davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18

recent examination of the books in
the comproller's Office by the public
examiner brought to light one reason
why there had for years been short
age in the school fund. The report of
the examiner showed that in 1891 certif1-
Gates of Indebtedness to the amount of
$500 were issued by the city to pay off
a floating Indebtedness owed by the
school board. The proceeds of the sale
of the certificates was placed to the
credit of the school fund and the money
used for the purpose intended.
When the certificates became due the
comptroller had just entered upon his
first term as watch dog of the treas
ury" and was bending his energies to
convince the citizens that he was able
to pay off the debt of the city without
increasing the tax levy. The certificates
were to be paid from a special fund levied
for the express purpose of paying one
third of the amount issued in the years
1892, 1893 and 1894 The comptroller, how
ever, had ideas of his own about the
payment of the certificates, and when
they became due he decided to pay them
from such funds as might be available
The first of the school certificates was
paid from the certificates Of indebtedness
fund. The second was paid from the
school fund. To pay the third the comp,
troller went to the certificates of indebt-
edness fund, and for the fourth to the
school fund. This plan was followed
until the certificates were fully paid off,
The result was that the school fund was
made to pay $4,000 for the redemption
of certificates of Indebtedness which
should not have been charged to it under
the charter and the comptroller given
a chance to explain to the public how
he was saving money and paying off
the city debt by his wonderful financier-
ing.
When the examiner made public the
facts the comptroller attempted an ex-
PLANTATION, in which he admitted that he
had not followed the charter closely, but
had acted as he thought was for the
best interests of the city.
The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18

1t appears to make considerable differ
ence as to the party Affiliations of the
heads of departments Of the city govern
meut in the matter of expenditures which
may or may not be paid from the de-
partment fund. During the time that DR..
A. j. Stone served as health commission
er the expenditures of the department
We're regulated by the comptroller to the
strict letter of the charter. Did Dr.
Stone desire to hire an additional EN-
ploye, the charter was lugged out and
sections quoted showing that this was III
direct violation of the charter require
ments. The result was that frequently
the health department was hampered by
the iron rule which was laid down by
the watch dog of the treasury"
Last spring the Democratic official re-
tired from Office and a Republican was
appointed as health commissioner Im-
mediately the rules as to the expend-
itures of the health department were
thrown aside. No more was the charter
quoted to prevent the hiring of additional
employees. In fact the number OF en-
ployes in the health department not only
increased, but the pay roll bounded UP
$4,000 higher than at al any time in the
preceding four years. Employees who had
always been paid from the health depart
ment fund Were given another title and
resolutions passed by the council paying
their salaries from the general fund were
audited by the comptroller and PAID
without murmur or even the sugges-
ton that such an authority existed as the
charter.
Some of the members of the council OBJ
Jected and called attention TO the fact
that the maximum which was to be paid
under the charter for the expenses OF
the health department was being exceed.
ed, but the only explanation given was
that an attempt was being made to ham,
per the department. Garbage inspectors
We're added to the force of health in
spectors and paid out of the garbage
fund While doing health officers duties
The fieXibility of the charter depends
largely or the politics Of the person OF
persons to be benefited.
The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18
She KISSED THE BRIDE
DIVORCED INDIAN WIFE GIVES
EX-HUSBAND NEW START.

