The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-11
MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL BE-
COME SOLCITOUS ABOUT FREE
TEXT BOOKS.
THAT LITTLE BLACKLIST
WHICH THE TRADES ASSEMBLY
HAS FRAMED STIRS UP THOSE
WHO
AID. Shepard Going to- the LegisIa-
ture to Get What This Adminis-
tratiOn VIII Not Accomplish.

The committee on legislation from
the assembly and a special committee
of four from the board of aldermen met
yesterday afternoon to consider the
matter of free text books Present were
Assemblymen Dix, Albrecht and Kirke
and Aid. DonahOWer, Allard, Kaldunski
and Lindahl. Mr.. Dix informed the
other members that this idea was to get
legislation which would allow the city
to appropriate money from the general
fund for the purpose Of purchasing free
text books for the schools. AS the law
was now the text books had to be pur-
chased from the schol fund. and there
was not sufficient in the fund to keep
the schools going, to say nothing Of
purchasing books.
AID. Bigelow, who was an interested
spectator, suggested that the $50, 900
placed in the tax estimate for 1897 for
! the redemption of bonds might be uti-
| lized to carry out the free text book
plan.
Mr.. Kir5e said he had been Informed
1t would take $780, 900 to start with and
ABOUT $4,000 per year to keep up the
plan IN all the grades. Attention was
called to number Of bills now pend
ing in the legislature, one of which
made 1t compulsory on all cities to put
the plan in operation.
Mr.. DOnahOWer suggested that what
/ ever was done in the matter should
| be done at once. A subcommittee was
appointed consisting Of Messrs. Dix,
DonahoWer and Lindahl to wait on the
members Of the Ramsey county dele
| cation and ascertain what was best to
| be done in the premises. The commit
| tee will visit the capitol Friday morn
ing and report back the information
| secured on Monday next.
| The resolution passed by the hoard
of aldermen directing the council to
secure a repeal Of the police pension
law was discussed but no action taken.
Several Of the members of the board
were in favor Of the measure being
concurred in by the assembly before
anything was done
Aid. Kaldunski, who introduced the
! resolution, announced that nearly all
the citizens in the city were in favor
OF the repeal Of the police pension law.
For himself he was willing to allow
pension to members OF the police or
, ire department who were disabled
While doing duty, but he objected to q,
lot Of able-bodied men drawing pen
s1ons from the city for nothing. Men
who had been in receipt Of salaries
ranging from 5000 to SO, 900 per year for
twenty years were, in his opinion, en-
titled to nothing at the hands Of the
city. The resolution was laid over to
see what action the assembly would
take
Aid. Shepard Informed the committee
that, While they were discussing mat
tiers Of legislation, he might as we'll in
form them that a bill was being pre-
pared which would attempt to do away
with the blind pigs" in the Tenth
and Eleventh wards. For some rea-
son, he said, it was impossible to con-
vict the keepers of these resorts, and
it was also very hard for the police
to secure evidence against them. The
bill he mentioned would provide that
the posting Of a government license
ises for evidence and LIQUORS.
were being sold on the premises and
was sufficient authority for the police
officials to make a search of the prem
1ses in search of evidence and liquors.
The committee decided that it would
be best, under the circumstances and
this administration, not to discuss the
matter, as the inference would be that
the mayor and his police force were
not doing their duty.