The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-10-14
Capital City Not Disposed to
Pay For Approaches.
Hence the Ire of the Architect
Is Aroused.
Tells Commissioner How Re
Feels About Matter.
From Wednesdays Daily.

''For the past two years | have sought
by means of lectures and addresses to
arouse st. Paul to sense of pride in
helping us to build suitable approaches
to the new capitol" said Cass Gilbert
yesterday afternoon at the meeting of
the capitol commissioners.
"Without any evidence of practical
possibility of succeeding in my object |
have kept agitating this matter, and
now / have come to the conclusion that
so far as this matter is concerned St.
Paul is absolutely dead"
"The capitol should have been located
in Minneapolis" interposed Commission
er De Laittre, who is from Minneapolis.
81 wish it had" said Mr.. Gilbert ''and
| mean every word of it"
''As every one knows who has paid
any attention to the subject" said Mr.
Gilbert last evening, 81 have publicly
advocated for several years the ac-
quirement on the part of the city the
property in the neighborhood of the new
capitol so that these streets and APP
proaches might be properly developed.
"Thc Civic league has taken great in
terest in the matter, and about a year
ago the park commission held a public
meeting at which plans were submitted,
and l discussed the subject fully, re-
sulting in the park boards approval of
the plans.
''This was done with the consent of
the capitol commissioners, but with the
understanding that the commission it.
self could not take any action except
within the lines of the property now
owned by the state.
1T has always seemed to me that the
outside of the capitol site.
Nothing, however, has been done by
the city in this direction except the
changing of Park avenue, which was car
ried through on Mr.. Seabury's recommen-
dation. II
81 realize that such a project as | have
advocated, if developed, would be very
expensive and be impracticable to at
tempt in its entirety now. The citi
zens would not stand the burden of
additional taxation at this time. Never
theless l had hoped that some method
could be found for the gradual acquire
ment of the property and the gradual
development based upon a definite and
established design, and that the burden
of taxation could be spread over E,any
years, so that the burden would not
ing the capitol grounds, but must do so
without any definite scheme of APP
proaches outside of the site itself.
"My remarks at the meeting of the
commission were brought out by a
sense of disappointment that after sew
eral years of discussion we are now con-
frOnted with the situation where the
work must go forward without anything
being done by the city in the matter,
the streets being paved and sidewalks
laid on the existing lines. 1t was with
a sense of loyalty to st. Paul and an
eager desire to see our city all that it
ought to be that | was moved to
criticise a lack of practical public in
terest in the subject.
''AIr. Seabury and his fellow commits
sioners have done so much to perfect
the capitol work and he himself in par
ticular has so earnestly labored to this
end for so many years that had pos
sibly expected an undue amount of pub
lie spirit from other official sources"