The Princeton union. [volume], January 21, 1904, Image 1

About The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
THE
SCHOO FS SHORT
Princeton School Board Wants $8,000
to Get it Out of Debt and to
Meet Future Pay Roll.
High School Annex, Sewer and Other
Heavy Expenses Have Ex-
hausted Funds.
The Princeton school board is con
ironted with a deficit which will
imount to nearly $8,000 beforeJ he end
the present school year, and it has
become necessary to call a special
school meeting to borrow enough
uionej irom the State to pay off the
oresent indebtedness and meet the pay
oil. The meeting is called for Mon
day evening, Feb. 1st.
At a special meeting last spring it
was voted to borrow $15,000 from the
State to build the annex to the high
school, and at the annual meeting
$3,500 was voted for teachers' wages,
and a like sum for general running
expenses. It was thought that the
jalance on hand amounting to about
S3,000 outside of the $15,000 in bonds,
vould with the $7,000 voted, and the
*.ax collections be sufficient, though
Tin. Cordiner, formerly a member of
..he school board, stated that the
amount would be altogether inade
quate.
The school board had to begin the
/ear with $18,266.71. The total ex
pense incurred in improvements,
nooks, sewer, etc., is approximately as
-ollows:
High school annex
ligh school heating plant
Sewer Closets at high school
^ew seats
^ew text books
$13 000
3 400
2,000
1,000
500
800
Total 820,700
This is nearly $2,000 in excess of
amount on hand last July. But this
expense does not include teachers' or
,anitors' wages and incidentals, which
amount to about $900 every month, or
nearly $4,000 to the first of the year
w'hen the board was advanced enough
money to meet the December pay roll.
There will be needed nearly $5,000 to
meet the pay roll during the remainder
of the school ear. Then the board
will owe a thousand dollars for the
closets, besides the thousand dollars
oorrowed the first of the month, so it
ill require nearly all of $8,000 to get
the board out of debt.
Of the $7,000 voted at the annual
meeting a portion of this will be re
eived out of the March settlement, but
the bulk of it will not be paid until
the June settlement.
The fact of the matter is that the
joard has been confronted with heav
ier expenditures than they antici
pated. The board has paid for the
onstruction of the sewer, and expects
hose property owners having front
age on the sewer to make use of it and
lelp pay the cost of the same. The
cillage intends some d,ay, to take the
**ewer and pay the school board for
..he same, but this matter at present is
i, very indefinite proposition.
A TIMELY WARNING.
4. Protest From the Pulpit on Lax Safe
guards Against Fire.
In his sermon delivered last Sun
day e\ening on "Lessons from the
Chicago Fire, "Ile Gratz made some
iery pointed local applications and
ent home with very strong emphasis
-he responsibility that rested on the
tfficials and the citizens of Princeton
being negligent about providing
proper safeguards against fire and the
iavoc and in]ury wrought by the same.
le\. Gratz took his text from Matt.
24:3b-44. with particular reference to
cerse 42, ''Watch therefore, for
know not what hour your Lord come."
liev. Gratz stated that there were those
vho were always ready to cry out
"sensational preaching" when a
preacher announces a topic of the na
ture he had selected as his sermon,
out he reminded all such that the
scholarly John Wesley preached on
The Cause and Cure of Earth
quakes," right after the earthquake at
Lima in 1746, and in 1871 Tallmage
ook for his theme ''The Great Chi
cago Fire.." Graphically did Rev.
Gratz picture the presentation of
Mr. Bluebeard" the comic opera
which was given at the new Iroquois
theater during the holiday week and
as he told of that part of the play
when with the extinguishing of the
aghts in the auditorium and the burn
ing of the bright arc lamp back of the
stage the pretty fairy scene was pre
sented only to be, followed with the
horrible appearance of fire soon after
wards, there was deathlike stillness
throughout the church. Reference was
made to the way in which all the pre
cautions against fire were neglected
both by the citj authorities and by
the owners of the theater. "When will
men learn that nothing is too expen
sive which prevents the possibility of
such tragedies," said the speaker.