SIOUX FALLS, S. D., March 17.-(Spe-
cial. .)-Indian weddings have not been
usual at Tacoma, town situated near
the Lower Brule reservation, ever since
the town was established, Immediately
after the opening to settlement of por-
ton of the great Sioux reservation. OF
late however, the red people have been
patFonizing the divorce court to an extent
calculated to make the white misflts
green with envy
Friday broke the record at Oacoma for
Indian weddings and also added a new
feature to the Indian divorce business.
The Congregational minister was called
upon to perform a marriage ceremony
for Charley Long Turkey and Miss Kate
Parted Hair, both full-blood Sioux. Next
came Anton Rencounter, a breed, who
desired to be united until death or the di-
vorce court parted them to Miss Nellie
Small Wasted Bear, a full-blooded Sioux
maiden.
But the climax was reached when
Charley De Sheuquette and Helois Fell
cia presented themselves as candidates
at the altar of Hymen. Both are breeds
and geod-looking Indians. Accompany
ing them was a rather nice looking young
sQuaw, Fanny Philbrick by name, who
had about her an air of distinction. She
appeared to be the happiest member of
the party. Miss Philbrick insisted upon
being a witness in procuring the license.
She also claimed the right to give away
the blushing bride All Of these requests
the bridal couple gratefully granted.
After the ceremony Miss Philbrick kissed
both bride and groom in a truly Down
East manner and congratulated them
in the warmest possible way. Only the
clerk of the courts knew the full history
Of the case, which he told by simply
turning to the last case entered on the
decree docket. 1t read:
Decree Of absolute divorce. Fanny De
Sheuquette from Charles De Sheuquette. -
1t was the divorced wife kindly assist
ing In giving her ex-husband a new start
on the matrimonial sea.
The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18
COLONIsTs SURRENDER
WILKINsON'S REVIEW.
Military Expert Sums Up the Week
in South Africa

LONDON, March IS. - Spencer WIkin-
son reviews the war news Of the past
week for the Associated Press as follows:
Inc great secret Of war is personality >
Napoleon said. In war the big thing is
not men, but man., and the sudden
change in the state of the South African
war is due to the presence and power of
one man-Lord Roberts
Seven years ago 1 spent many weeks
with him in India, accompanying him as
his guest on his last tour of inspection
of the Indian armies. | saw for myself
how 100000 men WOrshiped him. Since
his return from India there have been
influences striving to keep him in the
background The disasters of the winter
gave him his opportunity, and now the
world sees what lie is made Of
Nv hen Sherman set out to march
through Georgia he asked Gen. Grant for
an ole chum, Cavalry Officer Wilson, l
think, and when Wilson came he sat up
half the night talking to Sherman, who,
before retiring said: Wilson, I'll tell
you where Grant beats all the rest of US.
He don't care a d for what he cannot
see the enemy doing, and it scares me
like h
Roberts is like Grant. He is too big
to be disturbed al anything, and he quiet
ly does just what he means to do. Ac-
cOrdinglY, his movements have knocked
the Beers out of time.
''DreifOntein turns out by the losses
on both sides, to have been one of the
hardest fought actions of the war. 1t
has finished the Free Staters and the
Free State. Roberts entered Bloemfon-
tein on Tuesday, and the result has been
the complete collapse of Free State re-
sistance. The railway was opened with
out difficulty 10 the Orange river. The
rebellion in the Cape collapsed, the Free
Staters turning round wholesale.
Meantime the Transvaal Beers declare
that they have made Biggarsberg i'm
pregnable, but Butler has no need to run
his head against Biggarsberg. Lord
! Roberts, by advancing along the Vaal
river, would turn Biggarsberg, and the
, Beers must then be between two armies
"Ghe TransVaal Beers may fight on In
the hope Of foreign intervention. They
have no other chance, as either British
army outnumbers them and they cannot
! escape, being between two fires. except
| by perpetual retreat. But though I can
see no chance for them except through
| Intervention, l expect the Transvaaf Beers
viii fight until the last, as their ami
mostly TO the British is deep-rooted In
terVention hardly seems likely, as the
, British navy is an unknown quantity
and the British nation quite determined
The fate of Mafeking is uncertain All
recent reports show that despite the
! great hardships the garrison will hold
| out; that the besiegers are growing tired
! and timd. and that relief movements are
! in progress north and south, but the
| news is indefinite. The situation is
summed up in the Associated Press lat
est dispatches that the relief of Mafe-
! king may be expected at any time
The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18

