The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-18
The Library Plan.

The Library Plan.
If st. Paul citizens are likely to be
moved to create a nucleus for a pub
lie library which shall prove creditabie
to the city hereafter, the plan proposed
by Mr.. Feldhauser ought to provide a
good starting point.
The existing quarters in the city hall
utilized for the accommodation of the
library cannot much longer be avail
ed of at best, and when one is obliged
to refer to this grant as at the best,
it is difficult to conceive Of anything
much worse, unless the volumes should
be ordered stacked at some cOnyen-
lent street intersection, with a toss
penny apparatus standing convenient
ly near to determine who shall get the
books and retain them in their pos
session for the longest possible given
time.
Mr.. Feldhauser'S plan commends It
self for its practicabillty, at a period
when anything Of a practical sort in
this connection possesses attractions, II
for no other reason save it's novelty
The old market house property is val
liable under real estate assessment.
Nobody will esteem it as desirable as
permanent library site; and this
view is not embraced within the judg-
ment Of the promoter of the later
scheme. Wisely enough, Mr.. Field
hauser proposes to make start in
the right direction by utilizing that, Of
which he is already possessed. Archi-
tecturally speaking, the building and
its environs can be turned into a rev.
enue producing outfit at the cost Of
about $4,000 to be expended in i'm
provements. He proposes that four
teen stores shall be provided for on the
ground floor, together with a perma-
nent manufacturers exhibition hall,
and from all of which shall be derived
an annual rental Of $4,000
The annual tax, under the Bell char
ter, yields a collectible sum for library
purposes of from $4,000 to SIS, 1000,
though the minimum amount more
closely approaches that actually real
lied; and from this sum is applied the
cost of maintenance, as we'll as the
purchase of new books.
Against this stands the record in
connection with the public library at
Minneapolis. From it's creation to the
completion Of the building the receipts
of that institution have been:
From sale of city bonds s1O1 800 90
From taxes 1886 ......... S21, 67S 81
From taxes 1887 .. AZ 800 AZ
From taxes, 1888 ..... s. 500 65
From taxes 1889 ....... 3S, O23 66
t,ror, ,ns,u,,o, - 159.As So
Fr ward ,I building 61.ss5 90
froh incidental sources ........... 572 rs
Iotal :::::............-.......$ 1928, 45s 80
iAi '"Aes' Ioso .................. 63, 500 90
Total ....................s3S 1886 $50 80
Mr. Feldhauser, as above stated Is
willing to start al the beginning by
the creation Of a sinking fund out Of
the annual revenues derived from the
rental OF the property thus improved
he knows that realization must neces-
sarily be slow with so moderate a basis
as an incentive to public activity in
this direction; but, he believes, this in
centlVe can be supplied on so just and
honest and matter of fact plane.
In order to make the improvements
necessary, $4,000 are required Of this
sum several subscriptions have already
been offered. Within a period of five
years fund Of approximately s1OO. 900
can be realized from the rental of the
stores. By that time conditions will
perhaps have so shaped themselves that
advantage may be taken Of our inter-
nal improvement, from q municipal
standpoint, that not only can one, Of
many, proposed permanent sites be
aNa1led Of. but the market house prop
erty may Itself be disposed of on such
terms that the problem Of providing a
permanent library will have solved It,
self. The exercise Of public spirit on
the part Of citizens of the present
day Is essential to success. And
even should realizations be far in ad-
vance of those just now anticipated,
the sinking fund proposed to be created
will prove available as an endowment
fund.
No citizen need regard himself as
prescribed in the amount of his con-
tribution to the fund. It may be small
or large as well. and even death itself
need not be regarded as a bar to a.
legacy in favor of the proposition. But
the plan suggested introduces the most
practicable scheme for the provision Of
a public library in st. Paul, and It GER
tainly merits the most general attempt
for it's contamination. The small sum
of $4,000 ought readily to be subscribed.
and this fact will. at least, remove
this vexatious subject from Immediate
consideration by the people. There
can be no doubt about the ability to
rent the buildings for the sum of $780,
900 per annum; the present taxes Of
from $4,000 to $4,000 per annum will
insure the support Of the institution
meanwhile, and everything in the way
of accretion in value will be in favor
of the people. Ought not the matter to
be promptly taken up?