"Paul the Apostle spoke truly when
he said 'The love of money is the root
of all evil.' A writer has said: 'It is
a reflection upon civilization that such
tragedies can occur. They can be pre
vented. The first function of munici
pal government is to care for the
bodies and morals of its citizens. It
is a very rudimentary conception of
municipal government which makes it
a prize for political fights. A city
go\ eminent is simply a housekeeper
on a large scale Its functions are to
provide clean and well-kept streets, a
scientific sewerage stem, pure water,
adequate lighting and reasonable
methods of transportation, proper
school buildings and good teaching.
It is the first business of a city to
make such a calamity as that which
happened in Chicago impossible.'
In his local application Rev. Gratz
said: "'I think that we as citizens of
Princeton have something to learn.
Here we are a village of nearlj 2,000
people and no fire company. Think
of it! The other night when a barn
was on fire men rushed out and tried
to screw the wrong end of the hose
onto the hydrant. While they were
doing that homes might have been de
stroyed and lives might ha\e been
lost. A short time since when a car
caught fire down on the track men
pulled out the only hose cart in town
and smashed it turning a corner.
Again property might have been de
strojed and lives might have been
lost. Are we only playing at city
government? Do you know that the
fire insurance inspector came here a
little while ago and raised the rates
on fire insurance from ten to fifteen
per cent, so that we are paying liter
ally hundreds of dollars more for in
surance every year than we need. If
half of the money that we pay out that
way were invested in a fire company
we would be better off. Are we going
to wait until some awful fire comes
and sweeps our homes and destroys
property and lives before we wake up
and do what is our plain duty? I
claim that our village is criminally
negligent in this matter, and if a dis
astrous fire should be the means of
destroying lives that could be saved
by proper precaution, our village
would be as guilty of murder as the
managers of this Chicago theater are.
"You cannot expect that what-is"
everybody's business will be any
body's "business. Appoint a chief
whose business it shall be to look af
ter this matter and organize a com
panj. Let it be understood that the
boys of this company will be paid so
much for each time thej are called out
or so much per hour. See to it that
our fire apparatus is in useable condi
tion. Then we can walk our streets
without feeling that we are criminally
negligent and belong to that class of
fools who shut the door after the
horse is gone, or cry over spilled
milk."
Annual Church. Meeting.
The adjourned annual meeting of
the Congregational church, was held at
the church last Thursday evening, and
the business of the annual meeting
,was concluded by the election of
officers whose terms had expired, the
appointment of committees, and such
other business as came before the
meeting for discussion. At a meeting
held the week previous the matter of
changing from Congregational to
Presbvterian fellowship came up for
discussion and it was deemed advis
able to postpone action for one week
in order that the matter might be fully
considered. There developed strong
opposition to the change on the part
of some of the old members of the
church and for this reason the motion
was laid on the table. Rev. Steenson,
present pastor of the church, is a Pres
byterian and when he was engaged as
pastor last spring it was thought that
it might be possible to change the de
nomination of the church. The action
taken by the church will make it im
possible for him to remain any longer
than one year with the church at
which time the Congregational people
will have to look for a new pastor.
The officers elected at the the an
nual meeting were as follows: Trus
tee for three years, Mrs. C. H. Rines
deacon for three years, Solomon
Long clerk for one year, Geo. F.
Wright treasurer for one year, J. F.
Petterson Sunday school superintend
ent, Mrs. Phoebe Borden. The com
mittee on music was re-elected, and
also the ushers. The moderator, S.
S. Petterson, was instructed to ap
point a fianance and soliciting commit
tee. The clerk was instructed to pur
chase twenty-five new hymn books for
the church.
Bowling Alley at Cambridge.
Cambridge is to have a bowling al
ley which will be run by Snyder &
Kling. It will be a double track al
ley. Here will be a chance to bowl up
without getting drunk.
pv
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R. C. DNN, Publisher. Terms $1.00 per Year. PRINCETON, MILLE LACS COUNTY, MINNESOTA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 1904.
