The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-06

board to continue the schools for the
term of the school year"
So the city comptroller assumes the
power to dictate to the board of school
inspectors what their duty is That is.
of course, in no sense exceptional. The
comptroller has maintained a system of
terrorism over his coordinate officials
since he came into power, and no one APP
parently has dared to gainsay him. He
has been the Pooh Bah of the local Of
dread Of his associates, combined with
the demagogism of his party in local
concerns, seem to have sanctioned his as
sumption of the powers which are ordi-
corporate institutions.
Laying aside the absence of all war
rant in law for any such attitude by
the comptroller, the student of our fool,
ish municipal system feels almost willing
to concur in this great mans assump-
ton of all executive authority, since
the powers which he has welded by
sheer force of combativeness ought to
be vested in some specific authority, in
stead Of being, as they are, scattered
loosely all over municipal creation.
1t may dawn upon somebody some
time or other to inquire just what Mr..
McCardy's duties are az comptroller. To
do so heretofore would have been re-
garded by many of those who are now
speaking unkindly of him as crime
against the cause Of local Republican re-
form and retrenchment, of which he is
and has been these many years the one
grand eXemplar in our local system.
1t certainly is not enjoined by law
on Mr.. McCardy, as comptroller or other
wise, to enlighten the school board or
any other official individual or body as to
what his or it's duty is in any given con-
tingency. Nor Is it any part of his duty
to read a treatise to them on criminal
law. 1t Is his duty, his main and dis
tinctive duty, to keep certain books of
account for this city. 1t Is his duty
accounts
certain city officials, among which are
not those of the board of school inspect
ors; to make certain reports to the
council; to audit and adjust claims
against the city, and to countersign the
orders for the payment of such claims.
Where Mr.. McCardy finds the warrant
for playing the role of local Pooh Bah,
save as indicated above, is a SUBJ
ject on which the Globe must admit
its ignorance.
The trainers Of the present city charter
We're evidently nomentarily lost to the
grandeur and dignity Of the functions of
city comptroller, as exercised by Mr.. Nc
Cardy, when they stopped to specify
therein certain things which that official
should not do. They omitted to say, how
ever, that he should not audit the pay
rolls of the board of school Inspectors be-
cause the amount paid monthly might not
enable the board to continue the schools
for the term of the school year They
did, however, say that he should not
fund when there were not sufficient funds
TO its credit-to do what? "to paw
the same, as we'll as all other claims be-
fore that time audited and allowed
against such fund"
They forgot to tell him, of course. to
look out for the claims yet to be audited
and allowed; but such a slight Iarse on
the part Of our lawmakers does not "cut
any ice'' with our local autocrat. If
would be absurd to expect him to ston ar
an inquiry as to what his own duty is.
He has altogether too much to do in Keen
ing other people up to his understanding
of their duty to consider such a trifing
matter as his own duty.
Hence it is that most meritorious body
|. OF our citizens must skimp and scrape
and go in debt in their personal expendi-
lures in Difference to the ukase of our
local Pooh Bah
Inc Republican politicians of this town
have presented our school teachers with
veritable Pandora's box, the contents
OF which may be said to represent this
| great reformer. The box has been onan-
| ed, and out Of it have flown all the evils
winch affiict them. It is hut slight
consolation which the Globe has to
offer the teachers, that hope still Hes IN
! the bottom of the box in the uneainI,,
q TErY.if Of