The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1921-05-19

Staid old st. Paul, the first city Of
any size in the Northwest to take on
the Commission form of municipal
government is tired, oh so tired of it's
Socialistic experiment and is prepar-
ing to toss the whole darn thing into
the discard. This week experts were
put to work drafting new charter
and if the almost overwhelming senti-
ment expressed counts for anything,
another year will possibly see the
Capitol City functioning under the old
Federal system of mayor, board
of aldermen, an assembly or upper
body and the necessary boards for the
management of schools, parks and
other municipal utilities. The ex-
ecutive will be mayor in fact and not
in name only and the office seeking
and holding will be on the basis of
citizenship and fitness rather than an
appeal to the pocket book. For near
ly ten years now the Old Town has
"functioned" under the present half
baked Socalistic dream and the ex-
pertinent has been costly one. From
a tax inflicion of 80 mills the rate has
mounted yearly until it is now over
70 mills with the 100 figure in sight
if the present Socalistic crowd is per-
mitted to continue in control. NUM-
cipal expenses have jumped over 200
percent and the annual budget is very
near the bankruptcy mark. Every
official and employee of any standing
has a city owned automobile and a
driver at his beck and call and in the
city hall which covers a city block,
the employees are so numerous that
the management is hard put to find
room for them. Where men of affairs
like Edmund Rice, Honest Bob Smith,
William Ham, James J. HILL. H. C.
McNair, A. B. Stickney and w. B.
Dean, all prominent in the progress
and building up of the Capitol City
and the Gopher State were pleased to
give their time without price IN the
interest of a greater and better St.
Paul, BARRIERS, machinists, plummers,
and glib tongued dreamers now crowd
the arena and contest for the piums
and the fancy salaries accompanying
each. 1t is hardly a Soviet govern
ment, but it is not far removed and
the Old Town does not propose to let
it go any further. st. Paul has been
stung and stung hard by the Socialist
bug, but the end is near and the
finish is not going to be without it's
good effect. 1t will be state wide
benefit.
When the ultra-conservative city
of st. Paul, prepares to throw off the
Socalistic yoke it is indeed hopeful
sign. Ten years ago OF about the
time the Capitol City took on it's pre-
sent municipal experiment, the Social
istic era in official life might be said
to have received it's start. "Progres-
sives" was the idealistic term applied
to those at the official helm, while
"Standpatter, Stalwart and Regular"
was the odious appealation for those
on the opposite side. Rocking the
boat was a popular pastime and while
the present Socalistic tendency in Of
fetal affairs may seem the limit to
many, some things attempted in a
legislative way now are tame in COM
parlson with the schemes advanced
then. It was the beginning of the
paternalistic idea and the house and
senate journals of 1913 and 1911 are
filled with the cure alls as proposed.
Some got by, but the majority failed.
Then came Townley and the World
War. The Two failed to hitch which
without doubt prevented his infiction
in governmental way, but the men,
ace still exist. That the end is near,
however, is more than a possibility