THE NE^COUNCIL
It Takes Village Reins and Proceeds
to BusinessSaloon Licenses
Remain at $800.
Tom Scheen Elected Assessor--Other
Business of Importance Un-
der Discussion.
The new village council met at the
land office of Robert King on Monday
night and proceeded to take up the
consideration of such matters as it
was necessary to dispose of. Dr. H.
C. Cooney presided as president in a
way that showed he had been in the
harness before. Jos. Craig, the only
new member of the board of trustees,
was soon taking a business interest in
the proceedings, while J. C. Borden
went at the minutes like an old hand.
It was not long before the new coun
cil had the buisness well in hand.
The bonds of the village treasurer,
Justice of the Peace Chadbourne and
recorder were approved. Formal ap
plications were received from T.'F.
Scheen and F. C. Cater for the village
assessorship, and the council on mo
tion proceeded to choose an assessor
by ballot, which resulted in Scheen
receh ing three otes and Cater one.
The Union was designated as the
official village paper for the ensuing
jear
The matter of village attorney was
laid o\er, and the council will prob
ably hire the services of an attorney
when it is necessary to do so.
Dan Spaulding was present and
made a verbal application to the coun
cil for the position of village marshal,
but Dan was turned down by a motion
being made that Marshal Newton be
appointed for another jear. The
motion was later withdrawn, as some
of the board thought it might be ad
visable to take up the appointment of
a marshal and electrician later, and
it was moved and carried that the
president and councilmen Libbj and
Craig consult with the marshal and
electrician and report at the next meet
ing.
On motion of T. H. Caley the liquor
licenses for the ensuing year were
made the same as, raised bj the coun
cil last year, $800, and the motion w&s
carried~,without any objection.
The question of fixing the recorder's
salary came up and this caused a
lenghty discussion over the method of
keeping the accounts of the village,
and it was the sense of the council that
a double entry system of keeping
books should be adopted by the re
corder, and separate accounts kept of
the regular village funds and electric
light and water fund. The electric
account should show by special entry
the labor, expense, fuel, and fixture
expense, and the proper disposition of
the latter, to whom sold and amount
received, etc.
The recorder who is a practical
bookkeeper realizing that this would
mean considerable work, and detail
work at that, became somewhat inter
ested in the remuneration for such ser
vices and it was thought best for him
to go ahead and purchase the neces
sary books and start in, and the mat
ter of his salary would be agreed on
later. A motion to this effect was
made and carried.
Some one suggested that the recorder
ought to collect the bills, but that
official objected very seriously to be
coming a collection agency for the
village. He did not consider it his
duty nor within his line of work, and
he said he was to the village what
the auditor was to the county. This
question was not discussed any fur
ther.
The new council will ha\e to secure
a safe or vault in which to keep its
books, papers and documents. The
matter came up and it was suggested
that each member of the council keep
his eye open for a safe and report later.
Councilman Craig offered the recorder
the use of the vault in the feed store
until the council could secure a safe.
The council was about to adjourn
when Mr. Caley suggested that the
council should take some action re
garding a fire department, as at pres
ent the village was practically without
anyTfire
protection of any kind. Pres-
ident Cooney remarked that he thought
the village needed one, and there was
no question with any of the members
of the council but what a fire depart
ment was needed.
Dan Spaulding who was present re
freshed the memory of the council on
good old times when Princeton did
have a volunteer fire department and
he told of some of the good work it
did. He told how the work of the boys
was not appreciated and made refer
ence to the time when the village coun
cil refused to allow a bill for hauling
the hook and ladder to a fire. This
$ 1i
peanut action made the boys very
tired. They paid the bill and dis
banded, and there has been an effort
made to re-organize but without suc
cess.
Mr. Calej spoke of the old volunteer
fire organization and stated that in
Jimes past the council had done what
ever was required of it and helped the
department all it could. He did not
uphold the action of the council that
refused to pay a bill incurred by the
department.
