The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-22
How the Sixth Ward Became q City
Growth and Its Struggle With Large Debt and Various
minnesota

There is no doubt that Illegal votes
We're cast for both places. Hastings,
however, understood the science of pro-
curing and voting illegal voters better
than West ST. Paul. Hastings in addi
ton to duplicating her own vote, voted
nearly the entire male population of
Prescott and Point Douglass. West st.
Paul failed. The village nevertheless
grew.
In 1868 it's citizens applied to the legis-
lature and secured the passage of an act
incorporating a part of the township of
West st. Paul into city. The men resid
ing within the boundary of the proposed
city were active, energetic fellows. An
election was held as provided for in the
charter. Officers were elected and the
government of the new city was put In
operation with the same speed as would
be expected from a town of 10000 in
habitants.
New City Gets a Bad Start.
The new city came into existence in
bad time; the boom had burst. The
panic and hard times of 1857 had struck
Minnesota with cyclonic force. No money,
In fact question Of daily bread. Yet
there was nothing small about the city
council of The city of West st. Paul. They
issued city scrip without limit. Perhaps
it was not expected they would ever be
paid. 1t was twelve years afterwards be-
fore the bill for said printing was paid,
and then by an award of a commission,
of which mention will be made later on.
Taxes were piled up until it became
question which was the largest, the taxes
or the value of the property. The mu-
nicipal affairs of the city went on in a
haphazard way until the year 1862, when
a wall went up from the taxpayers,
to have the city charter repealed, which
was done by an act Of the legislature, ap-
proved March 8, 1862, In which act it was
provided that annually thereafter there
should be levied and collected q special
tax of ten mills on the dollar on all the
taxable property within the limits of said
city of West st. Paul until all the debts,
bonds and scrip of said city were paid
Their duty it was to examine into all
outstanding claims against the former
city of West st. Paul. and if found cor
rect. to report the same 10 the board Of
supervisors of the town of West st. Paul,
who were authorized to issue bonds of
the said town In payment of said award,
payable in ten years, with interest at the
rate of 10 per cent per annum.
The commissioners named in said act,
qualified as therein provided, and at once
proceeded to the discharge of the duties
iL1pOSCd' faItSI lHC IepSd1 VI the Nlleit
ter, all of the records, books and papers
Of said former city of West st. Paul were
turned over and deposited with the board
of supervisors of the town of West ST.
Paul, or ought to have been.
In the act authorizing the appointment
of said commissioners, among other
things, it was provided that said board Of
town supervisors should, within thirty
days, turn over to said commissioners all
Cancelled scrip and bonds, for what pur-
pose no one can tell, unless for reallow-
ance and repayment. Nothing was said
in the act about turning over any unpaid
claims, scrip or bonds-there were none,
perhaps
Yet it appears that there were found in