The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-04
Prosperity need no longer wait outside
the gates. Jones invites her In.
A SERIOUS PROBLEM.


steadily ever since the strange and dis
creditaible policy was adopted. with the
consent even Of part Of our business
men. Of retrenohing public expenditures
by cutting down appropriations for the
schools and letting everything else
stand Sooner or later, that was bound
to necessitate the Gripping OF the
schools or their partial closing. There
was a chance of relief, an opportunity
to maintain the efficiency and stanoaro
of our educational system by putting
through at the last legislature law
which should have authorized the col
lection of a fund barely large enough
to maintain the schools as they are.
This was not done The representatives
of the city Of st. Paul deliberately
elected to impair the public schools OF
the city They We're supported, defend
ed and encouraged in that course by
the chamber of commerce, ably sec
ended by the mayor and the city comp
troller. We have, therefore, the pleas
ure of being able to locate the respon-
sibility for the unfortunate state OF al
fairs that now exists. The parents OF
ST. Paul will find for some years 10
come that the admirable facilities for
the education Of their children, that
have been our just pride and that have
been, probably, the most powerful OF
all influences in building up this city
and adding to its population, are TO
suffer. They will pay roundly, and all OF
us must pay, every business interest IN
the city must suffer for the niggardly
spirit and singular obtuseness Of those
representing the city officially ana
those representing a portion OF its busl-
ness life. Upon the chamber of COM
merce and the habitants of the city
hall rests the entire blame of the mis-
fortune and disadvantage that we are
about to experience.
The question of ways and means is
a serious one, and we would not en-
barrass the board Of education, al
ready in sufficiently difficult position,
by suggestions of detail which they
might find upon closer investigation,
to be impracticable. Their first demand,
however, is one wholly reasonable and
right That the $4,000 set aside for
the construction of new buildings
should be turned over to the mainte-
nance fund is too plain to admit Of
debate When we have not money
enough to keep open the schools al
ready running, it would be the height
Of folly to construct more. Badly as
these additional accommodations are
needed, a new school building without
furniture or teachers is not a valuable
acquisition. If this transfer is MADE,
it will alleviate tbe situation little,
but 1T will not solve the problem.
There is still an enormous shortage to
be made up by cutting expenditures
somewhere. To do this by a general
reduction Of salaries is, We are con-
WINGED, impossible. Without insisting
again upon the fact that the wages of
teachers are as low here as any where,
and are altogether disproportionate al
ready to the work done and the pre-
paration required for it, 1t is enough
to say that the great bulk Of salaries
is made UP Of those of teachers in
graded schools, whose compensation Is
g
commerce would not propose to reduce
it. Reductions applied to teachers re-
ceiving not over $50 a month would not
be enough to make any considerable i'm
preston upon the vast deficit that our
unenlightened policy has produced.
1t seems pretty clear that the board
of education will be reduced in the final
event to a choice between keeping the
schools open as they are as long as
the money holds out and then closing
them, thus shortening the school year
and turning some 10000 school children
upon the streets, and closing the high
schools altogether for the coming year.
Either course is bad enough for the
people, and a blot upon the city's repu-
tation. Since nothing else remains to
be done, however, we believe, as we
have always said, that in such an
emergency it is the upper branch Of
education that ought to suffer. It is
all wrong, of course, a discredit and
a disgrace; but, since we have been
put in that position by those who ought
to know better, If they do not, we can
endure this more easily than we can
to have the schools Of this great city
running on short time for want Of
funds. The board of education need
not hesitate in applying heroic rem
edies, for no fault or responsibility at
tacfes to it. 1t will have the support
Of all right-minded people in placing
the blame for the final success Of a
continued assault upon our school
system exactly where it belongs. We
trust that the chamber of commerce
is proud of it's work. Even Doran and
McCardy are less responsible, because
they don't know any better.
AN UNFORTUNATE BACKSET.
1t is to be regretted that the pioneer
beat SUGAR antarnrica Of tho Month