The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-09
LAYING OUT PLANS
CHARTER COMMISSION is CONsID-
ERING THE METHOD OF AT
TACKING ITS HARD LABOR
WORK WILL BE DIVIDED

Are Named To Pre-
pare the Several Sections of the
Measure to he Submitted to the
People Next May - Questions of
Policy Are to He Considered Mt
the Meeting Next Friday.
The charter commission is making haste
slowly. At the third session of the body,
held last EVENING" there were but eight
OF the fifteen members present. President
| tlandrau presidedS and the others who
answered to the roll call were: Messrs.
Doran. Nelson. Albrecht. Childs. Taylor,
| Bridgman and Tighe.
The committee appointed to name COM
mittees to consider the various chapters
| In the proposed charter submitted a re-
port dividing the charter and the COM
mission into eight groups. as follows:
First Group-City and ward boundaries.
the common council, it's powers etc,
Commissioners Doran. chairman; Al
brecht, McNair, Flandrau. Childs, Bridg-
man.
Second Group-Local improvements, etc.
| board of public works, buildings. Com
missioners OBrien, chairman; Nelson,
Third Group-Treasury department, pub
lie funds. etc, public schools. Commits
! SIOHeFS bTlUSIldn, CnalrmdHi IISnS, DuI-
ment. McNair. May. Childs. Zimmerman.
Fourth GrOup-Hea1th department, pub
| lie parks, water works. Commissioners
May chairman: Zimmerman. Fetter,
| Fifth Group-Municipai court, justices
/ Of the peace. etc, police department..
| workhouse, Commissioners Albrecht.
/ chairman. Doran. May. Durment. Nelson.
| Sixth Group-Ffre department. aims
house and city hospital, gas and .gaso-
| line lamps and inspectors. Commissioners
I Nelson,
| Tighe.
| Seventh Miscellaneous subjects,
commissioners Fetter. chairman; OBr1en.
| Eighth Group-Committee on revision.
! Commissioners Childs, chairman; Tighe,
| O'Brien. Taylor. Durment. Flandrau. Fet-
| ter, Albrecht
The report of the committee was adopt
| ed, although Mr.. Albrecht did not think
the scheme the proper one to proceed
under. The present charter was too COM
| plicated, and if the commission went
| ahead on the lines laid out the result
would be a charter made up by twenty
| COMMITTEES.
President Flan6rau questioned if the
| present charter was to be taken as base
! for q new one, and radical changes made,
! or whether the commission was to con-
| fine itself to financial relief for the
| schools.
II $4,000 was to be- raised for the
! schools, it was possible that this amount
! could be struck off somewhere else. 1t
| was not at all popular to raise the taxes.
| Incidentally, Mr.. Flandrau asked if any
| of the commission had investigated the
| statement made in the c. l O b e as to the
| transfer of $4,000 from the school fund.
| Mr.. Albrecht replied that he had, and
| was of the opinion that it was simply
matter of bookkeeping.
Mr. Doran said his idea was not to
make too many radical changes. What
| he wanted was a charter the people
would adopt and not one that would
! arouse the prejudices Of the people
| against it.
Mr.. Albrecht desired that the commits
sion consider the scope of the work and
he had a resolution to offer along this
! line He said, owing to the small at
tendance, he would not press a vote on
| it, but ask that it. lie on the table until
! the next meeting The resolution read as
| follows:
Whereas, The present board of charter
! commissioners was appointed at this time
| primarily, owing to the urgent necessity
| of providing MEANS for the raising of adj
dit1onal public school revenues. and
Whereas. The powers Of this board are
now limited to the framing of an entire
ly new city charter, complete IN itself,
and the chances Of its adoption will be
ent; therefore,
Resolved, That it is the sense and fixed
itial labors shall be directed primarily
| to the paramount object of devising
| means for the raising of additional school
| revenues. Secondly, that all other de-
partures in the proposed new charter
! from the substantive provisions of exist
ing laws, shall be confined, so far as
| pre- cticable, to such changes or modif-
cations, the adoption of which by the
| electors will be reasonably assured. on
account of their urgent necessity, or some
general and widespread public demand;
AR Tighe was opposed to the resolu-
ton TLe said he had no sympathy with
the feelings of several of the commission
| as to the question of the adoption or de,
feat of the charter by the people The
| duty of the commission was to form a
! charter aud not concern itself about
whether it would be adopted or rejected.
| Mr.. Taylor said the school question
could not be touched without making
| changes in the financial conditions of
| the city. He did not favor considering the
| question as to whether the charter would
be adopted or rejected by the people.
Mr.. Bridgman said the commission had
! been called into existence for the specific
! purpose of relieving the financial condi-
| ton of the schools. He moved as a sub
| stitute for Mr.. Albrechts resolution that
| the commission address itself first to the
financial relief Of the schools Both plans
| were laid Oh the table to be discussed at
! the next meeting.
| Mr.. Durment was not present, but he
| sent in q resolution which he requested
be adopted. This provided that at the
meeting of the commission to be held
! Dec. Is the question Of what changes
| should be made IN the present charter and
| particularly as related 10 the election of
| officials, the common council, its powers
and duties, the health department, police
department, building inspectors depart
ment and salaries Of officers and en-
| plcyes. This was laid or the table with
! the two previous ones and the secretary
was directed to notify the absent mem
bers that the matter of the policy of the
| commission would be taken up Friday
night.
Secretary Taylor reported that he could
secure a capable steRographer for IS per
meeting and the trarscribing Of notes at
10 cents per folio. The matter of engag-
ing stenograpner was not decided upon.