The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1877-08-20
THE ST. LOUIS CHARTER.
THE EXPENSIVE AND UNREPUBLICAN
MUNICIPAL, GOVERNMENT THE NEW
CHARTER HAS CREATED.

MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT THE NEW
CHARTER HAS CREATED.
.st. Louis Military Fever-Public SYM
patty with the Workingmen's M0ye-
nent.
Especial Correspondence OF the Democrat
ST. LOUIS, August II, 1877.
Sensations are out of the market in St.
Louis at present, and the newspaper report
ers arc struggling against what they con-
slider adverse fortune. The courts have all
adjourned for the summer recess SO necessary
TO overtaxed judicial and legal minds. and not
even the spicy details Of a divorce suit can be
obtained The municipal assembly still plods
along, furnishing to the public an excellent
exempliiieation of show not to do It," and
although their pay is small they seem to
gather an. infinite amount of satisfaction in
prolonging the session. The fact Is
OUR NEW CHARTER
Is already voted humbug and nuisance by
every man who has not made 1t beneficial to
his individual pocket In a previous letter
the readers of the DEMOCRAT were given
q brief history Of this charter, and how
IL was foisted upon the people. The city
and county were separated and each pro-
vided with its own government on the plea OF
economy. This new order of things was to
bring about a sort of political prodigy,
model municipal government wherein rings,
cliques bummers and ballot frauds were un-
known and honesty would rule. Taxes were
to be reduced and the number Of office hold
ers cut down to minimum figures. BY o sort
OF hocus-pocus, now-you-see-it, and now-you-
don't, arrangement the new charter was de-
clared adopted and put into effect amid the
plaudits Of the populace-that portion of 1t
that favored the scheme Former elections
were pronounced null and void and new ones
held. The squabble over the charter fight
following the iealousies engendered by the
local elections Of last fall
Split THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
In twain, and ii entered the contest divided
against itself. The result was inevitable, Re-
publicans won, and with the exception Of
sheriff and city register, Democrats gotnoth-
ing. The mayor was nominated by a So
called Democratic convention, but his cleo
tion was the worst defeat the party ever stls-
taincd. Within two hours after his nomina-
tion the Republican convention met and en-
Gorsed him as their candidate. The plotters
In the Democratic camp, who had prepared
for this, refused to make
THE NOMINEE FOR MAYOR, HENRY ovERsToLz,
subscribe to the usual pledge to support tho
party, and the result of all this is dissension,
disputes and divisions. Overstolz' supporters
proclaimed that he had made no promises to
Radicalism, and would not reward their en-
dorsement by appointment to Office. True,
F,s@l ,1
and the result has justified their belief.
Instead OF one City Council of twenty-six
members, we now have two houses-an upper
and lower-the former called the Council. the
latter the House of Delegates. The Council
consists of thirteen members, the Delegates Of
twenty-eight, making an increase to start
with of fifteen in office. The Mayor has sent
in oil OF his appointments under the
new charter the most responsible officers are
appointed less than one-third are taken
from Democratic ranks.
THE BOARD op pURLtt, IMPROVEMENTS,
which virtually holds the political key to st.
Louis, is composed of five members and the
president. Of these the president and
three members are pronounced and ultra Re-
puhlicans. This board has as much power
as the board Of like character that ruled New
York city under Tweed and it requires no
political foresight to see that there is no
chance for Democratic success here until the
expressions OF the present political clique are
so burdensome as to cause general uprising
against them. The minor appointments as
politically divided are in about the same ratio
PAS those mentioned. The Democratic party,
Nm whose name Overstolz was nominated and
Whose ticket he headed, is awarded two or
three leading offices and half a dozen trivial
positions and
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY,
who are in the voting minority by at least
5000, is given possession of the city govern
Dment.
Both houses Of the municipal assembly are
largely Republican, and the elective offices
have been almost over-crowded with hungry
Radicals in the shape of deputies, clerks, as
sistants, etc. The new government is not yet
organized and already the pay roll shows an
increase of nearly two hundred over the num-
Der required to run the government under the
I4ld charter. Salaries have all been increased,
Npt those in the two Offices held by Demo-
rs and it is safe to estimate the additional
sense incurred by the new charter in Off
u positions alone, at from 100000 to
100000 per year. The only reduction of ex-
bense has been in the two Democratic Offices
The sheriff and register notwithstanding
added duties, have both reduced the average
Expenses of their offices. To meet this
INCREASE IN PUBLIC EXPENSES,
khe municipal assembly has imposed tax
n the shape of license upon every branch of
rade and profession. Lawyers, doctors, me-
ehanics, all are required to walk up to the
kl00 per annum for permission to do business
n the city.
License for merchants, draymen, hackmen
huctioneers, and, in fact, all kinds of business,
has been doubled, and even the poor hotel
runner. who makes at best but bare living
called upon for $500 per annum. The only
hing protected is property. Tax on real and
PERSONAL property is reduced, and the burden
u supporting the city government shifted