The Saint Paul globe., 1899-12-13
EPISTLES TO ST. PAUL.

EPISTLES TO ST. PAUL.
She Was Bred in Old Kentucky is a
dear, delightful bit Of melody, to be sure,
but If you have any prediction for
Whistling 1t, do not let the merry meas
ures escape your lips anywhere in the
hearing of either J. ]. McCardy, who
stands by the gate to the civic treasure
vaults, or, on the other hand, within the
sanctum of Adoniram J. Smith, superin-
tendent of the city schools, whose office
is over against the north wall of the New
York Life building, If indeed, any of its
walls may be termed north
Fer both of them are from Kentucky,
and-Well, you know how they do m Ken
lucky, when things don't go right Smith
Is from Jessamine county, little green
spot on the map stuck into one of the
bends of the Kentucky river. McCardy IS
from Fayette county, yellow spot
above the green, where is located Lexing-
ton Both Of them are southwest Of
Bourbon, but close enough to share in the
spirit-if the jug was passed-the coun-
ties, that Is, not the men.
1t was not unnatural therefore that
when these two Kaintuckians found
themselves st. Paulites, a warm friend
ship was formed, but nc w there Is cold
ness between them, literal this morning,
but actual even when it was figurative
only.
The way it came about was this When
the school ma'ams pay rolls were held up
by the city comptroller, Mr. Smith told
reporter that it seemed to him the city
ought to be able to get money from some
other fund. When all the banks failed
that time, the city get money from some
where. OF course, Mr. Smith did not
mean that all the banks in st. Paul had
failed, nor did any one think that he
meant that. What he did mean was that
when the banks that failed failed, they
die fail, and IN spite of the fact that
they had city funds, the city found money
somewhere. Put the reporter put the
words down without editing the all out
of MIR. Smiths first remark and next
day, the city comptroller, forgetting the
days when they roamed together as boys,
kicking the blufng off the meadow grass
with their tiny toes, called the evening
paper man off~in a corner and gave him
a real mean, horrid talk about how Mr..
Smith had been careless in his speech.
Well, that ranked. Then Mr.. McCardy
did other things. He wrapped himself up
in the law. and compelled the penniless
school ma ans TO pick out a big, broad
ShOuldered man pedagogue to meet the
treasury sentinel in the lists of the law
court. And then when the referee de-
clared McCardy was down ten seconds,
or words to that effect, and the side bets
went with the referees decision, Nc
Cardy, very like the real champions Of
the modern arena, made some remarks
indicating that he wasn't Convinced that
the rightful ownership of the champion
ship belt had been determined, and NUT
tered something about wanting another
match. All this time Smith, from Jes-
samine county, was at the peekhole of
his fortress watching for McCardy to
stick his head up somewhere. All things
come to him who waits, it is currently
reported, and anyway, in the course of
civic events, there came q time when Mr..
McCardy filed with the conference COM
mittee a lot of figures. Among these
were $4,000 for bank losses?' And so
far as his printed statement was con-
cerned, that might have been alp the
bank losses, And then there was an item
miscellaneous, for $21 200, which word
miscellaneous was not as definite as had
been Mr.. McCardys previous assevera-
tions about the distinctness with which
the charter said this, and the books
showed this, and the law said tbfs-ex-
cept that the district court had another
guess as to what the law cid say-which
-NeXed the comptroller someWhat-and Mr.
Smith remarked somewhat on tie SUBJ
ject, not for the reporters to put into cold
type that might hurt Mr. McCardy's feel
1nSS, nuL just 10 TS1ISNC HIS peilI-Qp
emotions He figured out that those two
items alone were moro than the s39, 900
W hich the school ma ans cannot get.
But any ore who went into the office Of
either of the Kentuckians yesterday
needed, did he desire his personal COM
fort assured to lift his feet as lie pushed
himself over the carpet.
For when you rub a cats fur the wrong
way, there is sometimes a noise, and
wasn't very dark yesterday, at that, but
YOU could draw fire in either office by
pointing your finger at the chandelier
and kicking the Administer once or twice
And if you said 'McCardy' in Supt.
Smith office, it was followed by some
thing like a trolley car burning out a
fuse, only different, and if you said school
superintendent in McCardy's presence, it
was like putting kerosene on shoulder
ing fire. You couldn't tell just what
would come off first.
The king and his official and other
families are mixed up, it is to say, en-
tangled, yet again already so soon.
There was a tragic affai-' at the meeting
OF the conference committee last night
Mavor Kiefer had directed the secretary
of the committee to call the roll. Presl-
dent Zimmerman, OF the school board
inquired what the vote was to be taken
on. AS the mayor began to state the
proposition, President Pottgiescr, of the
board of public works, interrupted him
and somewhat petulently remarked: :
You are getting US all mixed up Pos
sibly Mr. Pottgicser imagined he had the
right to speak ir the manner and tone OF
voice that he did.
The mayor was dumbfounded, but re
covering himself, in q moment, he threw
his eye glasses on the table before htm
and. with a withering glance at Pott-
gieser, said:
"If you will listen, you will not get
mixed up."
II was only when the mayor. in a
commanding tone, ordered the secretary
to proceed with the roll call that the
tension was relieved. After adjournment
his honor strobe haughtily away to his