The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-16
Stealing From the Library.

proposed to dispose or the present
market house property without any
reference to the use of the proceeds for
public library purposes. If any one
fact is entitled to be called an express
sion of public opinion, it is that the
people. of st. Paul. as a whole, have
assigned, mentally, this market house
property of ours as a fund for library
building purposes. Over and over again
this matter has been before the COM
mon council and the state legislature,
In securing authority to dispose Of the
property and on every occasion the
people were assured that either the
whole or a part of the proceeds Of the
property ,w-merly set aside for market
purposes, vut obviously unfit for them
now, was to be used to provide a much
needed library building for st. Paul.
SO universal has been the consent to
and approval Of this proposition that
the market house property can hardly
be regarded today in any other light
than as a trust fund established by
the whole people for library uses in
years to come.
Into this agreement breaks the city
d
library interests as calmly as all in
terests relating to public education are
ignored by political bodies generally.
1t directs that the city clerk be au-
thorized to advertise for bids ''for the
sale or exchange by said city of the
present market house site and build
ing" Several methods Of disposition
are authorized, including sale and ex-
change, but the gist of the matter is
found in the third propositions
Proposals will also be received for the
sale or leasing of the present market house
site and building. or for an exchange of the
same for other property suitable for market
property, for the sale of the present
property and buildings for cash, or in
part cash and other property.
1t will be observed by this that the
council has yielded entirely to the rep
reservations of those who have vacant
property which they would like to
palm off upon the city in exchange for
the immensely valuable tract at Sew
enth and Wabasha streets, and has
forgotten that such an institution as
the ST. Paul public library is in eXiS-
tence. We have gone all over this
market house question scores of times,
and there is nothing new to be said.
The city has outgrown, absolutely.
totally and forever, as other cities have,
the need of a central market house.
The people no longer make their pur-
chases in that way. and they never
will again. What we do require is sew
eral small tracts in different parts of
the city where the wagons of farmers
md RI GA n cto iJo
the loads of vegetables that they carry
in from the country are disposed Of
This does not require q central loca-
ton, because it is very inconvenient
for purchasers to travel from all parts
Of the city to one particular point. 1t
does not need a building other than a
shed or awning over the sidewalk to
protect from inclemencies of the wealth
er; for we have found that a building,
even in the most advantageous loca-
ton, will not be used. 1t does need,
as we have said, perhaps half dozen
designated stations throughout the city,
each Of small area, where truck farm
ers can display and dispose of their
products. That is all the public mar
ket that ST. Paul will ever make use
Of, and more ambitious propositions
are never likely to be realized.
The proposal. therefore, to exchange
the very desirable property now
owned by the city for undesirable prop
erty in other locations is not one which,
even upon it's merits, should be listened
to. If the city wants tracts for the
purpose of market stands, it can get
plenty of them in all places where they
would be really useful for song If,
on the other hand. the scheme now be-
fore the common council is carried
through, we may as we'll bid good bye
for many a day to come to all hope of
obtaining a new library building Such
hope has been based upon the knowl-
edge that the market house property
was available for library purposes All
have known that, either by actual sale
or by exchange. this could be trans
formed into library building adequate
to our needs and an ornament to the
town. It was a source of great regret
that the proposition made a few years
ago, to erect such building on the ST.
Peter street end of the market house
| property. was not accepted 1t was re-
grettable both in itself and because 1t
left this property a prey to just such
speculation and scheming as are now
apparently in the air.
Let these be carried through, and the
last resource Of the friends of the pub
lie library disappears. There is au-
thorization for the issue Of bonds suf-
| ficient to purchase a library site There
is no money to erect library building
and there will be none for years to
| come, except as we utilize the market
| house property. The solemn register
| of popular vote could scarcely desig-
nate it more specifically for that pur-
pose than public opinion has already
| done. The people should now be adj
vised that 1t is intended and deter
mined to defeat their will, strip the
| public library of it's sole reliance. and
| to peddle out the most valuable real es-
tate asset of st. Paul, subject to sale
| or trade for other holdings, in the al
legged interest of public markets. The
| st. Paul Library association in par
ticular, and every patron Of the public
library in general, should go to work
instantly and earnestly to prevent g
contamination Of this scheme. We
warn them that, il they are not quick