Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-09-15

AMERICAN MUNICIPAL GoyKRyMENr.-The fol-
lowing extract from a late number Of the New
York Times embraces reflections replete WIN
sober and earnest truth Our cities generaly are
worse governed than those even OF desPonc coun-
tries in Europe. The remedy Is no less apparens
than the cause. Yet, with the Times, we despair
of Its application insane are the people Of our
country with reference the obligations Of polit
ical party, which were not dreamed of, a. now In
sisted on, before the management Of American
municipal party affairs fell into the keeping, for
the most part Of the rowdies and shoulder hitters
or those selected by them to manage them:
CITY GovRRNMENTs-Thep people Of Baltimore
are making an effort to redeem their city from the
dspotism of rufaans. We hope they will sue
ceed-not merely for their own sake, but for the
encouragement such a result would give other
cities to initiate their example. Our American
system OF municipal government il rapidly APP
preaching crisis II has very nearly "touched
not a city in the Union which has a government
worthy OF a civilized country or a Christian age
In New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New
Orleans-the great commercial capitals OF the Re
philosophical power has been usurped by the
worst portion of the population, and welded ex-
clusively for the protection of their own interests
No one needs to be told how frequently crimes are
committed, and how rarely they are punished
what enormous sums of money are spent. and how
little good is DONE utterly insecure are life
and property, or how completely devoid of all the
appliances Of life which belong to great commu-
mites all these great cities Of the New w ord
Their governments have been seized by profess
sional politicians and welded not for the public
good, but for their own emolument. The tribu-
nails Of Justice have ceased to have authority, even
when they not themselves used to screen the
crimes it is their duty to punish. Public office Is
made the spoil Of rapacious ruifans, and the pub
lie treasure becomes the stimulus and the reward
OF this base ambition.
All this has been brought about under the forms
and by an abuse of the powers Of republicanism.
The people elect their own rulers; and the pal
pable result is that the people elect
put them in execution. Naturally enough, the
enemies of republicanism jump to the conc usion
that the people are not competent to govern them
selves; that they have neither the virtue nor the
intelligence requisite to the proper discharge of
the high functions of government, and that any
thing like progress in the best sense Of the word
Is utterly impossi BILE under popular institutions
1t quite idle to say In reply that il is not the peo-
pie but the politicians who are responsible for
these results; for in popular government the pol
itcians are the people and the people are tine only
politicians who are recognized by the law or who
can be recognized in practice. II anything goes
wrong with the government-ifit lacks energy OF
honesty or intel gence-the fault Is with the peo-
pie, and the responsibility must be theirs asO for
they have supreme power, and can remedy any
evils that may exist. This is perfectly Just and
true; and il the evils under which our cities groan
are not removed, Democratic government, so far
as our great cities are concerned, may Justly he
pronounced failure; for as things are now they
have no government worthy Of the name
The people Of Baltimore have indicated the
origin Of these evils by the character Of the
dies they propose. They begin by discardine
utterly the authority of political parties to control
their votes for city officers. AS things are now
managed, the actual power ofelecting local rulers
Is vested in the corrupt and irresponsible uses
and conventions which shape the action and select
| the candidates of the political parties of the day
The primary meetings." at which delegates "a
the nominating Conventions are appointed, con
troll the whole machinery. Being outside the
provisions Of the law, every man may vote a.
he hkes,-handfuls Of tickets may he thrown atc
the boxes-the inspectors may filsif the returns
and any other act of villainv necessary to control
the result, may be perpetratea with entire i'm punt
ty. Political swindlers begin, therefore BY get
ting control Of these meetings; that step Gained
the rest follows, a matter of course The
delegates meet in convention, and nomina-e their
candidates. for whom everv man of the p,ltical
party to which they belong feels bound to vote az
matter of political duty. So long as this rule OF
partisan loyalty holds, we can never have good
municipal government. The thieves bullies
rOwdies, gamblers and miscellaneous vagabonGs
OF great city can always afford tile time and
money needed to obtain control Of the primary
meetings, and as al inevitable consequence thpy
win always remain the ruling classes.
There is but just way to end all this and
that is precisely the way the people of Baltimore
hay1 resolved to adopt. The dfctat on OF politi
cal conventions must he repudiated. The people
must vote for city officers with the sole and .xcu
sve regard to city interests.