The city issues annually tax levy GER
tifcates of Indebtedness to the amount, in
round figures, of $1,000 OOO The certif-
Gates are in anticipation of the collection
of taxes and under the charter the faith
and credit of the city is pledged 10 the
redemption The charter says they shall
not be sold for less than par and accrued
interest and shall not draw d greater rate
of interest than per cent per annum.
The certificates are, in other words, short
time bonds and are considered a gilt
edge investment.
The ordinance passed by the council
each year after the tax estimate has
been approved provides that the certif-
icates shall be sold to the highest bidder,
after bids have been advertised for by
three publications in the official paper or
otherwise, as the proper officers may
deem for the best interests OF the city"
The words ''or otherwise has had the
effect of allowing the city comptroller TO
be the sole judge as TO who the certif-
icates should be sold to- and, while the
mayor and city clerk are required to sign
the certificates their duties end here. For
years there has been on advertising for
bids for the sale of the certificates and
the comptroller has had yearly the sole
disposition of the 81 600 O06 OF such paper.
The comptroller says the certificates are
purchased by local people, that there Is
more demand for them than can be sup
piled by the limited amount issued. and
consequently there Is no need 10 advertise
for bids for purchasers.
There are those who claim that the law
should be so amended as to place the
sale Of the certificates in the hands OF
more than one official. and that the power
to dispose OF 81, ,0O0, coo in short time bonds
bearing interest at not to exceed 6 per
cent gives too much of an edge, politi-
cally speaking, to an official who is nomi-
mated and elected by the people every two
years.
The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18
EFFECT OF COLD WAVE
DAMAGE TO FRUIT NOT so GREAT
AS WAS FEARED.

MEMPHIS, Tenn, March 17-No dam
age Is reported from North Mississippi,
Arkansas and Western Tennessee by rea :
son of the cold weather. The weat ther
has moderated
PITTSBURG, Pa, March 1.-THE mer-
curry dropped to 2 degrees above zero
about daylight This IS the coolest weath-
er experienced in March in his section
for twenty-three years.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, March 1.-THE
cold wave OF last night did no damage
except In the northern portion of the state
where vegetables are raised. The c3Id
extended only a short distance south Of
here, and practically no damage was done
to the orange trees.
LIMA, O., March IA blizzard struck
this city last night. a snow storm was
followed by a drop in temperature 20 Z
degrees below zero at a. m There is
much suffering, owing to Insufficient nat
ural gas pressure.
CLEVELAND, o., March 1.-THE low
est March temperature experienced In if
teen years in this city was recorded at
the local weather bureau office early to
day. The government Thermometer, To-
Gated on the roof of tall building, fell
to zero, while on the street the mercury
indicated from l to 8 below
The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18

In striking contrast to the elasticity
of the charter provisions as applied to
the expenditures of the health depart
ment under the present regime was the
position taken by the comptroller in the
payment Of salaries to the teachers EN-.
ployed by the school board.
The comptroller after consultation with
his private attorney, and a reading of
the charter, decided that the school
board was paying the teachers too much
money for salaries. He advised the
board that the salaries had better be
reduced, and when no attention was paid
to his suggestion, he took advantage or
his position and sought to force the
board to reduce salaries by refusing to
audit the teachers pay rolls. An opin-
ion from the legal department to the eff
feet that the board had the power to
fix the salaries had no apparent effect
on the comptroller and he obstinately re-
fused to approve of the pay rolls unless
the board of education reduced the SAL
aries to conform to his idea of what
they should be fixed at. This position
he assumed after paying the first pay
roll al the salaries fixed by the board.
The teachers, after being kept out of
their salaries for several weeks, COM
menced action in the district court to
compel the payment. The case was
contested by the comptroller and every
effort made to force the board of edu-
cation to reduce salaries, so that the
comptroller's ideas of what the teach
ers should be paid should prevail. The
district court, however, decided that the
school board was the judge in the mat
ter and ordered the comptroller to audit
the pay rolls. 1t was understood, when
the case was tried, that there should be
no appeal from the decision, but when
the comptroller was turned down steps
were at once taken for an appeal to the
supreme court.
Public opinion, however, was SO strong
ly against the action of the comptroller
that the appeal was abandoned and the
pay rolls audited
The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18

