The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-09

as to consider the point raised by Mr..
Abbott. President Freeman, of the fire
board, in order to prevent any more
talk, moved an adjournment, which was
seconded. Mr.. Bement insisted on his
motion to strike from the records all
discussion and to have the press make
no report of the talk. Mayor Doran
repeated the motion. and all that voted
being in favor of the same it was de-
clared carried, and then the committee
adjourned.
Aid Bigelow, seen after the confer
ence, said there should be no refer
ence made to the matter in the papers,
because it would raise the question as
to the legality of the tax levy for last
year. While there was in his mind, no
doubt but that the levy was all right
as made by the council, still there was
a question, and this might be taken
advantage of and the matter brought
into the courts, which would place the
city in bad light.
City Treasurer Horst was also Of
the opinion, If the matter was brought
to the attention Of the general public.
it might cause litigation, and result in
the question of the legality of the tax
levy for 1896 being taken into the
courts. If this should be done, the
city would feel the result in the nom
payment of taxes until after the mat
ter had been judicially passed upon.
This rather questionable transaction,
which so unexpectedly bobbed up at
the meeting as soon as Comptroller
McCardy suggested they should dis
cGss the reports, etc, at these meet
ings, was called to the attention of
the public by the G l o b some days
ago. The then private secretary to
the mayor, in desire to explain that
the present council had decreased the
tax estimate for 1897, when the figures
showed an increase of $500, 900 over the
amount for 1885, was responsible for
the secret leaking out. The defender
OF the Republican cOuncilmen an
n0unced that the books in the auditors
office showed that $3.50, 900 had been
! levied for school purposes in 1885, in
stead of $l50,000, as provided by the
| tax estimate. This was the first init
nation that any of the city officials,
barring, perhaps, Comptroller McCar
dy, had that the official resolutions
of the council had not been carried into
effect. In October of each year the tax
levy, based on the tax estimate adopted
by the council in the previous January,
is passed by the council. The resolu-
ton fixing the levy is prepared by the
city comptroller and comes 70 the cOun-
Gil, not in dollars and cents, as the
estimate does, but figured out as 50
many mills to be levied for each fund
III each OF the assessment districts.
Anything in the shape of figures that
comes from the cOmptrOlier'S office
is taken by the councilmen to be cor
rect. AS one of the members said at a
recent meeting, if McCardy was to
send in a communication stating that
six times six was fOrty-one, each and
every one of the members would not
hesitate to say that this multiplication
was correct. With this explanation
Of h.
as the confidence placed in his figures
| by the council, it is readily seen how
! juggling was done without the council
| knowing the difference. The levy made
in October, 1896, as prepared by the
comptroller, placed the amount to be
levied for school purposes at 21a mills
and the council, without stopping to
figure it out, to see if it agreed with
the tax estimate, adopted the resolu-
ton.