The discussion brought out the fact
that the two chemicals are out of re
pair, and the big one is unfit to use.
The hose cart which was smashed up
the other night is out of commission
and it has been necessary to send to
Ohio for new pieces. There is only
one good nozzle, the couplings and
gaskets are becoming lost and unless
something is done soon the whole fire
equipment will be ruined.
It was the desire of the coucnil to
do something in the matter and the
president and recorder were instructed
to take some action in the matter.
There being no further business the
council adjourned to first Monday in
February.
FARMEHS' FIRE LOSSES.
Annual Meeting and Report ot Glendorado
farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Co.
The annual meeting of the Glendor
ado Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance
company was held at the town hall in
Greenbush on the fourteenth of Janu
ary There was a very good attend
ance, and Secretarj Rocheford made
his annual report which was one of
the best reports ever made to the as
sociation, and was gratifying in all
respects. The losses during the year
amounted to only seven with total
claims of $689. During the 5 ear there
were 16,7 new policies issued which a
mounted to $158,317, making a total
insurance in force of $406,008. The
report is as follows:
Cash on band Ian 1st 1903 8300 67
Cash received as first premiums
694
Cash from notes issued 375 OR
Oa^h from assessment of 1902
Cash from interest
74 81
Total cash received during the year
inoUiding cash on hand at begin
ning of year $134c 22
M, DISBURSEMENTS
Lossesfpcurred during the year 689 00
Runntnp expenses and agents' fees 458 43
Total expenses $1,147 4*
Cash,on hand December 31st 1903 $198 79
Note? tax hand December-Sist, j03..... 299 27
Due Oh assessment of 190-2 112 57
1
"JBpta! ajjrf^ts of the company, Dec
-31st 3K
f6l0 63
POLICY EXHIBIT
Policies in force Jan 1. 1903 208 $247 691 00
Policies issued during 1903 167 158 317 00
Total 4(55
Policies cancelled during 1903 8
S406 008.00
6,037 00
Amount of insurance in force Dec.
31st. 1903 $399 97i 00
The association at its annual meet
ing voted to levy a special assessment
of ten cents on every $100 of insurance
to create a fund for the payment of
losses for the coming year. The
officers of the company were all re
elected as follows: President, S. Kit
telson secretary, Louis Rocheford:
treasurer., L. J. Madson.
GAS AND OIL IN BENTON.
More News About Gas and Oil Indications
In Glendorado.
W. M. Penrod, formerly of Indiana,
but for the past six years located at
Estes Brook, Benton county, where
he is the owner of a saw mill and store,
is spending the day in the city. Mr.
Penrod comes from the gas belt in In
diana and has been familiar all his
life with coal oil and gas conditions.
He has noticed surface indications at
a number of points about Estes Brook
of oil and gas and he has decided to
investigate. The tracts are in Glen
dorado township, Benton county, and
Mr. Penrod is sufficiently optimistic
that his observations mean some
thing tangible that he has taken leases
on a large number of tracts of land.
These leases which will run to him
and C. Spane of Hartford City, Indi
ana, but the development jvork will be
done under direction of an Indiana oil
companj. It is now confidently ex
pected to begin operations in the early
spring.
Mr. Penrod was in the city to-day
for the purpose of consulting an at
torney relative to the form of lease to
be used in his operations.St. Cloud
Journal Press (Jan. 19th.)
The Bogey Man.
What every Dunn adherent in Min
nesota feared has happened, the
dreaded Jim Martin has burnt the
bridges behind him and is advancing
as chief push of the Collins army.
In Kittson county parents, at night,
throw the scare into their disobedient
children by the threat, that "Jim Mar
tin will catch them!" But the inquiry
oftenest heard, is, "Who is Jim Mar
tin?"St. Vincent New Era.
Mora Suieide.
Mrs. J. C. Pope, wife of Hon. J. C.
Pope of Mora, drowned herself in lake
Mora on Wednesday night of last
week. She had been a sufferer Worn
nervousness and insomnia many
years.
