The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-10-06
That Is Sentiment Of the kafo
Commercial Club
MEET HELD LAST NIGHT
Number of Matters Were Taken
Up BY Organization; Com.
mittee Reports
From Tuesdays Daily.

from tuesdays Daily.
That the old bridge across the
Minnesota river at Main street should
not be sold, after the new bridge is
completed, is the position of the
Mankato Commercial club. The club
went on record in favor of the city's
retaining the bridge, at the meeting
held in the library hall last evening.
The club would like to see the old
bridge still used as a means of get
ting across the Minnesota river, be-
ing placed somewhere along that
stream, either above or below its
present location. Such was the motion
proposed by NJ. F. Sullivan and
passed.
The matter was brought up by
County Commissioner Foley, who
said the county could use the old
bridge. He knew of one place in
particular where two of the spans
could be used very nicely. President
F. NJ. Currier thought it might de-
Velop that the county had an in
terest in the ownership of the old
bridge, but Judge Lorin Cray said
that matter had been looked up and
he did not think there was any doubt
that the city owned that bridge.
w. H. Pay objected to the idea of
the city selling the bridge at all. He
thought the bridge was needed right
here in the city. He suggested that
it be placed somewhere in the region
Of Sibley Park He did not think it
would be long before there would
be a clamor for another bridge.
Judge Lorin Cray declared that he
did not know of another city of the
size of Mankato that had only one
bridge across such a stream as the
Minnesota river
Professor c. R. Shumway remarked
on the large amount of traffic at
the Main street railroad crossing. He
thought the old bridge should Ger
tainly be moved to some other place
on the river, so as to relieve the
situation.
While the bridge matter was un-
der discussion, Judge Cray remarked
that on the new bridge, the street
car company ought to put in a more
modern rail, one that would not catch
the wheels of vehicles so easily.
Library Board Request Endorsed.
The club unanimously voted to
indorse the request of the city
library board that the city council
place fund of $4,000 at the disposal
of the library department in the next
annual budget, instead of the usual
$4,000. The matter was brought up
in the form of communication from
the librarian, Miss Flora F. Carr,
who told of the needs of the library
and declared that $4,000 was very
conservative estimate. DR.. Hancock
spoke briefly in favor of the club
going on record in favor of the in
creased budget. The proposition was
Endorsed on the motion of B. D.
Smith.
c. R. Butler, reporting for the pa
geant committee, said he believed
that affair had united the city as
never had been done before. Had
the committee realized what a sue
co~~ the pageant would be, it might
BE been widely advertised through
newspapers and magazines, giving
the city itself much beneficial pub
licity
Will Retain the Money.
There had been much discussion
over the question of what to do with
the profits that were made out of the
pageant, amounting to something like
$1,000 This matter was finally put
up to a vote of the contributors and
the vote was about three to one in
favor of retaining the money in the
hands of the pageant committee as
a permanent pageant fund.
The committee, at a meeting held
about a week ago, had talked over
the matter of having school pa
geant, and it was decided to en-
courage the teachers and children of
the schools in preparing pageant
and to help them in every possible
way
Judge Cray remarked that a pub
LEGATION issued by the Minnesota
State Historical society had given
the pageant a very complimentary
write-up.
Mr.. Butler stated that copies OF
the program had been mailed to pub
lie libraries in various parts of the
state. There were still quite num-
Der of copies in the hands of the
committee and these would be dis
tributed to any who might make the
proper use of them.
In tnlS connection lHeIe was d III
tie discussion of the famous stage
coach, which came from st. Peter.
Mr.. Pay said this was now at the
fair grounds in the floral hall. The
ox-yoke was also on hand.
chautauqua Was Behind Financially
]. R. Brandrup, speaking for the
committee in charge of the chautau-
qua enterprise, referred with great
regret to the fact that the matter
was not a success financially. The
total expense of the eight days
chautauqua was about $4,000 and the
receipts were about $1,400. The board
was still short about $1,700. Many OF
those who had pledged themselves to
buy certain numbers of tickets did
not make good and many who had
promised to help make good in case
the affair was not financial success
were now very slow, some even abso-
lutely refusing to pay over what they
had pledged. The uncollected pledges
had been placed in the hands OF the
banks for collection and the money
was coming in very slowly.
w. H. Pay, on behalf of COM
mittee appointed to look into a rail-