The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-05-02
Councils Prune Appropriation
and institution Cuts
Public Hours.
MANY employees ousTED
OUT THE FACT, NgvERrHELEss,
REMAlNs THAT THE lN9TiTU-
TON 10 COATING MORE THAN
WAS ANTICIPATED.
american News servlce)

Pittsburg, Pa, May 2.-"Politica1
conditions are and have been such in
Pittsburg, that 1t IL impossible to get
fair treatment for such great institu-
ton as the Carnegie library. That Is
the story In nutshell"
George A. Macbeth, chairman Of the
library committee Of the Carnegie
board OF trustees. who has just order
ed half the employees Of the Carnegie
library discharged and the library clos
ed to half time, made this reply when
asked for reason. He said In further
explanation:
1T has been left to the city councils
to appropriate the money needed to
carry this institution on from year to
year. The position OF councilman ap-
pears to have been such as to warrant
great effort being made to get 1t. and
when man reaches councils he Is usu-
ally 90 loaded down with promises that
he must sacrifice something, and the
first institution whose appropriation is
pared appears to be the Carnegie Free
Library.
Last year we had to call off extern
sion work and discharge some en-
ployes in order that we might have
money with which to buy badly need
ed books. This year we asked $780,
600 to run the library, and councils.
through force Of habit, perhaps. Topped
of $4,000 and Mayor Magee took off
another 5000. We simply cannot
rum on the money offered. and have de-
cided to close the library half time and
discharge many Of the employees"
First Target Of Liquor Men.
Formerly the liquor interests con.
trolIed councils, and II was then that
appropriations for the library were cut
the most. Later the saloon owner was
read out Of councils by the courts,
which held that . man holding any city
office should not hold . license to sell
liquor. Some even then found 1t more
profitable to give up their liquor bust.
mess and remain In councils, though
there was NO salary attached to the pc.
sition Of councilman.
with the passing Of the corner a.
loon keeper from councils the Carnegie
Library interests thought they would
Ct last get show. but developments
OF the past few months have shown
that councils were In the hands 81
sralters. There has been no change
In the policy Of rapping the Carnegie
Library appropriation every time It ap
peared. When Mayor Magee this veal
backed councils up in cutting down thu
appropriation and took $4,000 more
or on his own account, Carnegie and
his people threw up their hands,
Counellmsn's Defense.
The Carnegie Library at Pittsburi
was Mr.. Carnegie's first move In tina
direction. He has tried 70 consider 1
ono Of his principal benefactions In hi
total Of $19yOO0sO00 donated to Pitts
burg. The Councilmen, however. hav'
this defense: Il can mot be denied tina
when Pittsburg agreed to accept tn
big free library 1t was with the distinc
understanding that It would not cos
the city more than e5O,O00 per year I
maintain. But there has not been
year when Il did not cost more thai
that, some years more than five time
that much. and this year almost 81
times was asked.
Sunday has been the great day at tn
library, but 1t IL to ba cut off entirel
owing to the cut In appropriations.
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