["Minnie's Thinks do not necessarily ex
press the views of either the editor or publisher
of the UNION Brother editors, please bear
this in mind PUB UNION
ST. PAUL, Minn., Jan. 20,1904.
Does any sensible person believe
that Mr. Thomas Lowry of Minneapo
lis will keep his hands out of the next
senatorial fight?
4 $- 5*
Mr. Eddy's champion is quoted as
saying that Dunn's strength will all
go to Eddy after the first ballot. It
may be superfluous after the first bal
lot.
The prison twine plant will manu
facture nine million pounds of twine
this year and sell it four cents below
the combine prices, saving the farm
ers of Minnesota $360,000.
The only men who are "afraid" that
this will be a bitter campaign are
those men who started a violent cam
paign of abuse long before there were
any candidates in the field.
The governor has appointed George
Ralph a delegate to the good roads
convention. Will the public examiner
now secede from the administration?
The Collins shouter are claiming
Ramsey county, but when shown bets
on the proposition they pull in their
horn^sand look cheap.
4*
Governor Van Sant is in Washing
ton and as usual his presence there
has started a new rumor. It is said
that he is to lead the Minnesota dele
gation to the National convention.
$-
There is no truth in the story that
the appointment of J. J. McCardy of
St. Paul as auditor of the postoffice
department will stir up trouble. Mr.
McCardy's eminent fitness has dis
armed all criticism in advance.
J* 5* $-
No Republican in this State who op
poses President Roosevelt this year
will ever be heard of again politicaly.
Minnesota stands pat for the presi
dent first and last and has no second
choice.
_~
No-one objects to Governor Vara".^JChej^m&ins
Sant going as a delegate to the Na
tional convention, but many good Re
publicans will resent the insinuations
that he is the only man who can be
trusted to see that Roosevelt is not
betrayed in Minnesota.
$-
The Minneapolis Journal is so busy
asking questions of Mr. Dunn that it
has no time to ask Mr. James A. Mar
tin if he remembers his attitude to
Samuel R. Van Sant in 1900.
The supreme court closed the Octo
ber term last Fridaj. There were 221
cases on the calendar.
If the U. S. supreme court refuses
jurisdiction in the State's merger suit
a decision to that effect will be made
inside of ten'day s. If no decision is
had by that time it means that the
State has won this point.
$.
Captain Harries is the latest
limen-
tioned" candidate for the Democratic
gubernatorial nomination.
The Dispatch saj- it can find no op
position to Messrs. Block and Hanson.
Dar Reese, former clerk of the su
preme court, says he will not be a can
didate for mayor of St. Paul.
Governor Van Sant's absence from
the State does not prevent his secre
tary from making public appointments.
While Mr. Dunn's freinds continue
to call for that long-promised report
on the investigation of the auditor's
office, Examiner Johnson remains
silent. Mr. Johnson isn't making
good his promise to put Dunn out of
the race.
$- 5
State Librarian Nelson is greatly
agitated because so few Republican
papers are supporting R. C. Dunn.
He had better be counting up those
which are for Collins. His own and
Alvah Eastman's are not the press of
the entire State.
MINNIE.
Death of Theron I,. Sherman.
Theron L. Sherman died very sud
denly at his home in Minneapolis
Thursday morning, Jan. 14. He had
been sick but three days. Death was
caused by an internal hemorrhage.
It was a great shock to" the family as
they supposed he was getting better.
He leaves a wife and four children
to mourn the loss of a kind husband
and loving father.
Mr. Sherman at one time conducted
a barber shop in this village and was
well known by some of our old resi
dents.
t1
HISTORICAL
~~OCIETY. 'm
VOLUME XXYIII. NO. 6.
Theron Leroy Sherman was born
in Russell, Ohio, April 5th, 1836. He
was the ninth child in a family of
twelve children, four of whom are
now living. At the age of nineteen
his parents moved to Wisconsin. It
was there he married Mary Colburn.
