The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-23
THE GLoRE susTAINEn.

are the G o b e is pleased to say. set
forth with such lucid force as to carry
conviction with them. To any one
not charged with the advocacy of any
special interest. those conclusions must
have seemed inevitable after anything
like careful consideration Of the, sew
eral provisions of the city charter bear
ing on the subject.
The chief trouble thus far has grown
out of the determination of certain per-
sons in official life and out to PREJUDICE
the situation according to a preconceived
view. -
The comptrollers pride of opin-
ion, the product Of arrogance
and unbridled authority, did not
of course admit of his consulting the
city attorney before presenting his ex-
traordinary remedies. Those who differ
ed with him. and, like the g TO b e, have
insisted from the outset on the Nlegality
and absurdity of his position, have their
Views dictated by political considerations,
are to be regarded as unworthy to oo-
cupy the high plane in the public esti-
nation held by him and his, the obse-
quiOus crew of office-holding politicians
who are wont to sneeze when he takes
snuff Having run our municipal gov
eminent on the rocks of false finance
and self-seeking politics, they seem bound
that the wreck shall be scuttled unless
1t can be saved after their methods
There Is not a proposition laid down
IN the opinion of Mr.. Markham that has
not been contended for at one time or
other in the past month or over in these
columns. Our views have, Of course,
been treated with contumely by McCar-
dy; and certain employees of the school
board, who have thought them proper
subjects for general dissemination, have
had to submit to hectoring and abuse as
the result.
1t would Of course be more gratifying
to us all We're the express provisions
of the charter other than they are. We
would all rejoice could the funds needed
for our schools be taken from the gem
eral fund, or had the insurance fund
been built up from the proceeds Of the
tax levy for the schools. McCardy
knows where he got the moneys he has
accumulated in the insurance fund. We
doubt If anybody else knows or could,
in the nature Of McCardy's methods,
know anything about the origin Of that
$4,000. His statements, made repeatedly,
that the amounts were taken from the
general fund, if they are to be accepted
as. true will unfortunately. If we read
Mr.. Markham's opinion Alright, prevent
that insurance fund, or any part Of it,
from being used for the maintenance
of our schools.
The situation could not we'll be worse
The hardship to the city, which Mr..
Markham points out as the result of the
closing Of our schools, has long been
plain to the G o b g.. There Is no
remedy for it that any reasonable per-
son can now see short of the raising
of the necessary funds through some
arrangements with local capital to have
the moneys forthcoming on the security
Of future tax leves.
All this but emphasizes the difficulties
which confront the charter commission.
The greatest of these difficulties lies in
the direction of the enabling act of 1899.
An adjudication by the supreme court
ought to be secured at once, If such a
course is practicable, on the provisions
Of that enabling act. The members
of the charter commission should be per-
fectly clear as to the distance they can
go in the formulation Of a new charter
under the sanction of that law. 1t would
mean positive disaster If a charter, hav-
ing been prepared and adopted, was
found to be unWarranted in any of it's
essential provisions. The contention that
the present charter should remain SUBJ
stantially unchanged is made more false
and unreasonable, If possible, than ever
before. The maze Of apparently contra
dictory and ambiguous provisions in
which the city government is at present
involved would warn any man against
advancing such a view who had the well
fare Of the community as his only impell-
ing influence.
The members Of the charter commission
now have the matter in their hands. They
are charged with finding the way out.
Let US hope that the popular faith which
is implied in their several appointments
will prove to he we'll founded
THE MACHINE IN POLITICS.