The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-10
MAKING MOUTHS AT YOUR SISTER.

The branches of the body which, by
a strained courtesy we have to call
our city government met Monday even
ing and considered some matters more
or less Weighty, but not a whisper was
heard about the snub the street rail
way company gave it anent its paving
order. There was the usual bidding
about street lighting ending in the in
evitable submission to the unavoidable.
There was a dainty handling of the
defunct Bickel bank, with their
astonishing proposition that, if
Treasurer Horst had kept his city de-
posits in that sinkhole down to the
have been but 1888 in the bank instead
of $4,000, and that as he had no legal
authority to drop the extra $7,367 into
the Bickel hole, which, of course, the
hole had no legal right to accept, they
will repay what he had authority to
drop and the hole to catch, and that
the city should pocket the loss of the
excess, or look to Treasurer Horst for
it, The proposition went to the COM
mittee on ways and means instead of
to it's proper receptacle, the waste
basket.
But, if the co-ordinated twins did
not take any action that would mean
something to bring the contumaciOus
street railway company to time, they
did indulge in a bit of useless buster
and bravado. A kid, smarting with
the pain of a licking by larger kid,
consoled himself with informing the
latter that if he couldn't lick him he
could make mouths at his sister. The
assembly, by a unanimous vote, con-
Cured in that silly resolution of the
statesman of the Third ward, which
the board of aldermen had passed, pro-
hibiting the street railway company
from using its tracks for any other
purpose than hauling passengers. The
purpose of this is to prevent the haul
ing of supplies for construction or re-
pairs of it's tracks on it's own repair
cars, and to compel the employment
OF those of the Third ward statesmans
constituents who team for a living. In
other words, if the common council
dare not tackle the company to compel
it to do what the council has unoues-
toned power to make it do. the coun-
Gil will make mouths at the company
by ordering it not to do what it has
an undoubted right to do. The coun-
Gil tries to shelter itself from public
contempt for its abject submission to
the insolent defiance of its rightful au-
thority by the company behind an alb
surd attempt to use power it does
not possess.
The strength of this and all similar
quasi public corporations lies largely
in the demagoguery with which public
bodies treat them, and of which our
council is striking example. 1t is the
failure to insist upon and fight for the
rights of the public on the one hand
and the truculent air assumed with the
presentation of unlawful demands
such as is this Kenny resolution on the
other, that fortifies such corporations
in their disobedience Of legitimate or
ders. When councils recognize the fact
that corporations have rights which
they are bound to respect and that
corporations have duties which coun-
ellis are bound to compel the companies
to perform, and stop the little polly
wogs of the ward pools from rolling
the waters Of the public pond, they
will save themselves from the NORTH
cation of such .snubs as the railway
company has administered to our coun-
Gil. Meantime, gentlemen, please con-
centrate what you are pleased to con-
slider your minds upon the paving prob
lem.
If does not need a column editorial