The Saint Paul globe., 1904-12-01
ThE COMMON PREY


ly from the fact that some one desires
to have the budget reduced in some
direction in order that it may be in
creased in another, and so he takes a
| whack at the school fund. A number
of members OF the council are also
said to be commercially keen on the
side of economy. They do not want
the tax rate made too high. They wish
to prevent if possible even the increase
compelled by the recent adoption Of
the amendments to the city charter.
| So they too have their pruning knife
out and think that reductions may be
made in many quarters. and they too
| find the school fund an easy mark. It
is an old custom in this community as
in others, and apparently never strong
er than today, to saddle all economies
that have to be made upon the depart
ment of education, and to help every
body else at4the expense of the public
schools.
~ !.
The Glob e's record as a cham
pion Of reasonable taxation is clear. It
refused to urge the adoption even of
charter amendments that commended
themselves on principle mdAt highly
to its judgment, because they would
add to our expenses. It contented IT
self with setting before the public day
after day the fact that the adoption
Of certain provisions would increase
our fixed charges and necessitate a
higher tax rate. If the people wanted
that, 1t was their privilege to say so.
They did say so. They authorized
these increased expenses. There was
no promise or pretense that this en-
larged outlay could be made good from
any other source. 1t was a straight
issue with the voter. Will you have
these things that you desire at the ex-
pense, of higher taxes, or will you go
without? He said, give me more taxes.
Now the duty of the council is just as
plain to appropriate and expend this
money, and levy the taxes that will
bring it in, as 1t was beforehand not
to expend the money until the people
had authorized It.
= One who takes business mans
view of affairs realizes the incessant
endeavor to whip the devil around the
stump. Here, for instance, last year
somebody wanted to put an extra item
into the budget without swelling the to-
tai He succeeded In having cut of
$4,000 made in a certain fund. The ex-
penditures from that fund were fixed by
law. They could not be reduced. The
limit set in the budget was exceeded,
as 1t was inevitable that 1t must be ex-
ceeded, and there is now in that fund
deficit. It has to be made good next
year. The same will be true again
and again. What sense Is there in in
yestigating our fire department. for
example, or the street department,
finding the resources inadequate, def
nitely increasing them after protracted
debate, and then cutting them down
again to spend more elsewhere? What.
above all, is the sense of the disposi-
tion in every quarter to get something
for this, that and the other fund by
taking it out of the schools?
Everybody knows that the public
school allowance is inadequate. Every
body knows that the board has recent
ly been compelled to most hurtful
economy by Increasing the number of
pupils allotted to each teacher in the
lower grades. Everybody knows that
the children of st. Paul are unable to
obtain the education promised to them
because the buildings provided are in
adequate. Yet whenever any fund
wants an increase or anybody wants
to keep down the tax rate. he proposes
to take SO, 600 or s5e,0O0 or 100000
off the already attenuated allowance of
Tie puUiiC Schools Inen We are
amazed and angered because we hear
that teachers who work under such a
system and are kept on starvation
wages show tendency to organize and
compel fair play.
Give the schools what Is coming to
them. Deal honestly with the city's
finances. Give to the different Depart
ments now what the people said only
a few weeks ago that they should
have. FIX the tax rate accordingly.
If the taxpayer grumbIes. refer him
to the election of Nov 8, when he said
that he would bear any needed i'm
positions eheerfully for the sake Of
the accruing benefits. On these lines
it seems to us the budget for next year
should be made up and receive the
final shaping touches as it passes
through the council.
Tf porf Arthur T,ad haan as,;It ,tfo,,