The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-06
WORkHOUSE BOARD
REPLIES TO CRITICS
Answers the Statements Made
by the Park Board and
Public Examiner.

The workhouse board. In it's annual
report, transmitted yesterday to Mayor
Smith, answers the criticisms which
have been heaped upon 1t by the park
board, Public Examiner Johnson and
others concerning the new tower added
to the workhouse building.
"The matter of the addition made to
the workhouse during the past year
has been criticised by some of our citi-
Zens as an unnecessary expense" says
the report. This improvement has, so
far as the height of the building is con-
cerned, been considered necessary by
the board for many years as a safety
to the lives of prisoners employed in
the shops on the upper floors in case Of
fire, the only means Of egress up to the
time this addition was made being a
medium width wooden stairway from
top to ground floor, at a point a great
distance from any outside entrance.
''The new addition is built with solid
brick walls, iron doors on each floor,
and with convenient stairways reach
ing from outside entrance to top floor
so that in case of fire the shops can
quickly and safely be emptied of their
occupants.
''We feel the only honest criticism Of
this department would be in that the
tower Is perhaps Of a greater height
than necessary for the purpose and
architecturally out Of proportion as it
now stands in relation to the main
building, but with building completed
as architect planned, proportions are
claimed by experts to be correct"
Answers the Park Board.
The report refers to the controversy
between the workhouse board and the
park board and sets out the matters at
issue between them, answering the
charges made in the park boards re-
port, to the effect that the workhouse
occupies it's present position without
legal authority. 1t refers to <'the ag-
gressive action of the park board in
attempting to take possession of forty
acres set aside by the city council for
WorkhouSe purposes"
THE park boards claim that the
workhouse board were simply SQUAT
ters or tenants at WILL" continues the
report was referred to the council by
our board with statement that our
title came from the council and we
considered the board subject to its ac-
ton in the matter. The council de-
el1ned to act saying the matter was In
IL
"The unanimous sentiment OF orr
board was that if the taxpayers of st.
Paul could afford to buy a proper site
and erect WOrkhOuSe and desired to
do so, 1t would be glad to vacate the
present site, as it felt at a great dis
advantage in a controversy with the
park board, as far as the general pub
lie was concerned, as the natural SYM
pathy would be with the park board
inc fI7f IL
the workhouse, but being convinced
that the city, with the present rate of
taxation, could not afford the expense
entailed by removal, the matter was
referred to the courts, but never was
brought to trial, as the decision of the
judge was that boards could not sue
each other. With the exception that
the park board trespassed and spoiled
productive farm that yielded excel
lent returns, besides employing a class
of prisoners unfit for other work, own
ership stands as in the beginning.
Workhouse Surroundings UnsightIy.
'In judging the merits Of the claim
of the park board that the WorkhOuse
and it's surroundings have been an
eyesore to all who visit Como park,
please compare in your minds the
workhouSe as it was surrounded by a
fine productive farm, with green mead
ows, ETC., and the park board has
left it during the last four years, with
sand heaps and unsightly holes and
mounds.
''The fact that the original creation
Of Como park was due entirely to the
efforts of the city officials and a few
public spirited private citizens, with
the Workhouse labor, is we'll known to
all old citizens interested in the matter,
and that a large portion of the heavy
work done in the park up to July,
when the park board refused to employ
them, has been done by workhouse
labor is shown by our books and by the
park boards timeKeeper's records, and
that their labor has been efficient and
reliable and fully equal or superior to
the class of free labor employed by the
park board is undeubted by all I'M
biased persons having knowledge of the
matter
The workhouse board invited the
most rigid scrutiny of it's methods and
is convinced that such scrutiny will re-
suit in decision that our superin-
tendent, who has our full confidence,
is one of the most reliable, efficient and
economical in the United States"