The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-04-16
CHAT AND CHAFF.

able to discuss what they shall do
with all their wealth.
| This pleasant possibility Is OF course
the result OF the magnificent gift of
5000. more or less. under the VIII OF
the late Miss Mann.
IL seems a very long while ago to the
days when IL took more effort TO get
| fifteen hundred or two thousand dol
lars out Of the city council for park
purposes than IL now takes to get nf-
teen or twenty thousand dollars.
| And yet 1t was not so very long ago.
Men are alive and I'm good health who
can remember when the parks were the
last thing the city government or the
people thought OF spending money on.
The park commissioners of those
days had To- do their own work. IL any
thing was to be done.
There was no money To hire any
body or buy anything. and If taxes had
been assessed on the park real estate
it would have been sold under fore
closure for all the support the city gov
ernment would have provided.
Things are different now for
tunately for the park commissioners
ana the people The parks, instead OF
being The last thing provided for. are
now usually the first.
Even public education has been cut
down that the park commissioners
might have all the money they want.
The commissioners no longer haunt
the committee rooms and the mayors
Office begging for few dollars to build
a bit OF a building or repair some old
structure or plant a few square yards
OF sod at the park.
on the contrary. the park commits
sioners just simply go and ask for what
they want and everything else Is
dropped until they get il.
And in the midst of all this affiuence.
along comes the will Of the generous
Miss Mann and drops two hundred
Thousand more dollars into the lap Of
the Park Comm ssioners. the interest
of this sum to be devoted TO Roger
Williams park.
Why. the interest represents more
money than park commissioners of by
gone days could coax out of the city
council in half dozen years.
But there is no rose without Its
thorn. Now. for the first time in many
years the Park Commissioners are
troubled i'm their minds.
They are actually concerned for fear
that because of Miss Mann's contribu-
tion the city council will feel like cut
ting down the heretofore steadily grow
ing appropriation for parks by the
, amount of the income of Miss Mann's
bequest, instead OF keeping up the rate
OF growth that has FOR some years dis
tiuguished the park appropriations
from all other municipal expenditures.
The poor things--the Park Commits
sioners,
Perhaps 1t woule be a happy thought
for them TO appeal to the courts for an
Interpretation OF Miss Mann's will and
find out If 1t was the intention OF the
generous donor to assist the city with
her contribution or only to contribute
TO the Joy of the Park Commissioners.
1T is perhaps with the notion OF
arriving at a prompt and satisfactory
solution of the problem that has begun
to trouble the commissioners that
Chairman Deming proposes that the
income of the Miss Mann fund be set
apart for three or four years and then
be devoted to the building OF me-
mortal arch or gateway that would fit
tingly represent the gratitude Of the
city for the gift.
| think l was the first TO publicly
suggest that the city, or the citizens.
by voluntary contributions. would only
be doing the proper thing to build me-
mortal to Miss Mann as a slight token
OF the gratitude her gift has produced
among the people and a recognition on
the part OF the municipality of her
beneficence.
/ suggested that last Thursday.
But il never occurred to me to sug-
gest that the income from the Mann
fund itself be devoted to any such pur-
pose.
That suggestion indeed strikes me as
rather tpOl.
sun, II carried out. II would have its
advantages from the standpoint OF the
Park commissioners who are I'm a state
OF mind for fear the city council will
take advantage of Miss Mann's gift to
trim the appropriation for park pur-
poscT
Evidently. If the income from the
Slam fur d were laid aside for three or
four wears. for that time. at least. the
city council would have no excuse for
cutting the appropriation.
And i'm the end the commissioners
would secure a fine new improve
ment" under the guise OF a memorial
to Miss Mann.
Such an idea seems to- illustrate
fnancierng of very high order.
Don't you think?
DAN III. LOW.