Five children were born to them, two
sons and three daughters, one of
whom, Mrs. Sylvia Rivers, died in
Princeton two years ago last July.
The others are all living in Minne
apolis. In 1874 Mr. Sherman moved
to Minnesota where he resided until
his death. He had lived in Minne
apolis for the past six years.
The funeral was held at the resi
dence last Saturday at 2:30 p. m.
Those present from outside the city
were two brothers, Myron and Sylves
ter Sherman of Weyauwega, Wiscon
sin a sister, Mrs. Olive Claggett, and
neices, Abbie Claggett, Mrs. E. D.
Claggett and Mary Claggett of Prince
ton.
The interment took place Sunday
in the cemetery at Anoka where Mr.
Sherman's mother and daughter were
buried.
DEATH CALLED SDDDENL1.
James Peters of Milaca Dies Suddenly at
Onamia.
The community was shocked Sunday
morning by the news that James Peters
was dead. Death came to him with
out warning early Sunday morning
about five o'clock while he was pre
paring to depart from Onamia on his
way to Milaca with his team. He
walked into John McClure's store at
that hour and stood near the stove
warming himself. The attention of
those in the store was attracted by the
sound of a fall near the stove and dis
covered Peters lying on the floor un
conscious. Dr. Bacon was summoned
from Milaca, but life was extinct long
before his arrival, as the dead man
had evidently expired immediately.
In the early part of the winter fire
destroyed Mr. Peters' residence and
it is supposed that the excitement, as
well as the smoke he inhaled at the
time, superinduced the fatal attack of
heart disease. The remains were
brought to Milaca and the funeral was
held Tuesday afternoon at the Baptist
church, Rev. D. P. Olin officiating
and addressing words of comfort and
consolation to the bereaved relatives.
were taken to St. Fran
cis for burial in the cemetery at his
home.
The deceased was aged fifty-two
years, was an honest, hardworking
man. He leaves a wife and large
family to mourn his loss.Milaca
Times (Jan. 14).
Skating Sentiment.
The happiest lot of children in
Princeton are those who frequent the
private rink that is kept in good con
dition on the Dr. Armitage property.
The children enjoy the sport im
mensely, and one of the little girls
who skates on the rink grew poetic
the other day over the exhilerating
sport and sent the Union a' *bit of
poetry. We quote a stanza to show
how the young author keenly appre
ciates skating, and also to show her
far-sighted views of life. There are
many older persons than this little
girl who have written much more and
said less. Here is what she sajs:
Skating, skating, O, isn't it fun'
To enjoy life while you are young:
But don't forget, for when you are old,
Then the story of your life' is told.
Wedding at Orroek.
Mr. Thomas A. Larson and Miss
Ina H. Pearson of Orroek were united
in marriage by Rev. A. Larsgaard of
Princeton on Tuesday evening of this
week at the home of the bride. Miss
Pearson and Miss Sina Larson acted
as bridesmaids, while Mr. P. W. Jes
person of Anoka and Mr. O. B. An
derson of St. Paul were best men.
Only near relatives were present. The
bride wore a cream-colored wedding
gown and veil and carried brides's
roses while the bridesmaids carried
carnations.
Mr. and Mrs. Larson left for the
twin cities Wednesday,, After return
ing they expect to reside at Orroek
where Mr. Larson is engaged in busi
ness. The bride andjjffoom were the
recipients of man weading gifts.
Death of A. J. Nichols.
Postmaster Cordiner received a let
ter from the superintendent of the sol
diers' home at Washington. D.
stating that A. J. Nichols an inmate.
of the national soldiers' home died on
the sixteenth of the present month and
the superintendent desired to find the
present address of Mr. Nichols' wife.
Mr. Nichols had been in the soldiers'
home at Washington for the past two
years. After the war he settled in the
town of Baldwin and was one of the
old settlers of that town. His family
have all moved to other parts of the
country.
Mrs. A. S. Mark was in St. Paul
over Sunday.
.A' a *_ 14
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