The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-27
.ST.PAUL STIRRED UP
Finally Takes Action to Improve the
Conditions Near Fort 4:
sc:s ii X
Smelling. "p
Z ~
i -- a.n> ~
Commercial Club and Other Public
* Bodies Promise a Vigorous
.:.t ,::9 Crusade. = s.. !. : d

Fort Smelling Is to- be Fpurged of the
disgraceful conditions existing at the: St
Paul end of the long bridge The threat
Of the war department. officials as re-
ported last Saturday in special dispatch
to r h journal, to the effect. that
the extensive improvements undero way
atsthe post would not be completed unless
the vicious resorts were done away with
or at least cleaned up, has led the public
spirited. citizens Of ST.. Paul to bestir
themselves. The machinery3of good goy-
eminent has been set In motion. a thoro
investigation will be made and some rad.
teal changes wrought. - -.
The st. Paul Commercial Club yester-
day took0 up this; important matter; ap--
pointed a committee to investigate the
resorts, empowering it to go ahead and
bring the strongest pressure to bear upon
the. city authorities to have the abuses at
tended to. at once. Officers Of other or
selves in favor of radical reform. ~.
It is recognized that danger to the
future of the post, destined to be one OF
the most important In the United States,
| lies in the continued existence of the. Fort
| Smelling saloons and the surrounding. pic
mic grounds Whatever hurts Fort SMELL
| ing will reflect upon st. Paul and Its
business men, to whom the post trade is
a most important matter. In the light Of
/
kept up until end Is put to the drunk
enness and disorder which have practical
| ly cut off the post from the respectable
people Of the CITY,
| Archbishop Ireland said yesterday that
not only did the city owe it to itself to do
away with a. vicious resort, but that It
owed it to the United States government
| and the army to see that suitable sur
roundings were provided in return for the
efforts made on behalf Of the post, which
| is Identified with St Paul and which
forms one Of the most picturesque and
historic places in this vicinity. Z
| Mr.. Corning, chairman of the city de-
velopment committee, said that his COM
mittee intended to find out juste who .is
whether It is the saloons or the unl1-
censed peddlers Of liquor on the picnic
grounds and in the light OF this 7knowl-
edge to use all its influence to- have the
matter remedied. Such well known men Of
st. Paul as T. F. Smith, president Of the
/ Chamber Of Commerce; Thomas Cochrane.
IC. p. Moves, General W. A. Kobbe and
others are on record as standing back of
j the movement.
4 ..The place is an outrage and has been
one for the past three years" declared
i Former Mayor F. b. Doran, president OF
i the West Side Improvement association.
1.-THE scenes in the park and woods imme-
Il O1dISly SdOOuI I1o CiAA VI SA1o OAAuSo ShA0uAu
!. not be tolerated for day. I think the
war department would be perfectly right
to stop work immediately until the city
i gave some absolute assurance that this
sort Of thing is to be ended.
There is another consideration, too
which ST. Paul people should think over
4 At the other end OF the Smelling reserva-
ton there are no saloons allowed, and II
lis likely that there will be an extension
4 Of the trolley line from Minneapolis into
the reservation. With the conditions ex!
listing at the st. Paul approach no one
| can blame the officers and their families
il they should declare q boycott on st
Paul and go to Minneapolis for every.
| thing they want. What this would mean
nnd out. a4o u