paul cannot be used as a shuttle
cock in the game of Republican party
! eXpediency.
John Copeland, as commissioner. has
had brief career, and while it has
perhaps been satisfactory to himself.
he was philosophical yesterday and
threw up the sponge in popular par
lance, with becoming grace. The pub
| lication of the result Of the decision
| Sunday morning by the G b e had
| prepared both the commissioner and
| the mayor for the sad blow that was
! coming, and which came finally with
the formal filing Of the decision by
! Judge Canty in the supreme court
clerks office yesterday afternoon. Mr..
| Copeland, in fact, had his desk cleaned
up ready to get out before the decision
was actually filed, although he went
through the form of Office with heroic
partisan loyalty until the very minute
when the news of the decision was
borne to him. He may continue to oc-
cupy his desk for the ten days allowed
before the writ of custer is issued
and he will hardly transact any more
business
Mayor Doran, too, had spent the days
intervening the G l o b e S anticipatory
publication and the falling of the axe,
in preparing an interview with lot Of
large words such as those used by sill
yer orators in referring to tyranny of
the courts and the like during the re-
cent campaign. These Mr.. Doran fired
in volley in an interview in his Off
cial organ last evening.
The decision was a bitter dose for
the Republican war horses, and they
took it, all of them, with wry faces.
Perhaps Mr.. Doran can dry his tears
when he recalls the fact that as mayor
he still has the power to appoint two
members Of the new old board when
the terms Of the present members ex-
pire in March.
A reporter stepped up to the guam
dam commissioner Of public works yes
terday afternoon, while he was holding
session on the Spring Street extern
sion, and whispered something to him.
The commissioner did not say any
thing, but during the rest Of that hear
ing there was q far-away look on his
face and he did not take much interest
in the proceedings. For the informa-
ton that was whispered him told him
that he would have nothing to do with
the decision in the Spring street mat
ter. 1t was to the effect that the at
tempt to pay Republican political debts
by utilizing the provisions of law
generally held to be unconstitutional
! has proven abortive and that the ap-
pointment Of Mr. Copeland as commits
! siOner was illegal. When the hearing
was over Mr.. Copeland told some of
the gentlemen present that he would
| not preside at the next hearing; that
he was, in fact, out Of it.
DECISION NOT A SURPRISE.
The announcement Of the decision did
not create much Of a stir about the
! city hall for the forecast of what the
! decision would be had come to be re-
garded as right and the handing down
! of the judgment had been discounted.
! The people most affected and who
showed that they were affected were
the clerks in the office of the public
works department. Each one of the
six knew beyond question that he was
due to get out and look up another
! job. Three of them have only been in
the office since the commissioner took
! possession on Aug. l. and the other
three were with the old board, but left
| them and went to Mr.. Copeland LIE
roi est mort, vive lie roi," they shouted
when Capt. German and his fellows
were Ousted-and now they wish they
| had not. For as this matter resolved
! Itself into party affair it will un-
| doubtedly be continued on the same
| lines and the members of the old board
! will take of tho friends yxyh ctn
by them. In the temporary quarters
| occupied by the board since the mem
berS were Ousted from the city hall
were three of the old clerks and they
will move back into their old quarters
The attempt to oust the board of pub
lie works has cost the city about $3,5OC
in salaries and incidentals and if tn,
taxpayers contest the validity of thG
assessments made by the new com
missioner, as they may possibly do the
amount may run into the thousands
for it is probable that the contract
would have to be paid for out of the
general fund. The history of the af
fair is tolerably fresh in the public
mind:
July 81 last. Mayor Doran, actins
i under the provision of the law provid
ing for the establishment of a depart
ment Of public works in cities of ovel
100, 900, appointed ex-Assemblyma1
er Of public works at a salary o
SO 900 a year. The department was Il
consist of the engineering department
the park board and the commissioner
The latter was, in fact, expected to d.
the work Armed with his commission
which was to all intents and purpose:
an appointment for life, Mr. Copeland
made demand for the office and tn,
old board Of public works refused t,
give up the office, being advised by th
best counsel that the law under whicI
the appointment Of Mr.. Copeland wa
made would never stand a legal test
They were prepared to hold the fort
or the Office, against the new appointee
but they did not look for a strategica
move.
The custodian Of the city hall is
Republican and he knows a thing o
two. There are two locks on the doc
of the room leading to the office of tn
board Of public works and the Gus
todian had keys to both Of them. Capt
German only had a key to one. Dur
ing the night prior to Aug. 1, the doc
was locked with the lock of whicl
Capt German did not have the key an,
the next morning Mr.. Copeland was OF
the inside and the board of publ
works on the outside. And ever sine
that day Mr. Copeland has remained Of
the inside and the members of tn
board on the outside Commissioner
German, Quinby, Banholzer and Har
went across Fourth street and hire,
an office in the Frost block, and ther
they have been ever since domiciled Il
a most aptly titled block for the car
rying on of a game Of freeZeout The
have been ready to do any bushes
that might be brought before them
That they did not have much patron