The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-02-13
THE orrY GOVERNMENT.

IL seems % be the Idea of every dAbbler Ii
Legislation that reform must be reactlonary
The Idea Of progress never occurs to him--i
must be q return to some institutions Of the
past. All other sciences may be progressive
he admits that-bnt the science Of govern
ment is All exception. According to biz
view, government ought to retroRrade while
the rest Of the world advances. While me-
chanics and art and commerce are being
perfected and improved, politics ought to
turn backward toward the primeval standard
and compress itself into the narrow grooves
Of a century ago. 1t sounds go we'll to talk
Of the simplicity and purity OF our grand
fathers; Il Ia go poetical to plunge into the
miats Of two or three generations back, that
the diiettunte statesman always prefers II 10
plain. practical. progressive legislation. 1t
lie go much easier to tear down than to buil,
up II is 80 much easier to return to a
model already created than to create one to
which we must press forward
Nothing can be- more foolish and short
sighted than this policy "a applied to com
paratively new and growing country. 1t is
like trying to compress boy Into the gar
ments male for him five years previously,
though even that may seem easier To come
capacities than fashionable new clothes
The moral or all this. however. is that We
entirely disapprove Of the proposed subetitu-
ton Ut the old discarded aldermanic system
III place Of the present bureau system III city
government. We do not know that there II
any imminent danger OF such change being
made, but II is talked OF and advocated IN
certain quarters sufficiently to Justify this
comment. For the present we do not care
to enter upon an extended discussion Of the
subject, we only wlsh 10 cay that, when
ever II shall be brought before the Legiela-
ture for serious consideration. we stand pre-
pared to prove by the official records that
more money was spent under the al
dermanIc system than is now being
spent under the present one. and that Less
WAS done 10 show for the outlay. The alder
manic system is not only too unwieldy
and too slow. but Il is objectionable on the
acore nf q lack 81 responsibility. Work is far
lese apt to he well done when there IL no one
whom the parties interested can hold account
able for Its execution. 1t liz far more apt to
be badly and extensively done when nobody
Ia responsible for the waste and neglect.
Its very possible that the existing bureau
System can be pruned to some extent and
rendered less expensive without impair
ing It's efficiency. Furthermore. we
nncede that many useful purposes
may be promoted by introducing the
feature of representative legislative
,ranch Of the city government through which
he peoples interests, wants and complaints
nay find expression. Such feature "a thie.
lnder suitable restrictions and adjusted go az
% cooperate effectively with the bureau or
Executive department, would he an advantage
But to ohliterate the present system and to
upplant It with the aldermanic system
would be to exchange the railway for the
taae coach. And 1t would not look we'll for
New Orleans to do this at time when other
tiee which groan under aldermen notably
View York are considering how they may rid
themselves OF an institution which has al
vays failed to give satisfaction.