The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-09
SORT OF NIGHTMARE
SEIZED THE MEMBERS OF THE
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE AT
YESTERDAYS MEETING.
THAT JUGGLING OF TAX LEVY
BROUGHT UP BY PRESIDENT ABB
BOTT THROUGH THE KINDNESS
OF THE COMPTROLLER.
DEMENT, DOWNED THE SPECrER,
But 1t Is Apt to Again Appear to
Haunt Those Responsible for
Its Existence.

The regular meeting Of the conference
committee was held yesterday after
noon. The sessions of this body are
usually of the most routine character,
the reports of the various officers being
submitted and then an adjournment
taken. The session yesterday was rath-
er exciting, and after half hours dis
cuSsiOn of city affairs the committee
passed by a unanimous vote a motion
to eXpunge from the records ali men
ton of the discussion which had taken
place.
The trouble all arose from a talk
by Comptroller McCardy, who suggest
ed that it would be we'll for the commit
tee to take more interest in city affairs
and discuss matters at their meetings
instead Of submitting reports and then
adjOurniug. President Abbott, Of the
beard of education, woke up the other
members of the committee at once by
calling attention to the fact that at
meetings Of the conference committee
in December 1895, and January, 1896,
the sum of $4,000 was ordered placed
in the tax estimate budget for 1896, to
be raised by taxation for the support
of the public schools. This recOmmen-
datiOn had been adopted by the con-
ference committee and afterWard adopt
ed by the common council, when the
tax estimate budget had been passed
by that body. Recently it had been
made public that tine council when it
made the tax levy in October 1895, had
levied for 212 mills for school purposes.
This levy was considerably in excess
Of the 900 which had been placed
in the tax estimate as being the
amount needed for the schools and
Pre- Sident Abbott wanted to know why
this was so. His construction of the
law was that the levy could not in any
year exceed the amount placed in the
estimate, To make plain his position,
President Abbott read from the charter
the following prOvision:
1t shall be the duty of said conference com
nlittee in the month of December of each year
beginning in the month of December, 1891 to
make out an itemiZed statement showing the
amount of money aforesaid which in its
opinion, viii be needed for the use of each de-
Paftnent OF said city, and for the use of said
BOARD OF education curing the then succeeding
year, and to designate the same by resolution
and the same shall be reported and recon-
!nended by said conference committee not
1aCer than January next following said deSig-
nation 10 the common council of said city and
SAID council shall thereupon, not later than
me month of February next following declare
3y resolution the amount in dollars that must
De levied Tor each uSLartment of said city and
Tor said boacd OF education for the then As
cal year for carrying on the business OF said
city and the affairs of said board OF education
for said yesr.
! was III view Of the above portion
OF the charter, President Abbott said,
that ne wanted to know by what au-
thOrity the tax levy of 21a mills had
been made for the schools in October,
1925, when the estimate in January
1895, recommended by the conference
committee and adopted by the council.
haG placed the amount to be raised at
$l5O000
CT ptroller McCardy took the cHarter
(ElS Blble) and called the attention OF
President Abbott to the clause thar
provides that not less than mills shall
be levied IN any one year for the SUD-
port Of the schools, and not more than
213 mills. In reply to this, President
Abbott stated that he had called the
attention Of this clause to the COMP
trclleT and conference committee at
the time the tax estimate for 1896 had
been under consideration, but he had
been informed at the time that it would
be no infraction of the law to save the
taxpayers money. With this idea the
conference committee had by resolu-
ton directed $150,009 placed in the tax
estimate as the amount q be raised by
taxation for the schools for 1896, and
the council had adopted this as the
amount to be levied The comptroller
had suggested the advisa bility of dis
clisSing he standing of the various
departments and city affairs, and he
questioned If this would not be the
time boun n
cussed and explained.
Mayor Doran attempted to lay the
blame or fault to the conference COM
mittee which had passed the tax esti-
mate, but President Abbott said the
me ubers Of the council which made the
levy in October last were the ones
who were responsible for the violation
o. the charter. Aid. Bigelow and City
treasurer Horst thought at was hardly
the province Of the conference commit
tee at this time t. discuss the matter.
President Abbott said he was interest
ed, not only as a city officer. but as a
ta&payer Mayor Dcran got in a shot
apcut the action Of the school board in
raising the question Of opening the
schools last fall for want Of funds, but
President Abbott replied that they were
opened ali the same and the funds were
found to open them. Aid. Bigelow said
me conference committee was inter
SAteu III Inc aHa1rS OF the city and
not III the individual affairs of the tax
payers.
President Bement, Ct the water board.
insisted that the entire discussion, be
stricken from the minutes Of the meet
ing and that the press representatives
say nothing about the matter in the
newspapers. He did not think the con-
ference committee had any power to
fix the tax estimate for any year. 1t
was simply a recommendation to the
council. President Abbott asked if this
was true what good was any action of
Che committee, ard what did any of
its actions amount to. Mr. Bement
was Of the opinion that the committee
might as well take up the question Of
building houses or the dressing Of dogs,