The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1915-10-08
WHO'S DRIVING THE HEARSE?

"Charges of extravaganza really tried
out in this action and now it must be conceded
that have succeeded in proving their
truth. The village stands completely indicated
of these groundess charges"
Evidently Mayor Power had not read Judge Feser's
opinion and made the mistake of taking too much for
granted Here is what Judge Feser said Of the merits of
the extravaganza charge bearing the
ION the records finally made up, the court
holds that the allegations of general extravaganza
of the village at other times and upon other
matters, set forth in the complaint and af-
fdavits, irrelevant and not to be
sdered in this matter"
Clearly the court did not take into consideration the
question of alleged extravaganza at Hbbng 1t is still
the issue that Hbbng muct clear before its troubles
and before the attitude that it is being
secuted which certain Of its newspapers and citizens
readily affect is demonstrated worthy of consideration
Out the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota
years ago there Indian who suddenly by Of
the payment by the government to him, in lump sum,
of long due annues found himself rch He decided
give his brethren Of the Rosebud Sioux little demon
straton Of putting STYLE Certain Of them had visited
the great white chiefs at Washington and had home
affecting high silk hats and white shirts. Immediately
they become the objects of envous admiration the
part of every fleabitten brave in the band 1t up
to he of the newfound riches them better and he
did handsomely He purchased for himself of the
sartoral Albert He bought the highest and
shnies silk hat in South Dakota but he didn't stop there
From the agent of carriage manufacturing establish
ent he purchased hearse with transparent oval glass
either side Of it's body furgged in deaths heads and
sombre rappngs Then in blankets of varegated hue he
arrayed forth his squaw and their papooses in regal
spendor hitched Of coal black horses the
hearse, loaded his family up the inside, mounted the
seat and drove about the reservation in state to call upon
his friends. The indian not extravagant. He had
plenty money buy the hearse and for it. He
the natives Of the Rosebud reservation something of
treat.
Mayor Power and his logic in defending the charge
that Hbbng is extravagant reminds much of this
Indian. He has the whole town of Hibbing in hearse
and he is giving it ride. None of told should
complain because Hbbing has the money to for its
stressful advent Of iron money.
The fact that Hibbing has taxable valuation from
which it raise million and three quarters dollars
year does justify it in raising and spending that
amount 1t is useless for Hbbng to deny the charge
of extravaganza attempt justify it, The situation is
irrcconcable with fairness, good business
with ultra-libera municipal policy The greatest
problem of Mayor Power and the present village admin
israton for time has been to devise for
spending money To what extremes they have been
driven and how times has been their perplexty
evidenced by Of the things they have done. The
outstanding Indebtedness of the village proves beyond
doubt that little thought given to how much money
being SPENT or how it was being spent
Whoever goes for joyride must pay the price and
later Mayor Power and those who debating
Hbbng present joyride in hearse will face the day of
reckoning The law of right and justice is mmutable 1t
cannot be transgressed The municipal administration
at Hibbng is of the woods the extravaganza
charge.
In the injunction which has just been decided at
Duluth Judge Feser made it clear that under the law it
not within the provice of his court to disturb
tract of the kind ISSUE entered into by village council
unless upon evidence of fraud demonstrabe mistake
because it undertaken arbitrarily None Of these
things were the bar before Judge Fesler
His decision generally anticipated on the Mesaba
Range and criticised here Anyone who reads Judge
Feser's findings nteigently cannot but be impressed
with the following statement
ut should not be understood that the arm of
the could not, would not reach far
enough prescribe illegal municipal extrava-
gance in a in which the issue was squarely
presented. The ultimate question here is whether
the court ought the present record, to ntereter
with the legislative functions Of the village coun
Gil with respect to such contracts the court
now has before it and the decision is that 1t
should not. However, it is not necessary to min
mize the Importance of economy in the expend
ture of public funds in order to magnify the i'm
portance of the courts keeping their hands off
the legislative functions of municipal councils
Clearly Mayor Power was counting his chickens be-
fore they Matched when he told his people that the
charge of extravaganza had been disposed of. Z
ANOTHER PRECEDENT SHATTERED.
~ RESIDENT WILSON has shattered another pre-
cedent. He announces that he is going back to the
Il old New Jersey home to vote affirmatively the
pbposed amendment the constitution of the state of
New Jersey comforting upon the women of the common
wealth the right of equal suffrage The president
plains that he does not wish his action doing to be
construed that of party leader but rather that of
plain citizen who is registering his honest conviction.
In If