National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-08-19
HOW SHALL WE BE GOVERNED

HOW SHALL We BE GOVERNED
For the sixth time in the history Of the
city Congress will, in q few months, have
to devise and fame form Of government
for the District The question is one of the
highest importance not only to the city
ITSELF but to the whole country; important
TO the city and it's citizens, because upon II
will in q great measure depend our pros
perity and progress as a community, and to
the country because Washington is the na-
tons capital. The question has an add
tional incidental importance for the reason
that our whole system Of American mum.
cIpal government is now the subject Of the
most profound investigation and study
among thoughtful men, statesmen, poll
ticiRns, journalists every class who
desire good government and who are con-
cerned in the wel-being Of the country.
Municipal government is in fact one Of the
great problems Of the day, to which as yet
no satisfactory solution has been found.
There is scarcely large city In the Union
which is not in one way or another suffer
ing from the effects of bad or an inefficient
administration of its affairs. 1t is not a
question Of party. Parties change, men and
administrations come and 60, but still the
old grievances are felt and the old demand
for change at the end of a few months is
ever uppermosL 1t has been found impos-
sible to punish the corrupt to restrain evil
doors, to prevent those in authority
from abusing the power entrusted to
them. New York affords a striking illus
tration. Wlrile Democratic administra-
ton controlled the State and the city, the
government Of that first and greatest Of
American cities was as bad as it could be.
When the Republicans obtained possession
of power a new charter was formed, but
municipal matters became, if possible, worse
than they were before. A reform admins
tration comes in, and the last condition is
worse than either Of the conditions which
preceded il What is true Of New York is
true of every city on the continent Of over a
hundred thousand inhabitants.
In view of all these facts, which are i'm
pressed upon the mind of every thinking
man, it is not surprising that so large q
number should turn their eyes toward
Washington to-day in the expectation Of
seeing something new in municipal govern
ment, the formation Of some plan which
shall be the means Of remedying the abuses
under which VIC all suffer, and efecting
the millennium which we all so much de-
sire. In word, Washington is expected
to furnish the model city government Of
the United States. Whether we will
OF not the city has beel placed in this posi-
ton. There is no way in which we can
avoid the fate to which we would seem to
be forever consigned Of being the expert
mental ground of every new idea and Of
every supposed reform. The National
Legislature has taken the matter in charge,
and appointed its committee to investigate
the subject and impose upon US the yoke
which it shall deem most expedient OF ad-
visable. In this connection it may be well
to recapitulate the forms Of government
which have ruled the District since its
foundation. In all we have had five.
First, there was a commission which
erected boundaries, laid out the city,
sold lots, and SO forth. Second, we had
what is called q superintendent whose
principal duty # was to wind up the affairs
of the first commission and turn the gov
eminent and government property over to
the old corporation, which came into Office
in 1902, and continued until the late gov
eminent was formed in 1871. The present
Commission is the fifth. For one reason or
another all that have gone before have
proved unsatisfactory, and return to any
Of them would be productive of no adTan-
tage whatever. The forms we have had
are only useful to Us in the present emer-
gency for the light they shed, -pointing'out
the rocks and shadows upon which we
have split and foundered. No one thinks
of going back to the old corporation form
of governments return to the late system
as a whole is equally out Of the question.
The outside journals have had q good