The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-09-13
PARK ADDITION.
Balance of SibIey Mound i:
Purchased.
The Council Secures About Four Acres,
Including Enough For Drive
way at the Base.

Council Friday nightssvoted Az osspur-
chase about four acres of land from the
Burmaster estate.~-to complete Sibley
park. The.purchase includes the bal
ance of the mound and enough land. ito
make driveway around the base. of
the mound. The Burmaster property
is secured for $500, and strip thirty
seven feet wide is secured from w.
L. Wilson. The latter donates twenty
feet and charges only $16 for seventeen
feet.
The arrangements for the purchase
were consummated in secret sessions
of the council, and City Attorney
Daley was instrumental in carrying
on the negotiations He has been ex-
amining the title and has it perfected
and the deeds prepared. The purchase
of the land is very desirable move,
and will receive general approbatio n,
as it will complete and round out the
park. The price is reasonable.
The matter came up when Aid.
Eichstaedt moved that an order fol-
1916 be drawn to pay for the land that
had been bargained for.
Aid. Deebach raised the point that
there is not enough money in the park
fund to make the payment.
Recorder Williams said that there is
$461. SO in the park fund.
Aid. Heinze said that this was a
favorable opportunity to make the
purchase, and that the city would
never be sorry for it.
Mayor Petersen said that tax levy
is soon to be made, and the money
could be provided for in it.
Recorder Williams said that his pri-
vate view was that the money should
come from the park fund, but that at
torneys and others with whom he had
consulted thought that it could be
taken from the general fund.
City Attorney Daley thought it pro-
per to appropriate the money from the
general fund.
The motion was carried by vote
of four to two, Aids. Deebach and
Leonard voting ''no."
No Special Election.
Aid. Heinze said that something
ought to be done about submitting the
new charter to vote of the people.
AS long as the commission had done
its work it was the duty of the council
to submit the charter to vote. A
special election should be called, and
then the council could shift the respon-
sibility upon the people. Business
men had been to him and urged that a
special election be called. He moved
that this be done.
Aid. Deebach said that he did not
see any great need for special cleo
tion. The charter could as we'll be SUBJ
mitted at the next general election.
Aid Heinze said that the council
would be criticized more for not call
ing a special election than for calling
it. 1t would cause expense, but as the
matter has gone this far it should be
completed. The aldermen feel that
the pew charter would make them
more work with little pay, but he
could remember when aldermen did as
much work and did not receive any
pay. Then it was question of honor
and not money with the aldermen.
Aid. Taylor said that he had talked
with several of the heaviest tax payers
in his ward, and they had invariably
thought the.holding of special cleo
ton foolish expenditure of money.
Aid. Deebach said that it would not
be possible to have full expression of
opinion at special election, as people
would not go out to vote.
Aid Heinze said that within the
last few days, Judge Severance, Gen.
J. 81. Baker and L, Patterson had
spoken to him and said that the coun-
Gil should not take it upon its hands to
old back the charter from vote of
the people. They thought that it
would carry, if submitted.
There was no second to Aid.
Heinze's motion, and the subject was
dropped.
A Remonstrance Filed.
A largely signed remonstrance was
read, asking the. council mot to pass
the ordinance prohibiting or restrain
ing blasting, as blasting is an abso-
lutte necessity to quarrymen, and to
restrict or prohibit blasting means to
shut down the quarries now giving
many people employment. " 7. r. and
Dan Coughlan, the first two signers,
gave their word to use every means
possible to prevent danger to either
life or property from blasting.
Aid. Deebach said that Wednesday
evening stone had come very near
striking his house. He thought that