, 1875-01-15

The list Of amendments to tho general INV
for municipal incorporation, which the Citi-
zens' Association has submitted, is the result
Of four or five months careful work by tho
Association, with tho ai1 Of tho best minds in
tho city mud Of those members Of tho City
Governments whose opinions were worth
having. We shall hereafter refer to all tho
proposed amendments. At present, VIC eilall
.lcal only with Sec. Of tho bill as already
published.
This section provides for the remodeling Of
municipal administration in cities having over
900 inhabitants. Tho model nloptcd is
tint Of tho Federal Government. This p1an
Inns been subjected to the soverest possible
strains for nearly century, and Inns stood tho
test of troublesome times better, probably,
than any other system would have done. Ac-
cording to the proposed amendment, tho
Mayor Of any Illinois city of over 100, 900 it,
labitants, which is organized under tho Alr-
nicipal law, would appoint, with the consent
Of tho City Council, Il Cabinet Of ten officials.
Tl,eso would bo q Comptroller, a Corporation
Counsel, a Commissioner of Stroc.s, Il Cun,-
missioner of Savers, of Water and GINS, Of
Public Buildings, of Local Improvements, Of
Police, Of Firo, and Of Health, respectively.
Each one Of these ten would laye control
Of his own Department, with ono important
exception. rho main objection to tho one
mai system llas been that, unless every high
official were honest, he could readily stenl by
letting fraudulent contracts. Soc. pro-
vitle5, however, that every contract must he
lot to the lowest responsible bidder, and that
oil bids shall bo oponed ut n meeting of tho
Cabinet council. This last eifectually pro-
vents trie.1ery. Tho bids must bo submitted
to the scrutiny Of tho Mayor and tho whole
Cabinet, Six being the smallest quorum TINT
can oct. Cabinet meetings aro to be held
once in every week, or oftenor, if tile Afnyor
chooses. Tho Mayor cau remove any Of the
toll heads Of Departments, but tho dismissed
oficial chn be reinstatod by two-thirds vote
Of the Council.
This il al admirable scheme as compared
with tho existing hotch-potch City Gororn-
mont. It frees tho people from tho necessi-
ty Of paying salaries to n lot OF useless OIL
cials. 1t does away with orr complex system
of Boards, some Of them appointed and soma
elected, nnd mono Of them removable, and
substitutes a simple, regular system Of ra-
sponsiblo heads. There is no responsibility
in Board. Like other corporations, it has
no goul, and usually no moral sense. At
present, our Boards can dcfraud the people
pretty much at their own sinful will aud
neither people, nor Aayor, nor City Council
can do anything to prevent it. Responsible
ty cannot bo fixed or located on anybody.
Under tho new system, tho Mayor is rcspon-
sble for everything. If lis appointeos are
caught in peculation, ho cannot shirk action
Ho must remove tho guilty man or answer
to tho pooplo who gavo him the power 1o
has betrayed. This is precisely what we
need. Ii the Cook County delegation in tho
Legislature llps tho interests of Chicago in
particular or honesty in general at heart, 1t
will do everything it can do to secure tho
passage Of this bill without fail.