patch from Washington saying the war
was the subject of friendly negotiations
with the British government and contain
ing an expression of the presidents earn
est hopes for peace.
All the consuls are cooperating for the
general good of the whole community,
BOER DEFENSE IMPREGNABLE.
GLENCOE, March 15, Cvia Lorenzo
Marques, Friday, March 16).-The Boer
defenses along the Biggarsberg have
been completed and are said TO render
the positions impregnable.
DEPARTURE FOR ST. HELENA.
CAPE TOWN, March 1.-THE depart.
ure of the transports with the Boer pris-
oners for st. Helena has been delayed on
account of the fact that seventy Beers
have been sick, including infectious
cases. The authorities are striving to
complete the isolated hospital by
Wednesday, and the transports will prob
ably sail that day.
OPEN TO LOBATSI.
LOBATSI, Bechuanaland, Monday,
March y (via Lorenzo Marques, March
1O.-The railroad is open to this point
and there is wire communicat ton as far
as Pitdanl. The Beers who were at
Sequani have retired to Ruskenburg. The
relief of Mafeking is expected any day.
COLONIsTs SURRENDER.
BURGHERSDORP,C Cape Colony, March
12-Colonists who have been in rms con-
tinue to surrender. Commandant
Dorms force of Beers have sent for
some one to come and accept their sur
render quickly. They appear to be
scared Of COmmandant Olivier, who, It is
understood, threatens to shoot Dorm if
he comes to Landgrey. A number o.
rifles have been stacked at Hersel, but
the ownership has not been traced. At
Berkleywest 200 disloyal persons have
surrendered to the justice of the peace
and 25O more have given up their arms
and ammunition at Hershel.
The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18
SEVEN or TIL PEANKs IN G0lPTR0LEER LcGERDYs PEAF0RM

The action of the present county au-
ditOr in refusing to make the city tax
levy for 1893, until the provisions Of the
law were complied with, brought to the
attention Of the public the scheme by
which Comptroller McCardy for years
has been able to always have on hand a
neat sum for the purpose Of meeting any
obligations which turned up and increas-
ing the sinking fund.
II has been the custom Of the COMP
trOIler to send in October of each year
to the council an ordinance fixing the
tax levy for the several assessment dis
tricts in the city AS with everything
else that comes from the comptroller the
council took for granted that the paper
was all right and passed It, The tax
levy, as reported by the comptroller, has
for the past eight years always been
given in mills, the levy being d certain
number Of mills for each of the depart
ment funds. The law, however says
that the tax estimate made in January
of each year shall show in amount the
money to be raised for each of the city
departments, and that the tax levy 10
he submitted to the county auditor in
October of each year shall also be in
amounts and correspond TO the figures of
the tax estimate The comptroller had
followed hls usual course and instead OF
inserting amounts, put in the levy in
mills, for each department.. This gave
the watch dog OF the treasury a chance
to get in each depaItmen fund when the
tax was levied ana collected a much
larger amount than though he had placed
the figures of the tax estimate in the
levy.
The county auditor, in an absent mind
ed way, figured out one of the items in
the levy by multiplying tho amount in
mills by the assessed valuation of the
district and found the amount exceeded
the sum placed in the tax estimate for
the department. He was on to the
scheme which had been worked for
years, and informed the council that I'M
less the levy was made in amounts, in
stead OF mills, he would not go ahead.
This brought the comptroller to time and
lor the first time in eight years the levy
Eas made according to law.
The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18
MANILA IS A BIG CITY.
CENSUS SHOWS a POPULATION OF
10000 PEOPLE.

WASHINGTON, March 1.-THE war de-
partment has received report from the
sanitary corps, which has been making
census of Manila. 1t places tie popula-
ton actnually living in houses within the
district at 10000. The territory inc,ude I
in this census does not embrace the sub
urban district, or take into 5sec.7lsnt people
living in Bancos, or those who are in
mates Of converts and saminaries. The
work of the corps is not yet complete, but
1t establishes a basis upon which the
health department may proceed in lis sta
tistics and it's provisions for maintaining
the health Of the community.
The Chinese population was turned III
as S,S52 This is said to be far our of the
way. 1t is estimated that at least $4,000
Chinese live in the city.
The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18
PRINCE WITHOUT A PENNY
ANANDSTNG AJEP ADVANI SEN
TENCED TO FINE AND JAIL.

