The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-18
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TEMPERATURE
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PLAYING FAST AND LOOSE.

The splendid disregard for conse-
Quences with which the city comptroller
cast aside all of the trammels by which
he pretended to bind himself and the ex-
listing city administration in the matter
of the transfer of the moneys of the gen
sral fund, in his most recent school pro-
Eramme. Is not likely to be readily for
gotten. nor should the manner of his
doing so be overlooked
Our financial preceptor had long been
preaching the doctrine that no such trans
Ter could be made. legally. The necessi-
ties of his present situation led him to a
strange modification of his own teach
lngs. But it will be observed that he ac-
complished his latest undertaking in a
very shrewd way. He does not evidently
propose to have the responsibility made
to rest on him in the future. He quietly
shifts ii over on the shoulders of the
common council, and, when that body
passes the resolution which authorizes
the transfer, it will be quite easy for Mr..
If the occasion should demand.
There is no question whatever as to the
limit of the moneys which can be raised
by taxation for the support of the
schools The charter very clearly speci-
f1es that the-counen may set apart one
half mill on the dollar of this amount for
the erection of. MISUNDERSTANDING for
school purposes. All these limitations
and directions, we can now, according to
the comptroller, set aside as of no bind
Ing effect, on the plea that the school
buildings are city property and that we
can provide for them out of the general
fund by Withholding the payment Of our
municipal bonds falling due, by the
transfer of moneys from an insurance
tund. or. in short, in any other way
which the ingenuity of this great man
may suggest.
To what purpose have we been worry
Ing ourselves over the recent decision Of
the supreme court as to the unconstitu-
tionality Of the law authorizing a special
levy for school purposes, if at one stroke
We can thus brush aside all the limita-
tons which have involved US in such
trouble? If we can thus make pro-
vision for the erection of school
buildings, why not for the payment of
the salaries of our school teachers, and
thus avoid the shutting down Of our pub
lie schools? If We can thus fix things SO
easily, why bother about charter COM
mission, which we are now taught to be-
heve should not bulge one step beyond
the duty of providing for the school def
icit?
II the limitation on the amount for
which the people are to be assessed for the
support of their schools is not intended
TO be construed over strictly. what is to
be said about the far less specific and GER
tain provisions concerning the maximum
sums which the charter sets forth as
available for the police department. for
the fire department and for street clean
Ing purposes? Either these provisions
were embodied in the charter as a con-
elusive check on the council as to the
amount Of the money to be expended In
these various directions, or they were de-
signed to be, and should accordingly be.
treated as mere dead letter legislation.
The c 0 does not propose to occunv
the position Of opposing any reasonable
provision that can be made for the main
tenance Of our schools 1t goes so far q
TO insist that every reasonable exped,-
ent should be exhausted in order that
moneys should be forthcoming above all
things for the maintenance Of the
schools. What it has objected TO. and
VIII continue to object to, is the trickster-
Ing methods by which we are estonnad
today from doing what tomorrow we are
permitted to do, and all by virtue of the
arbitrary mandate of single minor civ
offlclal' whom the charter invests with M
authority whatever on the subjects under
consideration.