The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-04
Take Care of the Library.

The charter commission will disap-
Paul if it shall not provide for a more
liberal support of the public library
than is given under the Bell charter
All work that has been done along this
line 50 FAR seems to contemplate mere
y reiteration Of the provisions Of
the state law. leaving the library de-
pendent uron the generosity of the
council in its capacity of budget-mak-
er. If experience counts for anything.
this viii not dc. TIE charter should
at least fix a sufficient minimum sum
below which the resources of the Ii
brary could not be reduced. We know
how it is when there is demand for
retrenchment. AS the schools have
Eeen the first and principal sufferers in
the past, so would the library be the
first victim of economy if its resources
were enlarged. It should be protected,
at least to a certain point, by a man
datory tax levy Of a given amount
Ard this is a far more vital provision
than is commonly appreciated.
The provision of a suitable library
building for ST Paul and the voting
of adequate supplies for the library
Itself hang together so intimately than
one is absolutely dependent upon the
other. This city is criticised by every
resident and every visitor with justice,
for its apparent Indifference to the
interests of its library. 1t is indeed
reproach to us, and far greater in
jury to the material prosperity of st.
Paul and to its growth in population
than most people understand, that our
excellent collection of books for public
use is stored in an attic and accessible
only by means that are at once incon-
verient and repulsive to a large por-
ton of its patrons. But, as The G l O e
has pointed out on more than one oc-
casion we must have a revenue for the
library before we can move with any
prospect of success to obtain a building
for it. Income first, home afterward
We believe it is not going too far to
say that there would have been erected
in st. Paul before today a library
building that might have been credit
and a source of pride, were it not for
the fact that it could not be occupied
if we had it. This is an effective dam
per upon public spirit and a veto on
liberality. Men able to make good
their promises have intimated what
they would do for a library if the sub
ject could come up in a practical way.
The building, we repeat, can be secured
as soon as the people are ready to
maintain it. This they cannot do while
the provisions Of the present charter
remain in force. Under this, the libra
ry receives $4,000 a year as it's aIlot
ment from the city treasury. It's actual
cash receipts amount to between $12,-
600 and $4,000. After operating expenses
are met, less than $4,000 remains for
the purchase of books. This is the
charter limit, where store room and
heat ale provided by the city. 1t is
evident that the sum mentioned would
not be adequate to pay the expenses
of proper library building and the
salaries of attendants, if nothing at all
were devoted to the purchase of books.
We have, therefore, logical chain
of conditions and clear war
rant for action by the charter
commission. A library building Is
the first need of St Paul at the pres
ent time 1t can be obtained only by
an appeal to individual generosity and
public spirit. Such a building would
stand a mere empty memorial to folly
unless sufficient funds were appropri-
ated to maintain It, The sum allowed
by the present charter is entirely in
sufficient for that purpose. Like row
of bricks, one CT these difficulties will
topple and disappear as that next to it