The St. Louis Republic., 1900-11-14

show visitors Tie elcemosynary institu-
, ions are y disgrace TO the community.
'Tnoy -. ,ru~rr'. att e.. -" extent
OF sl#,Jatiou. They have all been lett 10
- =. r'-",.-" Of thr elements. and tn the decay
ing hdnC oI time Ior tel Vars. C..r 80!
Ia time IN the way Of needed repairs has
been LETT Indone. and the consequence is
general state of dilapidation which. TO say
the least is not creaitabe to 4 community
OF almost 10000 souls.
There has oeen practically no eXtention
of the public sewer system since 1873 y
vast amount of work on them is impera-
tive, regardless of the Worlds Fair. Every
heavy rain emphasizes this necessity by
flooding the low-iying districts; and from
purely business standpoint II Is better to
have adequate sewers than to pay costs OF
damage suits which are pilng up from year
to year.
-Four of the bridges which span Mill
Creek valley must be reconstructed soon,
and there is need for at least three more.
Some months ago 1 submitted to the Comp
troller reports OF engineers on the condition
o; the Old bridges. and estimates of the
cost OF new ones for which there is urgent
need-one at Summit avenue one at Comp
ton avenue and one at Kingshighway.
Grade crossings of steam and electric
cars and wagon ways should be abolished
before the Worlds Fair. by all means. but
I do not include this in the estimate be-
CauSe tlldt expense SHOULD De DOCne OS tio
railroads, not by the city,
Not a Dollar for improvements.
Isaac Fl. Sturgeon, Comptroller of st.
Louis, says that the city has not one dollar
available for public improvements, and that
1t cannot raise more money without increas-
ing the public debt. This cannot be done
under existing laws. Therefore, II st. Louis
is to prepare for the Worlds Fair. along
the lines laid down by Mr.. McMath special
legislation will be necessary
Article 10. section Il. of the State Consti-
tuition, which fixes the limit of municipal
Indebtedness at per cent OF the assessed
value of taxable property within the city
limits. is the stumbling block. Without
revision Of that constitutional provision the
city cannot borrow more money for any
purpose.
In the opinion of Nessrs. Sturgeon and
McMath, the most practical way OF getting
around this stumbling block Is a revision
OF the Constitution. there being not enough
time in which to secure further constitu-
tional amendments The Constitution may
be revised by convention called for that
purpose. and it would be possible to secure
the necessary revision, in that way, by
November. 1891.
Increase of Debt the Solution.
The assessed valuation of st. Louis's tax
able property. according to the last report
OF the Comptroller. is s3sa,OOO.ot0 The out
trifle more than the law allows This debt
Is in the form of bonds. and includes s5,-
Sts.Go0 due on the city waterworks Under
the law the residue of the revenue of the
waterworks. after paying running expenses.
extensions and additions to the Plant, and
interest, must go toward wiping out this
special debt, but up to the present time
there has been no residue to be thus ap-
piled.
Asked what the city could do in order
to raise money for Worlds Fair improve
ments. Mr.. Sturgeon said:
The only way is to increase the public
debt. and the only way to do this is by
revision Of the Constitution. The law is
very explicit, and the trainers of our Con-
stitution made it hard TO revise But 1t
can be revised if the people so desire.
THE procedure would be for the next
State Legislature to submit the question of
calling a Constitutional Convention to the
people. 1t would be st. Louis's business 10
bring the matter before the Legislature.
After that the question would have TO be
considered By the State at large. IL such
step is to be taken, there is no time
to De lost.
Under our present system of assessment,
taxation and expenditure, there will not be
one dollar available for special purposes be-
tween now and 1903"