The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-08
RIVER AT 8 A. M.
OUTRAGEOUS DELAY.

The action of the common council in
relation to the provision of new
school building for the Eighth ward, or
an addition to the German school locat-
ed there, is nothing short Of an outrage
upon the public. No more convincing
instance could have been recorded of
the inability of the present body to look
after public interests or to realize their
Importance as compared with private
differences of opinion and squabbles
rising out Of self-interest The over
crowded condition Of the German
school has been public disgrace for a
long time past. The people Of that
district have protested earnestly and
justly against the denial of the privi-
leges of public school educat ton for
their children. So reasonable was their
demand that the last common council
saw fit, even in a time when every
possible economy was necessary, to
appropriate sum of money sufficient
to erect an addition. to the German
school. This appropriation was. agreed
upon by both houses of that council,
and would have been made use of i'm
mediately, SO that additional school ia
cilfties might be furnished in time for
next years work, but for the sudden
peremptory ard uncalled-for Interior
ence of the present body.
The assembly ard board of aldermen
now In office do not appear to lay the
slightest stress upon the dep1orable
condition Of the school facilities In the
Eighth ward. They have tied them
selves up In a tangle Of minor difficult
ties. and got themselves involved in
hot squabble over real estate details
and extraneous matters until they seem
to have forgotten all about the school
children out in the Eighth ward for
whom no facilities for instruction can
be provided. One of the very first acts
of the new council was to rescind the
action Of the last and forbid the use
of this appropriation to make an addi-
ton to the German school, While 1t
appeared on the face of 1t that such
action was purely partisan in It's char
acter, and that the proposition
was ny R0DuD-
lican council only because the original
action had been approved by a Demo-
cratic, still that could have been over
looked had the gentlemen who now
represent the citys interests been will
Ing and able to proceed to meet the sit
uauon IL their own way. They are not
They have no way of their own, appa-
rently. They are acting in this matter
purely as obstructionists They de-
layed taking action in the premises un-
til proposition for a real stakeholder
could be got through. Now they are
split up Into three factions One set ia
vors the original proposition of ar ad-
dition to the German building; another
one new building on the site be-
longing to the city, and third favor
the trade Of that site for still another.
In the meantime the summer days
are passing swiftly, the whole question
is so tied up that not step can be taken
ard the interests of the public suffer-
The G o b e desires to call the atten-
ton of the people to this obvious and
shameful neglect Of duty, and to CEN
sure it ir the strongest terms. We do
not care a picayune what plan the
common council adopts. provided
it does not tolerate another moment of
delay in providing the building needed
in the Eighth ward and waited for by
the people so long and patiently. In our
view. the proper course to take is to
ascertain as nearly as possible the
wishes of the people in that school dis
trict ard then proceed to carry them
out. That. as we understand 1t, has
already been done and was expressed in
the original action of the former council
and in the present attitude of the school
board in favor of an addition to the
German school But nobody cares to
Insist upon that. If only this council
will do something, il only 1t will fur
nish more room for school children,
whether it be in such an addition or
in new building. placed in one site or
another. there will be no especial crit
icism.
The outrageous thing is that after this