St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-19
THE LIBRARY PROJECT.

At a large and interesting meeting
of representative citizens at the Com
mercial club rooms yesterday after
market house property and applying
the proceeds to a library building and
site was once more canvassed thor
oughly, with the result which has al
ways followed any public consideration
of this matter; that IS, after running
expression of opinion and the Offering
Of certain criticisms and objections, the
general plan was approved by a nearly
unanimous vote. The objections adj
vanced, indeed are such as are easily
dissipated by fair and careful exami-
nation.
A few people still contend that st.
Paul should maintain public market
at the corner of Seventh and Wabasha
streets. They are very few indeed.
The idea of a central public market in
a large city is out of date. The heart
Of the city is not the place for dis
play Of hucksters' wagons; and neither
the farm gardeners nor their customers
are profited by or desire it. It is
great detriment to the retail district
and an injury to surrounding property.
The public market business, if con-
tinued at all, should seek some other
location. The only other question of
force is whether or not a majority of
the people desire this disposition of the
market house property. We believe
that they do, almost unanimously.
No remonstrance has been offered by
any organization or. through the press.
So earnest, indeed, is the wish of the
people for library building that they
voted, few years ago, to issue $50, 900
of city bonds to purchase a SITE Those
bonds have not been issued, and never
will be If the present project is carried
through. But the fact that the people
were willing to add this amount to
their burdens for such purpose is con-
vincing evidence. AS to the suggested
increase in the value of the market
house property, there are two things to
be said. The first is that the time has
now come to do business on the basis
of facts as they are, not on that of the
ToSeate visions Of the boom period
when people were ruined because they
confided in just such prophecies. The
second is that If the value of this prop
erty increases, so will that which we
get in exchange for it. A man who
trades a fifty dollar horse fur a fifty
dollar cow is no better off if he waits
until each animal is worth one hun
dred dollars and then makes the same
Exchange.
The propositions affirmed by the citi-
lzens' meeting yesterday commend our
hearty approval, as we believe they do
that Of ninety per cent of the people
of st. Paul. These are, that the mar
ket house property should be disposed
of, and the proceeds applied exclu-
sively to the erection Of a public Ii
brary building; that, meantime, no
proposition to lease should be consid-
cred which would tie up the property
for a long period, or which would not
bring substantial revenue to the city;
and that bids should be invited to ex-
change the property either for a site
and building or for sum in cash, on
the basis Of valuation to be determined
by competent committee appointed
by the district court. This last is sub
stantially the same as the resolution
offered in the assembly by Mr. Parker,
which we hope to see adopted by both
bodies Of the council. If it produces
nothing, no harm will have been done
If it brings bidders to the front, it will
be the means Of carrying forward two
improvements of the utmost Importance
and value to ST. Paul; the construction
of q library building, aud the transfer
nation of the market house wreck into
good, business property, paying a reve-
nue. to the city.
While the G. 10 b is interested deep
1y in the future Of the public library,
1t is the revenue feature of the pro-
posed plan that commends it especially