The Saint Paul globe., 1897-06-27
DUNN, DISPATCH AND DRIyEL..


make himself ridiculous by rushing
into print in opposition to the adoption
of new charter, and if the ST. Paul
Dispatch pleases to take a stand beside
MIN upon his eminence of folly, they
are welcome; but such readers as may
have been disquieted by the confident
assertion of Mr.. Dunn and the Dis
| patch that new charter would not re-
HeVe our school system of it's difficult
ties, and who may not be familiar with
the facts and the law in the case, are
entitled to an explanation of an asser-
ton that otherwise does not
deserve notice. The concealed
purpose, Of course, is to put a
| check to the movement for new char
ter that has scored a splendid success
| The various persons who have private
ends to serve, who prefer to have mu-
nlcipal legislation left just where it is
at any cost, have been searching for
some weeks, ever since the peo-
pie began to express them
selves so positively, for an objection 10
! home-rule charter. They told US at
first that the city could not take care Of
| it's bonded debt under home rule. and
| backed water speedily on that propo-
sition. Nov Mr. Dunn informs us that
as a legal proposition, we could not
| get funds for school purposes under an
rtn
this. That he is utterly and hopelessly
| mistaken is evident to any one who
knows anything about the subject, and
! we present this morning legal opinions
which we think have quite as much
value as those of Mr. Dunn to that eff
feet. s.e
1t does not need a lawyer, however
! to ascertain that Mr.. Dunn and the
| Dispatch have discovered a mares nest
There is no, a single reason for imag-
! ining for a moment that the position
which he takes is sound, and we can
| not understand how man can bring
himself to print such nonsense. What
Mr. Dunn says is that, if a new char
| ter were adopted, it would, by repeal
| ing the provisions Of the old, simply
relegate the city of st. Paul to a gen
eral law Of the state governing schools
and school districts. The school dis
| trict, he says, is an entity, separate and
distinct from a city corporation. We
could not, by special legislation, change
| this general law; and the new charter
! would, therefore, be as helpless as the
| old to remedy the deficiency in the
school revenue. With what patience we
! can command we shall show the absur-
| dity of this position, even on Mr.
| Dunns own ground.
The sole difficulty with our school
| rate for school purposes to two and a
| half mills. This rate, levied upon our
reduced assessed valuation, will not
| bring in enough money to run the
| schools properly. That is the whole
! point of attack Permit this two and a
| half mills rate to be changed, and the
| difficulty vanisheS and the schools are
saved. Now that limitation is not
| found in the general laws of the state,
| but in the Bell charter, which it is
| proposed to supersede. Under the
portion Of the present charter covering
the operation of the treasury depart
ment We find, among the purposes for
which the common council may levy a
tax upon the property of st. Paul, the
following:
To provide for the support and mainte-
nance of the public free schools of said city
not provided for in the ninth subdivision
hereto; provided that the levy in any one
| year shall not exceed 21h mills on the dol
lar of the property assessed for all school
than mills on the dollar.
This section is the stumbling block.
1t is in the Bell charter and nowhere
else. Frame new charter to take the
place of the present one and this sec
tion disappears. With it vanish all
the difficulties and dangers that beset
our public schools.
Turning to the latest revision of the
statutes of Minnesota, we find in the
law of 1873, the general law under
which it is said we would have to op-
crate if the provisions relating to
schools were repealed, we find the fol-
lowing provisions:
For school district purposes in addition
to the general tax of 1 MILL such sum as
may be voted at any legal meeting of the
| qualified voters of the district the rate of
which shall not exceed mills for the suD-
| port of the school, | per cent for the
| erection of a schoolhOuse; and that nothing
| in this section shah be construed to pre-
| vent the county commissioners township
| supervisors or corporation authorities of any
| city, town, village or school district from
| levying any tax which, by any special law
they may be authorized to levy.
The wayfaring man could hardly err
in his reading of the situation. We
have nothing to do with Regulating
and governing" the public schools. The
independent school district of ST. Paul
| takes charge, and will take charge and
| always has, of that matter as provided
| for by law. The common council Of
the city of st. Paul will assess and levy
| taxes for the support of the schools
| of st. Paul as it always has. But
| where it is now prohibited, not by any
thing in the general law, but by the