The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-01-12
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND
THURSDAY, JANUARY p, 1871.
Another Centrnlizing Movement.

Anosher Centrnlizing MovemenE
We published yesterday some extracts from
an address on county roads by c. B. Stetson,
Esq, County Supervisor of Schools, in An
droscoggin County, a gentleman well known
in this vicinity. He argues that the district
Is failure as road-maker, and all the roads
In the State confirm his statement. He re-
commends that the town, which even in pre-
historic times was the political unit, should
succeed the district in making and repairing
highways, while the county should be invest
ed with authority to superintend the work SO
far as to secure proper attention to the inter-
ests OF the whole county. The many excel
lent reasons that Mr.. Stetson gives for his
suggestions we will not stop to recapitulate.
The effect of adopting them would be to give
a.coup de grace to the school district, which
has already received severe blow by the law
Of 1870 that clothes the school committee with
power to employ school teachers. ... -
We may expect, therefore, that any attempt
to put these alleged reforms in operation will
be met with an cutlery from some quarters,
especially from the Democrats, that this is
"another centralizing movement" and that
beneath the repeated blows of the dominant
party the last vestiges of that municipal nde-
pendence which was the pride of our fathers
and which is the very keystone of our liber-
ties, will shortly disappear. The extraordi-
nary assumptions of authority by the general
government during the war, and even since
the war, owing to the exigencies:o the re-
cfruo lion will ho hnlI 70 ,o <6o Grcf
great step In the direction of consolidation,
and these local movements will be regarded
as the natural outgrowth of that first great
departure from the spirit of our system Of
government. No doubt we shall be told of
France-that miracle of GENERALIZATION during
the Empire, where the subordnation of the
communes to the cantons, the cantons to the
ACCOMPLISHMENTS, the ACCOMPLISHMENTS to the
great departments into which the Empire was
drvtfeo, the departments to the Department
ofthe Interior, and this last, in turn, to the
Emperor, is so absolute and has referenco ~
such petty details that one might say without
much exaggeration that it was impossible for
citizen to build hen coop without gov
eminent authorization, procured, on applica-
ton to the local magistrate, through The reg.
ular official channels, from the supreme head
of the State. And such bugbears as, France
are not to be lightly dsregarded, we freely
admit.
But Mr.. Stetsons scheme, if it is in other
respects a wise one, should not be rejected on
such grounds as these. The fact should be
recognized that different tests are to be ap
piled to determine the wisdom of the admins.
ira. i've machinery in despotism like France,
and In democracy like the United States.
The great objection 10 the despotism Of
France was not that it was centralized, but
that its authority was Legitimate. The au-
thority being illegitimate, not being founded
upon the free consent of the people, every ad
ministrative device, like that of centraliza
ton, which brings its influence more directly
and constantly to bear upon the people,, is an
aggravation of the evil. But in the United
States the authority of the government being
originally legitimate, and being kept sd. 1g
its frequently renewed submission to the peo
pie for their endorsement, it becomes merely
aquestion of utility as to how FAR local affairs
shall be regulated and controlled by the cen.
trail authority. If schools, highways, the sup
port of the poor and other matters usually re-
garded as the peculiar province of local legis
laticn are found to be better cared for by the
county or the State, there is no objection
arising from its being hostile to democratic
government, to the change 1t is matter O
history that democracy in this country has
encountered much graver perils from the
want of compactness in its political organiza-
ton than from Capitalization; and to-day il il
in more danger from centrifugal than for CEN
tripetal forces. In a centralized democracy
and in one not so constituted the people are
alike the sole repository of power. In eithel
case their rule is absolute. -.s
Mr.. Stetson has given more attention tc
the subject of roads and soad making thar
any other man ia the Ststf, asH5 ba au lassdA
ject than most people who discuss it, and his
recommendations are emitted to a candid con.
sideration.