The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-08
PETITION NOT READY
COMMITTEE IN CHARGE OF CHAR
TER AGITATION DID NOT
MEET YESTERDAY
TIME GIVEN TO SCHOOLS

All Petitions Sent Out Had Not Been
Returned, and Delay Was De-
cided UpOn-Committee Expected
to Get Together Today and Pre-
sent the Need for Charter Revis-
ION Formally to the Court.
Already over 5000 petitions are in the
hands of the committee of the public
school union, which has taken up the
movement for a new charter.
The committee did not meet yesterday,
as there are still seven Of the thirty
five schools to which petitions were dis
tributed which have not returned them,
some Of the children having forgotten to
bring them back, and it was decided to
give the teachers until this afternoon
TO bring in their petitions. The commit
tee will meet again either this afternoon
or tomorrow morning, and expects to
have the petitions ready for presenta-
ton to the district court tomorrow some
time.
County Auditor Johnson suggests the
Following way out of the situation. in the
event that the charter movement fails:
1t would be possible to pass q law at
the next session of the legislature that
would give relief to our schools. Here
totore the trouble in passing a law that
would not be in cOntravention with the
constitutional provision prohibiting spe-
clal legislation, has not been inability to
frame such a law, but inability to frame
one that would be acceptable to the rep
resentatives of the three large cities Of
Duluth, Minneapolis and St. Paul, with
their network of special legislation and
different methods of levying and disburs-
ing the tax
There is in existence already a general
law levying a county one mill tax In ad-
dition to the local school tax levied in all
cities, towns, villages and school dis
tricts throughout the state and an
amendment making this two mills would
be perfectly legal, and 1 do not believe
1t would meet with any very strong OBJ
position, as the local tax could be made
to conform to the increased county tax
to avoid raising more money than was
needed in a locality where this was pos
sible
A tWo-mill county tax in Ramsey coun-
ty would give us an addition of over $685.
600, which understand would be ample
to run the public schools to the standard
which they have attained.
The main objection that would obtain
to this plan would come from small
school districts where the two-mill tax
would, together with the state appor-
tionment, make enough or nearly enough
without any local special tax, yet in or
de" to participate in the state apportion-
ment they must raise an amount equal to
said apportionment by local or special
tax, and this would raise a greater
amount than was needed. Such cases are
few, and 1 think the objection could be
overcome by remedial provisions as to
the participation in the state apportion-
ment..
P. J. Smalley has received large num-
Der of returns from the petitions sent
out through the schools and those printed
in the newspapers. In many instances
letters accompany the petitions, and all
express sympathy with the movement,
and a denunciation of Comptroller Nc
Cardy's attitude is noticed in many. One
man says: 1.-The charter IS very similar.
to the head Of the household making an.
allowance of $50 per year to his wife.
when there are two in the family, and
after 1t has been raised to ten the al
lowance remains the same