St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1960-01-08

MAJ iOA ~ dIlh bldi : IL a. lOI,
whose home is being taken over
to make room for a leg of the
freeway. Taylor is a biochemist
at the veterans administration hos
pital.
Professors contended the prop
erty, sold for $780, should be
used either as a park or kept for
drainage purposes.
Most vociferous against the pos
sible presence of a Negro family
in the neighborhood was Keith w.
Bradley, an attorney with offices
in the Rand Tower and who lives at
430S France Av. S.
The daily papers reported Brad
ley as stating he did not want
to anticipate trouble" He added
it is reported if the property is
owned by a colored person" the
council should keep an eye on it
and hold it for consideration. Brad
ley suggested that the village could
put the property to other uses
such as a park.
Mr.. Bradley was asked by this
paper whether the daily newspaper
account of his statements at
the meeting was accurate. He
refused to comment either way,
stating: there's been to much air
ing of the thing already
Three village officials, Mayor
Kenneth Joyce, E. J. Nissen
and William Thompson appeared
unfriendly to suggestions that the
village should treat the Taylor
purchase any different than that
of any other persons.
When asked what the council
might do about the situation,
Joyce said, We are only interested
in ordinances and violations, not
in who has bought a piece of
property"
F. J. Nissen, village attorney in
explaining that village building
permits are issued by the building
inspector in conformance with the
village building code added: The
code does not determine who gets
permit. 1t only determines on
what condition a person gets a
permit"
The village clerk said in the
meeting that records indicate the
lots in question were owned by
the village.
Otto Violin, 1929 Scott terrace,
a manufacturers agent of the Otto
T Violin Co., 322 N. First st.
brought the matter Of the couples
purchase to the village council
meeting.
He said that he and some of
his neighbors had learned the vac
ant lot at near And st. and Scott
Terrace had been bought by a
member of the colored race"
Violin said he understood the
Taylors paid four times the orig
inal purchase price a year ago.
Editors Note: This is the usual
penalty Negro families pay when
they purchase land or homes out
side the racial ghetto).
The village council took no d.
rect action on the Taylor lot ac-
QUESTION but did vote to survey
what lots the village owns within
its boundaries.
Takes Firm Position Against
Trickery
Trustee Thompson stated I'VE
know what standards of conduct
TO follow. l won't be involved in
any discriminatory action. This
council has the jurisdiction to is
sue building permits by the code,
out it has no authority or justific-
alton to go beyond that"
Nissen warned that these hints
. . it's clearly illegal. Everyone
Knows it's illegal. Even if we get
hem out. the village will have a
ough time"
Joyce said that if the village
Engineer thought the lot was need
d for drainage last summer, he
'ouldn't see how it would not be
o needed now. Closing the discus
ion, he said the matter would be
onsidered purely from that angle.
In closing statments city Of
icials did not give any encourage
nent to those who were urging
hem to use subterfuges and 9TH
r unfair methods to keep the
'aylors from building in Morn
lgSide.