The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-27
EAGER TO SECURE
FREE TEXT BOOKS
Charter Commission Favorably
Disposed Firemen Insist
on Old Pay.

Other school questions will, in the
near future, 1T is expected by many of
those interested, become secondary to
the demand for free text books. There
is every indication that the charter
commission will declare for the inno-
walton, and if this is done it is pre-
dicted by those agitating for the change
that the board of school inspectors will
fall in line.
The idea is to begin with the grade
schools, having the pupils donate their
present books to the board. Supt.
Smith has publicly estimated that it
will require $4,000 to introduce the
system and take $4,000 year to
maintain it, but E. C. Ives and John
Blomquist, members of the charter
commission, maintain that he is too
high by one-third. Messrs. Ives and
Blomquist claim to have figures from
other cities which will show that it
will cost little if any more than $4,000
a year after the system is introduced,
and assert; that this will be much less
than is now paid by individual pupils
for books.
1t is admitted by members of the
board of school inspectors that free
public schools if the limit levy allow
of the taxation, including the allow
ance from the state, will total about
$750,000 a year.
Well informed city officials predict
that it will be impossible to secure
amendments to the city charter If sub
L. Al
this feature having been discussed to
such an extent that the members of
the fire and police departments now
favor the submission of the proposed
amendments at special election.
This opinion is due to the fact that
at q general election it is necessary to
secure favorable action to the extent
of three-fourths of the total vote. This
means that every person who does not
vote on the charter amendments is re-
ally counted as voting against them,
and as it has been held that each
amendment must be submitted sep
arately, it is not thought to be likely
that, many voters will take the time
to mark an x after each proposition.
The purpose of having the bill take
this form was due to the opinion of
legislators at the time of the passage
of the law that 1t should be made as
difficult as possible to secure amend
,ments to the charter as originally
passed.
Speaking of the f1remen's demands for
de altr l said at t. The Globe b
'sThe fremen and the policemen are the
only city employees who have not had
their pay restored to the figure existing
during the hard times. We are more poor
Iy paid for the work we do and the risks
we take than any other of the city en-
plOyeS, even though the proposed increase
in the salaries is figured
"1t must be remembered that we are
on duty twenty-four hours day for four
teen out of fifteen days, and yet we are
not paid as much on an average as are
the women school teachers, who work five
and half hours a day for five days a
week The salaries of the teachers have
been restored, but the firemen continue to
get the same amount they did when it
cost but a little more than half as much
to live. We propose to make a fight for
the increase, and believe that the people
will be with us when they understand
There are few people in ST. Paul"
said Mayor Smith to T h e 6 | o be, who
increased slightly within the past four
years, and I have heard that some of
these blame the Democrats. I would
like to ask those who do this how they
would like to have the schools in the
condition they were when the new char
ter was adopted? The necessity of erect
ing new buildings has caused an increase
in the tax levy for the schools, and the
salaries of the teachers have rightfully
been restored to what they were before
the hard times. For myself, think that
the money has been well spent, and If the
people understood the purpose to which
their extra tax payments have been put
/ do not think that they would object"
There are always good things among