The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-20
no More Bonds.

The council viii do we'll to turn a
deaf ear to the proposition of the
mayor, made at the instigation of the
city comptroller, to authorize an issue
of 100000 of city bonds for the pur-
pose of erecting new school buildings,
in order that it may go before the
people at the spring election. If there
is anything against which the face of
the people of this city should be set
like adamant, it is the increase of our
bonded debt. We have struggled out
from the crushing weight of our city
debt in the last seven years. We have
paid off between 100000 and SO, 900, GG0
of floating Indebtedness, at what heavy
sacrifice our property holders and tax
payers are too we'll aware. We have
relieved ourselves from the incubus
that depressed business and reacted
unfavOrably upon every force that was
pushing the city forward to new
growth and prosperity.
Scarcely have we begun to see day
light and to look toward the new era
when once more the old serpent raises
its persuasive head. This is always the
way. The first proposal to swell the pub
lie debt is based upon some admitted
need, and fortified by an appeal to some
interest very dear to the hearts of the
people. When retrenchment was the
order of the day, and committees and
councils We're going down the line to
see where a dollar could be saved, it
was upon the schools that the brunt
of the burden fell. When times change.
1T is the schools that are put forward
again to defend a plea for adding to
the debt
The C o b e, almost alone, has fought
for the granting OF adequate and even
generous support to the public schools
of st. Paul 1t pointed out the fact
that, before the recent reduction of the
assessed valuation of real estate in this
city, the erection OF new school build
-ings was prevented and the school re-
sources reduced by the plain refusal Of
the council to carry out a mandatory
provision Of the Bell charter fixing the
minimum rate of taxation for school
purposes. The council assumed the
right to fix lower rate than it had
been commanded to levy, and, there
fore, school facilities either remained
unchanged or were actually diminished
during the years when school popula-
ton and needs increased. The new
basis of taxation provided by the re-
assessment of city property changed
the difficulty from chronic to acute
What is now insidiously suggested is
that the relief provided by the charter
commission will not be available if the
new charter should not be adopted.
and then our schools would be in a
difficult position, unless we had an au-
thorized bond issue to fall back upon.
This needs no Interpretation. 1t means
that the city hall is opposed, as it al
ways has been, to charter changes. IT
means that the entire strength of the
office holding gang is to be mustered
to defeat any charter that would limit
privileges, reduce expenses or take
away the profitable power of giving or
Withholding public franchises 1t means
that the party in power clings desper-
ately to its opportunities, and intends
to make a fight for their maintenance
unchanged. 1t wants 30 be able to say
TO the people that they can reject the
charter amendments and still provide
schools through an authorized bond
issue
Both the method and the reason be-
hind it are unworthy. The people Of
st. Paul need no involved argument
to convince them that they can no more
rely indefinitely upon successive bond
issues for school support than they can
permit progressive accumulation Of
debt which they have sacrificed SO
much to cut down. If a proper and
permanent revenue is not provided for
the schools, one series of bonds must
succeed another, and we can go on in