The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-28

civil service bureau, 1t is placed under the
| control OF a. commission Of three members.
serving without pay. and appointed In such
manner that but one of them retires from Of
nee In any year.
such precaution was. however. probably
unnecessary, as this method Of selecting en-
ployes Tor public service has been used by
the United States government, and by vart-
Gus municipalities In the country, for long
PERIOD, and no instance can be shown where
the party affiliations Of those controlling the
machinery of examinations have Influenced
appointments.
examinations are required to be public,
GG9Gm.petitive and free to all citizens of the
United States. with preference whenever
practicable for citizens of St. Paul, with
specified limits as to residence, age, health.
habits and moral character. Examinations
matters which will fairly test the relative
capacity OF the persons examined to dis
charge the duties of the positions to which
they seek appointment, and must include
tests or appropriate manual skill, when the
place sought demands such.
Day LabOrers Not Included.
The competitive system does not apply to
chlef deputies, chief clerks, or chief assist
ants, IN any department. nor to day laborers.
1t includes foremen and policemen below the
respective chiefs of their departments.
The selection of public employees by this
hethod VIII OF itself be. a long stride toward
better government at smaller cost. Not only
VIII the average place be filled by more
competent and willing man or woman, but the
incentive to multiply positions. or to main
tam an excess of force beyond the needs of
Inc te service will be removed. For the first
Time the city will be put upon business
like basis for the conduct of it's strictly bust
ness affairs
Under existing local conditions, the mu-
nlclpal finances naturally occupied the COM
missions attention most. feature OF the
puplc ana1rs in almost every American city,
at this time, is a manifest large excess OF
expenditure beyond the ability OF the people
TO pay. There would be no ground for the
exclusion of st. Paul from this category. The
direct and necessary effect Of excessive taxa
tlon is to impair the earning power Of the
property on which it is levied. With the
loss OF earning power, values decline. The
property is no longer desired as an invest
ment 1t cannot be sold, unless at a sac
rlnce' 1t ceases to be acceptable security
LOT loans. Our city has already made praise
worthy advances toward retrenchment; but
It is still far from the standard of outlay
that II must reach. Still further and larger
reductions of expenses are imperative. They
cannot be avoided, nor very much post
poneu, without distress to our taxpayers.
Ihese are not all capitalists or spectators.
me majority are toilers, whose sole holdings
OF city property modest homes or shops,
in which the bulk Of their small savings
have been invested Whether any town is
mainly one of landlords and tenants. or one
scale OF the locabpub expense, which fixes
tne local rates Of taxation and assessment,
than upon any other conditions whatever.
Schools Provided for.
AT the threshold of this subject, the COM
mission was met by the necessity of an in
crease OF allowance for one of the most i'm
portant departmen ts-that of the public
schools. This EFFICIENCY has been amply met.
Inc common council has been empowered
10 increase the appropriation for the schools,
admissible under existing laws and condi-
tIohs, by the amount of $50, 900 per year This
increase has been much more than offset by
[etrencnmentS tnVotherl directions These re-
AUCTIONS touch nearly all departments and
0Ihces; and aggregate about $1G0, 900 per year.
ne .ueepest cutS 3aree in the high salaried
e eosislohs. In most cases, these salaries were
1.ATu through direct action of the state egis-
tlne when notions of Individual and nublic
wealth. within the city had reached the min
a s OF exaggeration. Up to this time all
eHcrts to reduce them have been defeated
The acceptance of the new charter hv tbe
people WILL however effect their reduction.
why Certain Changes Were Not
Made.
Some changes in the present charter bayo
been advocated by many citizens tho p,a-,t,
OF winch the commission has not tboupbt
ltsell able to consider Prominent amonp
'hese is the mode Of collecting special as
sessments Tor local improvements The nres-
emu emu law gives the property owner the follow
ms vplons IN this regard: First, to paw at
maturity, with interest; second TO nav N f,,iI
at any time within the period of AZ 80,
attef gaze OF the Bsoperty for ferlforcemanrt
WIZ, interest at the rate of - per- cent ner
SsaL, tniros TO pay in five yearly instaIJma nts
after sale of the property for anforon1'
ssmegrate. -. FIG ''IS->' =: FL .fons at the
Many citizens have advocated !. ob,nu
ontne iaetnoos OF payment, so that the 6ron
erty owner may pay prior Tn sale pioP-
witb 1911 IN hVe or more yearly instaiIments
of assesemsnt at per cent. On each S255
~ IL assessment, the per cent INSTRUMENT
Plan would be- 50 per wear less ooat .iinent
ehe property owner than the p Der cent in 10
however, f pan a the commission did not
merits or the proposed changes, because Il
was not able to satisfy itself that its imris ~
Avs extended eS to the special assessment
no,, 9iItlmately proving unauthorized, would
o oopy nuilify any assessment made IN
missioa d;d with It. This is risk the com
city. The assumption of it would be pf sn, .ne
pfactcal USE anyway, as the state Ieeis
azure; whose authority over the subject Is
undoubted. can SO amend the laws as IS IS
give any relief deemed desirable for tbo as 60, 20
eral advantage. II this statute is not at nro
ent fully suited to our local wants the legss
iatufe can readily supply the defects.
Not a Single Code.
me additions to and changes of tho ox
sung CHARTER, mentioned above, and Others
formed a part only of the eomrniss.on,s VOL,
The present charter is not single coda -
ranged by an orderly and perspicrous mott
ou, put lengthy series of separate acts
running through period of thirty wears
Naturally, in the process of niIing o,e as
tute upon another, there has bv tbis go 80,
peen accumulated much that is obsoieie rae
aundant and contradictory Clauses reraf-
ing 10 the same subject are widely scatteraS
so that an examination of the oreanio leu eu,
becomes, upon many subjects. a task w
much labor and perplexity. The commission
order vuge 20 remeny this confuslon by an
whole body of the charter. The yerhiau. af
the present acts has also been much imnToye ID
Special Laws Not Changed.
In the draught will be found certain sne-
c1al laws or parts of special laws az statpte
establishing the municipal court re,.tinr
to justices of the peace in said city and nro.
viding for certain penalties etc. which are
r riTin tefaily INTO the new charter but de-
which, although they concern the city Of e.
Paul the commission did not deem that II
they are introduced in the charter "a q noat
ter of convenience. ~
The purpose of this statement is to bring to
the knowledge of our citizens the general
features OF the commissions work. The
duty of the commission has ended. That Of
| the people now begins. The members of the
commission GO mn nave s no interest in the decision
citizens generally. It does not belong To-
members Of the commission to urges the ao.
ceptance of their work. A suggestion az r.
the situation may, however, be pardoned' The
constitutional amendments lately adopted have
made it difficult, If not fmpracticable. to here
through the legislature. All progress in our
| city toward better and cheaper government
will have, to be worked out among ourselves
| If our charter Is to be amended ana i'm
proved and excessive salaries and expenses
| are to be cut down, the charter Commission
and the legal voters Of the city will have
| to do it.
Henry T Horn