Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-09-10
THE SAN FRANCISCO CHARTER ELEcrIoN.

| it Is clear that their arguments produced
little conviction. a more decisive relec-
ton has in fact never befallen any instru.
ment of the kind, and it might almost be
suspected that the friends of the charter
had made some mistake as to the day of
the election, and SO failed to vote at all.
The causes of this rejection will OF course
be variously stated, but it seems to us that
the length of the instrument was almost
necessarily fatal to it, Irrespective of all
questions of detail. 1t was moreover very
injudiciou=ly published, being printed every
day for some twenty days, and then
dropped altogether. Had it appeared at
intervals of two or three days, and been
kept before the people all through the
campaign, the probability of their reading
it would have been much greater. What
ever merits it might have had, however, SO
voluminous an instrument was GER
tain to arouse the suspicious of
a large class. 1t was probably felt that
only the lawyers could grasp its meaning
and that their interest did not lie in SIM
plifying the municipal law. The ordinary
voter would be very apt to apprehend all
manner of concealed iniquities and oppor-
tunities for plumber and fraud in a docu-
ment which required two or three hours to
read through. Then, again, the PROPOSE
ton to confer such large powers upon the
Mayor no doubt alarmed many conserva-
tive people who could not see that there
was any sufficient guarantee for the in
tegrity of that official, and who argued that
since the Board of Aldermen would almost
certainly belong to the same faction with
the Mayor, the chances that they would
act as check upon him were altogether
too poor to trust to. We doubt whether
the provision for closing the cemeteries
operated against the charter very strongly,
though it may easily have had its influence
with the unthinking. The necessity
of resorting to such measures in the
near future ought to be self evident, and
they will have to be adopted whether any
|
inent part taken by the Committee of Two
Hundred in favor of the charter appears
to have had an unfortunate result. Rightly
or wrongly there was an evident prejudice
against that body among the masses. The
prevalent belief that the instrument was
IN the interest of the Water Company,
,vb ~ ar nm fonpdad or o{heru;oa x.,as ,1oo
factor in the result. In fact the num-
Der of prejudices and enmities aroused by
the charter from first to last was so great
that it could not make head against them,
and on the other hand the reasons for
supporting it appealed with any force to
very small minority. The apprehension of
having to live on under the Consolidation
Act did not seem to brighten any one
much, and the general opinion was that
anything would be safer than the new
system proposed.
It may be argued from the outcome OF
this election thatsthe people of San Fran
cisco do, not appreciate the changes in
their form Of government provided for by
the new Constitution. Ii that is the case
it is to be hoped that they will refrain
from any further attempts to make mu-
nicipal constitutions for themselves, and
viii turn their attention to a modification
of the organic law in so far as it isolates
them from the State. As the case stands
their ostensible independence of legislative
control is their greatest danger. All
great cities need to be protected
against themselves, and San Francisco
most of ALL The constitution of her
population is such that her worst elements
may at any time effect combinations which
will put the best elements at their mercy.
1t is not possible to frame any charter for
the city which will obviate this danger,
for the efficiency of all constitutional
government is dependent upon the charac-
| ter of the administrators, and the best
product o. human wit must produce evil
results if knaves are enabled to control it.
s. long as San Francisco is isolated from
/ the rest of the State she must always
be a prey to political corruption, and
the prizes her municipal Government
offers are so large that they will
attract the adventurous dishonesty of the
whole coast. While the State Legislature
exercised control ofsSan Francisco legisla-
ton there was always an avenue of escape
from these plundering plots, but under the
new Constitution this avenue is closed, and
the city is left to her own devices in all
things Now that the charter has been de-
feated we hope the press OF San Francisco
will take these suggestions into serious con-
| sideration and inquire whether under
/ the circumstances it is worth while
to make any further attempts in
a direction so encompassed with
| dangers. 1t is possible that the
rejected charter was as good as any that
| is likely to be framed as substitution it,
but the vital question appears to US to be,
whether the safety of the city can be
! secured by any charter, under a system
which cuts it of from State interference
and assistance. The question of local self
government Is necessarily one of conditions
and reservations. In this case the pro-
priety of its application depends upon the
ability to exercise it wisely and honestly.
We do not think. it possible to
examine the nature OF the elements which
constitute the voting majority in San
Francisco to-day without expressing grave
doubts on this head. The charter is out of
the way now, and the future government
of the city is once more an open question.
It is to be hoped that the peoples advisers
will not think their work done until they
have devised some better and safer system
than seems attainable under existing con-
ditions