The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-17

AS voicing the opinions and desires
OF what it is convinced is a large ma
jority of all the voters of st. Paul, the
Globe offers to them an opportunity
to further and secure the adoption of
a new charter under the home rule
amendment and it's supplementary leg
islation. The imperfections and made
quacies Of the present harte need 10
further exposition. We have been la
boring for months with the question of
school finances, which would not ave
arisen but for the impOssibility OF
changing our present city charter, ard
which will repeat itself year by year
until that charter has been changed.
This is only one of a dozen different di-
rections in which our growth is ham
pered and our interests are affected
detrimentally by having this
ity tied hand and foot to a document
which, though possessing many admir-
able features, is untitled and unad-
Unstable to our present circumstances
and our future needs. The people of
the state, by adopting the constitu-
tional amendment, and again by sane
tioning the bill passed by the last leg
~islatUre and known as chapter 255 Of
tho Canara1 T a We of 1907 how o - - n
ed the principle of home rule and open
ed d way by which the voters Of any
selves. We have been pressing this
matter upon public attention for weeks
past. We have pointed out the abso-
Lutte necessity of charter reform. and
scarcely a voice has been raised in dis
sent. We have had to face emergen-
cies harmful to this community, Gre
ated in toto by charter provisions that
We can neither amend nor repeal. AS
far as public opinion has found voice,
especially among the small taxpayers
and the laboring people, it is over
whelmingly in favor of the appoint
ment Of a charter commission.
1t is obvious that no action will be
taken by those who ought to lead in
this matter. The initiative lies with
the city council. A charter commits
sion is to be appointed by the Judges
of he district bench when the coun-
Gil has passed al ordinance requesting
such action by the judges. An ordi-
nance to hat effect was introduced
long ago, was p~igeen-holed in the COM
mittee on streets, was dug I'D after
a while and fumbled over in the man
ner peculiar to the council, and final
ly postponed until June "a for further
consideration. We tell the people plain
ly what this means. 1t means DELHI
crate delay and defeat, if possible, to
the project Of home rule. The repre-
sentatives of the Republican party in
~ -O9i0AotUie anu III the cOunci have
failed absolutely to look after the
public interests? The city council is q
worthy assistant to the late delegation
from Ramsey county to the legislature.
1t was pointed out in the report of the
Parker retrenchment committee a non
partisan body that made a most
searching investigation of city finances
that future economies in the govern
ment of st. Paul could not be accom-
plished without action by t--1egisla-
turo. What 6A the last legislature do
for Ramsey county and for st. PauI. nv
the advice and assistance Of their Re-
publican delegation? Not one blow was
struck for retrenchment. Were sal
aries reduced? Were city and county
offices consolidated? Were sinecures
cut out? Wa authority conferred
upon the council to cut down the COM
pensation Of places. put beyond its
reach by previous special legislation?
Not in a single instance. We are left
Just where We were; and, in addition