The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-15
THE RIDGET DEAL.


upon the tax budget is no more salts
factory than that of the conference
committee in preparing it. 1t has, in
deed, cut out the item for the redemp-
ton of maturing bonds, and proposes
that they be refunded. SO much is a
present gain to the taxpayer. Under
almost any other conditions than the
present, the G o b would have IA
vored the payment of the principal Of
these bonds It is most unfortunate
that the maturing of the first consid-
cradle block of our bonded debt should
coincide in time with business condi-
tons that make it imperative to re-
duce to the lowest limit the demands
upon the taxpayer. The principal OBJ
lection is that this refunding estab-
fishes a bad precedent. 1t will be held.
when the next bonds come due, that
we can refund those as we have re-
funded others, and thus may come
upon us the easy habit of showing upon
the shoulders of posterity the whole
burden which We have to bear Moth
ing else, however, seemed practica bic or
even just, al the present time. than to
postpone for a little while the payment
of this $4,000.
With deep indignation the public
will notice that, notwithstanding the
exclusion Of this item, the total
Nv
council. after making allowance for a
decrease in the general fund credit.
amounts, in round numbers, to 500 900
more than the amount allowed in 1896
1T matters not what stress there may
have been for increase in particular
departments If the public work, such
as the nearly $4,000 extra allotted to
the lighting fund, the result reached
should not have been permitted. At
whatever sacrifice was necessary. the
total amount to be raised by taxation
should have been, at the very worst,
kept down to the limit of last year.
To increase the tax roll in times like
this is a confession, on the part of
those responsible for it. of either in
Impotence or Indifference to the con-
ditions that affect our people today.
If any one seeks for a reason why re-
treuchment was denied this year. he
Will find probable explanation in the
action of the council on one particular
item. We do not know what infiu-
ences We're at work to secure the alIot-
ments Of different amounts to other
funds, but we do see very clearly. in
the division of the S35, 900 assigned
to the provision of additional
school facilities, the triumph Of the
intriguing politician. This sum ought
TO have been put at the disposal of the
school board, to be used according to
its best judgment It knows better
than any alderman or assemblyman
can know what the needs of the city.
as a whole, are, and where they can
least afford to be denied 1t is the one
proper body TO direct the distribution of
such fund. But the opportunity to
use it for mere political purposes was
too tempting 10 be passed by this
strictly political body. That s35, 900
intended to provide sittings for pupils
who are now unable to obtain admis-
sion to the schools, by reason of in
sufficient facilities, WIS literally parti-
toned ont by the members OF the coun-
Gil in such wise as they, or the major
ity of them, thought would be most
helpful to their political ambition.
The need of the Eighth ward for a
new school building is of old standing
and has been admitted by the school
authorities. So great is it that 81, OOC
was appropriated for that purpose q
year ago. Under this division OF funds
the Eighth ward gets 81 900 We
do not go through the is5 further
than 20 note that $4,000 was cut off
from this appropriation 20 be sunk ir
purchases Of real estate Tor alleged
future use. A lot is 70 be bought ir
the Fifth ward and another in the
Seventh ward. on which, at some future
time, schoc! buildings are supposed te
be erected. With the situation as il
has existed here for years, which we
have tried to meet By renting insult
able rooms n business buildings as
annexes, and which has required the
oVercrowding Of pupils and the re-