The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-05-09
SAYS CITY HAS NOT
been EXTRAVAGANT
DR.. S. G. Smith Discusses Vital
Questions In Municipal Af-
fairs at Peoples Church.

At the Peoples church last evening DR..
S. G. Smith delivered a sermon on the
subject of Vital Questions in City At
fairs and took the stand that the city
has not been eXtraVagant in the past;
that a large issue of bonds should be pro-
vided for; that If it is impossible to en-
force the laws against the social evil
they should be repealed; that if the
past is to be taken as a criterion of the
future it is possible that it would be
better to repeal the prohibition law af-
fecting the Midway district and that if
open saloons on Sunday cannot be sup
pressed the law should be repealed.
DR.. Smith also treated other matters
from the standpoint of a man who has
come in close contact with city admins
trations.
The sermon created a very favorable
impression on a large audience, being
particularly Endorsed in its reference to
public improvements, which DR.. Smith
believes should be provided for by
large bond issue, the construction to ex-
tend over a series of years. A number of
the city officials and Mayor Mayor Smith
attended.
DR.. Smith did not advocate any par
ticular Improvement, but took the general
ground that the cities which have be-
come most prosperous have an immense
bonded Indebtedness, and held that
kitchen finance" cannot be applied to
municipality.
DIR. Smith said in part:
City Is Still Here.
The election is over and we still have
our city in which our people justly have
pride. The general prosperity that pre-
walls. the wisely administered charities to
the comparatively few in need, the gen
eral intelligence and virtue of our citi-
zers, the prevalence Of beauty and thrift
are all sources OF congratulation. The
n 10 on ln ynnla
well administered. All departments of
the public service, while not in every re-
spect ideal, are efficient.
Lecky says that civilization has been
more successful in suppressing crime than
in suppreSSing vice. That is certainly
true OF this city. We have comparatively
world of its size can better record be
shown. But that is not true in the matter
OF vice. 1t Is confessedly more difficult
10 punish vice than to punish crime.
When a crime is committed, not only the
person injured but the entire community
demands that the transgressor shall pay
the penalty of the law. Men do not feel
about drunkenness or RIGHTEOUSNESS as
they do about theft. Men will not place
Sunday observance on the same basis
as burglary or assault. Here then is the
difficulty. l am not intending to argue
the justice of this view. / am simnly
stating that II is the practical difficulty
with which adminiStra tors of the law
have to deal Meantime the laws against
vice, which are not enforced, have a
definite function of corruption.
Better to Repeal Law.
1t is not so certain that the prohibition
law for the Midway district is better and
more conservative of public morals judg-
ing from the past than would be open and
regularly licensed saloons contributing to
the government 1t is not in the open
Sunday saloons that the offense is created
but the real offense lies in teaching the
people TO violate the law. Would II not
be better TO have such laws repealed IL
they cannot be enforced?
In the course of very few years this
city increased in population fourfold
IL was necessary to provide the essential
of commercial life for this sudden access
of population. To do il by direct tax
alton was impossible and had It been
possible, II would not have been right.
The city debt arose out Of the EFFORT to
create FACILITIES for a people who had
expanded into territory capable of being
the home of a million souls. For such a
task there was no prior experience 1t
was inevitable that mistakes should be
made. Some mistakes doubtless were
But on the whole the debt of the city
represents value, and secured essentials to
public comfort AS q political war cry
the question of debt has been very sue
cessful. But the wisdom OF reducing the
debt In period OF financial depression.
and when there were still great public
needs, is by no means clear.
The doctrine pay as you go Is to make