NEW HAVEN, Conn, March 1.-THE
young man who, when arrested here sey-
eral days ago, charged with passing a
worthless check, gave his name as Prince
Anandsing Ajet Advini. of Bombay, IN
dia, and claimed to be the son of a
wealthy banker and nobleman of that
city, was sentenced to serve n term Of
three months in jail, and pay fine in
the city court here today, for fraudule1Jly
obtaining board and lodging from a locll
hotel keeper AS Advani had no money
he will be obliged to work out the fine at
the rate of 80 cents per day, making an
addition of more than three months in
his Jail sentence. He appealed the case
to the common pleas court.
The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18

While it is possible that under the or
| dinance passed each year by the councii
authorizing the sale of certificates of IN
debtedness the comptroller may have q
legal right to dispose of the entire issue
to persons he may select, the charter
provides that no city warrant shall be
drawn unless authorized by a two-third
vote OF each branch Of the council
That the comptroller has ignored this
requirement of the charter, in at least
one instance. is proven by the proceed
ings Of the council. While on visit to
the East rast summer the comptroller
had chance to buy up 100000 of city
and county bonds at a low figure. He
did so, and turned the bonds over to the
water board sinking fund, making the
payment for the bonds on draft drawn
on one of the local banks. On his re-
turn to st. Paul the draft which had
been honored, had to be met, and in or
der to fix the matter up without any par
particular publicity, the comptroller drew
a city warrant for $119,C0O the amount
which he had paid for the bonds The
city order was drawn in the usual form
by the comptroller and sent to the moyor
and city clerk for the signatures Of these
officials The mere fact that the warrant
was drawn by the comptroller apparently
satisfied both the mayor and the city clerk
and It was duly signed.
4 month or so after the transaction
had been closed member of the council
learned of the facts, ana a resolution was
passed calling on the legal department of
the city to report as to the legality of
the transaction, and particularly as to
the comptroller in drawing a city war
rant for $4,000 without the same being
authorized by the council.
The resolution directing a report on the
transaction was forwarded TO the legal
department in July last, but probably
owing to the press of business, or some
other good reason, no report has ever
been returned to the council
The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18
PRICE OF EMPIRE.
Plea for Food and Work.

SAN JUAN DE PUERTO RICO, March 17-At a
special meeting of the Chamber of Commerce today
1t decided to close all business Monday
afternoon to enable the merchants attend open
air meeting on the plaza, with the object drawing
up petition to Gov. Gen. Davis, demanding mme-
date congressional decision the tariff, way
the other. The agreements sent to all towns
throughout Puerto Rico, requesting like demonstra-
tons.
The feeling of uncertainty regarding the tariff
hold business practically at a standstil the
chants being afraid to order goods advance
funds the planters accounts.
The meeting today conducted in a calm
isied to any decision congress, either free
settlement of the question: that business activity
may be resumed They decided to take this unpar-
alleled step only after mature deberation.
Sixty country women marched from Naranjito, ar-
rving last evening and petitioned Gov. Cen Davis
save them from starvation, and provide and
food. The women presented pitiable sight.
They We're barefooted and ragged, half naked dust
covered and weary from their Journey Some of them
were lame, all discouraged
The petition which they presented to the governor
general tells the story of the depressing times,
work, and the price Of rice, bread beyond
reach fruits destroyed and the relief supply discon-
tinued, bringing them and others where they
from almost starvation
Gen Davis promised relief the party and re-
quested the mayor provide transportation. re-
ply that there peso in the treasury,
and that the police yet unpaid last
two months work The party of women dispersed
quietly retracng their steps afoot others beg
ging easier conveyance Naranjito which Is twenty
miles from San Juan, portion of the road being
most impossible. Similar parties expected from
other towns.