St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-18
THE CHARTER DEBATE.


THE CHARTER DEBATE.
The arguments Of the two contestants
IN the debate upon the relative merits
Of the Howard charter and the home
rule plan that was held in this city
last evening will be followed with great
Interest by our readers. The result
Of the national election is not, really,
rs important to us as is the system Of
local government under which our mu-
nicipal, affairs are to be conducted in
the future. There is every reason,
siderations with earnest and thought
full care.
With strong desire to consider the
matter impartially, and to discover, if
possible, what advantage the Howard
charter people really think they dis
cover in that law-for we do not wish
to question their honesty or sincerity
the G l o b e is unable to find, in the
speeches of their champion, a single
forcible reason in favor of it's accept
ance They have adopted, and still
maintain, the policy of mere denuncia-
ton. All that is vile in their eyes is
summed up in the -catchword, "board
rule" which they use on any and every
occasion, without pointing to de-
tails. One exception to that state
ment should be made, however,
and it is a striking one. The
worst example of board rule" that st.
Paul has ever seen was the
old school board. This comes in
for a goodly share of deserved
denunciation by the Howard char
ter folk. But not one of them has
mentioned the fact that the school
board was formerly elected by the
people, exactly as their council
is to be elected that, in fact, as
the bonded debt of this city was Gre
ated by just such a system of govern
ment by council as they now espouse,
so was the only board" that justifies
their wholesale denunciation chosen by
the same system. 1t is the Howard
charter principle that fathered the
public debt of this city Since the pres
ent charter was adopted, no new debt
has been created, while a large share
of that already incurred has been paid
Another singular instance of bravado
appears in this chorus of opposition
to BOARD rule" The Howard charter
advocates boast that their system will
have none of it. Yet, when asked
what protection the public has against
powerful council, they reply that their
system provides for a "taX levy
board" having power to limit the ap-
preparations of money for public pur-
poses. So, having rescued the people
from board rule they turn around
and create another system of the same
board rule" that shall have the final
power to determine the amount of tax
alton. Never was there a more palpa-
BILE contradiction in terms The ex-
ample of the elective school board"
and the creation of the Howard char
ter BOARD of tax levy" spike effectuaIly
the single gun which these gentlemen
have kept booming so vociferously ever
since they opened their campaign.
The argument of Mr.. Stacey, on the
other hand, is full of pertinent facts
to which no answer has been made.
To the assertion that home rule will
not work he opposes the experience of
Missouri and California, where it has
not only shown itself practically oper-
ative, but has been followed by low
public debts and a lessening tax rate.
To the experience Of st. Paul under the
Bell charter he opposes that of Min
neapolis under what is practically the
Howard system. The latter shows an
increase Of Indebtedness and such
scandalous affairs as the asphalt paw
ing contracts, where ST. Paul has re-
moved a million and half of debt, re-
duced the tax rate one-fourth, and
obtained good pavements at rs per cent
less per square yard than was paid in
Minneapolis for those of inferior quail
lily. If the proof of the pudding is in