The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-10-12
MEDDLEsOME MAC.

SOuplTOller McCdfQy, VINO mas Deen
a great many things, aspires also, it
would appear, to be whole charter
commission in himself. At the meet
ing of the conference committee yes
terday he introduced two recon-
mendations which were palpably in
tended to head off the commission, and
to pledge or limit it to certain Nc
Cardyish ideas in municipal govern
ment. Both Of them are bad, and the
one adopted by the committee, with
cut reflection, seems to be rather the
Gil to submit to the people a PROPOSE
ton, to be voted on at the next spring
election, to issue $4,000 of bonds each
year for the next two years in support
of the common schools.
The world do move" when McCardy
has to admit that the school revenues
are insufficient. But his way out of
the difficulty is a bad one. ST. Paul
wants no more running into debt. 1t
wants no more bonds issued to cover
current expenses. 1t is, indeed almost
a mOnstrous suggestion that we should,
just as we have begun to emerge from
the slough of debt, begin the old pro-
cess of spending more than our reve-
nues. Nor is there the slightest occa-
SION for it. AS a member of the COM
mittee pointed out, the charter COM
mission will take cognizance of the
needs of the schools and authorize such
tax levy as will provide adequate funds
for them. Why we should leave the
rate at 21a mills, the figure set before
the scaling down of assessed valua-
ton, issue bonds to make good the
deficit, pay interest on the bonds, and
then dump principal and interest into
some future tax levy is something that
only McCardy could explain. No more
bonds, should be one of our municipa
Watchwords.
The other suggestion is in the ma
ture of an appeal for mercy to be pre-
sented to the charter commission in
behalf of the system of issuing tax levy
certificates; so that we may be ena-
bled to spend each years revenue be-
fore it has been collected, and pay in
terest on the total amount of our city
taxes. These certificates are very dear
to the comptroller's heart; probably
because of the beautiful theory, held
by him and some of his admirers, that
they do not constitute a debt. 1t is
cur belief that the way of safety lies
in the prohibition of anticipating any
portion of the public revenue under
most stringent penalties. Let US levy
taxes for the money that we need, call
a spade a spade, live within our in
come and pay our debts If there be
better way of finance than this, the
world has not discovered it through
all the history Of civilizations which is
also a history of disastrous fooling with
credit and taxation and the debt-mak
ing power.
The McCardy ideas are, as we have
seen, bad in principle. Aside from that
they should be frowned upon as an
impertinence. The charter commits
sion is to have its first meeting to-
morrow. 1t is the duly constituted
body before which all these subjects
will come and which is to pass upon
them. At the proper time it will doubt
less invite suggestions from all quar-
tiers and consider all recommendations
| laid before it. The attempt to fore
stall this and to dictate to it in par
ticulars is bit of gratuitous bad man
ners of which all that needs to be
said, perhaps, is that it is worthy OF
! its SOurce