The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1877-08-30
The Idea is Rapidly POpuIarIzrd.

The STATESMAN, for three years past,
has made a speciality of the advocacy
of the restriction of suffrage IN munich
pal elections to taxpayers. We have
written of the theme till We sre weary
of il and until almost every reader of
the STATESMAN assented to its views
Recently the subject has attracted much
attention in the East and the sblest
newspapers and reviews have discussed
the STATEsMNN's propositions and now
we have before us the following in the
International Rscieic for September and
October, which says:
However justiiable and even neces-
sary is this principle of universal man
hood suffrage and its application To the
| affairs of government-thst is TO say,
the affairs of the government of the
United States. or OF the State-it has
no application, or, at AL events, only TO
! a very limited degree, IN the admins
tration of city, for the reason that g
city is not government, but corpo-
rative admin stration of property in
terests in which property should have
he leading voice.
The. government of the United States
by its war-making power has the right
to take US from avocation, friends and
family, put US into an army, or impress
us into a navy for the common welfare
to be killed or MANNED. OF course all
citizens, whether having property or
not, being equally subject TO this per
Torrance of personal duty as citizens,
should have q voice in the election OF
the persons who WELD so extraordinary
power. Likewise the State, Ey its
civil and criminal Jurisprudence, regu
lates cur contracts, determines our
rights with reference to all relations of
life-as husband, as parent, as master.
or as, servsnt-imprisuns us for wrongs
committed against our neighbor, and
also claims the right to deprive us OF
life itself for certain offenses. The
State accompanies its inhabitants from
the cradle to the grave, declares their
duties, and Furnishes their non.per.
| Torrance. Therefore ID all elections
for State officers the possession of
property ought not to make material
difference, because the State affects
the action of all alike, whether they
possess property or not. A very dit
ferent question, however, is presented
in the case of city. Its administra-
ton has no such powers. BY its ordi
nances having the force of law it may
make certain hygienic and police reg
ulations; but even here, it is limited
in power to the imposition of fine of
a very small amount. Its main con-
Germs are the laying out of streets,
their paving, their lighting, their sew
erage, and their cleanliness. It con
fines itself almost exclusively in its
administration to the outside of
houses; deals with things IN re, with
property rights. The State and the
| general government deal with things
in persona. 1t is true that every in
habitant of the city has an interest in
its proper administration, but TIE
thrirtless do not feel this interest
keenly enough to affect conduct; and
| admitting them to votes therein in re-
latIon to all its financial administra-
top, jeopardizes the interest of others
and sacrifices true and permanent by
gienic interest to passing enjoyments.
Every citizen in New York has an
interest in the financial stability of its
banks, and certainly the depositors in
the banks are most directly and imme-
diately interested in their good man
| agement, at times to the extent of 3
great portion of their fortunes. Yet
such an Immediate interest, not to
speak of the remote one which every
inhabitant of city has in the sound
ness of Its great reservoirs of credit,
does not justify claim on the part of
the depositors TO take part In the cleo
ton of the officers of the bank by
reason of that interest. They must
own stock in the bank before they are
permitted to vote, and their votes will
tell in proportion TO the amount of
stock which they have therein.
Every body would feel that to allow
the conductors and brakemen on the
New York Central and Hudson River
Railroad Company to vote at the cleo
ton of Its directors, on the plea of a
personal interest, arising from the fact
| IhCAt AANCS h4tS1 w
gered by bad management of the road,
would allow the remote interest-the
incidental interest--to overcome and
outweigh by numbers the direct and
immediate proprietary interest.
The administration of city is much
more closely analogous to the admins
tration of a corporation, such as that
of railway or bank, than il is to a
government proper; and just TO the
degree that it resembles the property
interests of private corporations, are
tie rules which govern the latter APP
plicable to municipal administration,
and just to that degree that 1t is q
government in its proper sense of TIE
term, are the principles which relate
to the suffrage in reference to govern
ment applicable to it.