The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-15

The conference committee is evidently
of the same opinion as the city comp
troller, at least in certain of the matters
under consideration with refer ence to the
city schools. They evidently believe, as
does the comptroller that mo taxpayer
would object, and surely the school
board would not" to the diversion Of the
moneys to the account of certain funds to
other than the uses authorized by the
charter. They draw the line, however,
at the comptroller's extraordinary pro-
posal that bonds coming due before the
next tax levy shall remain unpaid, while
the moneys in the city treasury for their
payment shall be devoted to the building
and repair Of school houses.
This is just neither to McCardy nor to
the city. They should have gone all the
way with our great municipal preceptor,
or they should have held him to his own
doctrine, preached in season and out, that
city moneys cannot be so diverted. Aid.
! Sanborn, at least, succeeds in being con-
sistent throughout His example, howev-
er, is thrown away. He evidently believes
that the provisions of the city charter
We're not designed to be enforced or ig-
nored as 1t might suit the purposes Of
any city official or any number of such
officials.
The comptroller may blow hot or he
may blow cold as a strict construction
;e+ oP +I,.
the expenditure of the public funds, and
the heads of the various departments Of
our city system will blow with him, as
| far as they think 1t entirely safe. This
is, Of course, one Of the patent advan-
! tages OF having all the departments of
governmental system entrusted at the
same time to the Representative of the
same political party
/ While we have expended the 212 mills
| levied for school purposes. and the law
forbids us to tax the people further, we
can, according to McCardy and the con-
ference committee, tack on an additional
! $4,000 Of taxation in violation of the
| express provisions of the law. We do so,
accordingly. But how? We authorize
! ourselves to transfer certain moneys
from the general fund to assist the school
| board to put up an additional building
and repair others What is the difference
| in principle between this line of conduct
and that of allowing our municipal bonds
to run unpaid after maturity in order
TO enable US to build and repair? If we
have moneys in an insurance fund which
| are not needed for insuring our school
buildings, and which we declare may be
used to a certain extent in the construc-
ton of such buildings, what is there to
prevent our using the money for the re-
pair of existing school buildings? Does
the greater not always include the less?
| If we can transfer moneys from the gen
eral fund and let our bonds remain I'M
paid, as the comptroller says we may.
since the taxpayers will not object, why
can we not transfer from any other fund
for that or any other purpose?
Who are the taxpayers, anyway? Comp
troller McCardy? So 1t certainly appears.
He is the only great director that is
heard from when occasion seems to him
to call for objection. He not finding 1t
to his purpose TO object now, surely the
taxpayers are not likely to do So Their
| voice, so far as known, has never been
heard in such matters save alone through
their self-chosen representative.
And thus 1t has gone, and still goes