The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-05-26
CITY IMPROVEMENT.

Among the many lntoleraDle ABUSES
in legislation that prevail, that of tying
the hands of municipal governments is
not exceeded. An effort is now being
made in the New York legislature to
release New York city, by means OF a
constitutional amendment, from this
vicious control.
OF this effort the St. Louis Globe
Democrat says:
In seeking for the remedy the New Workers
appear to forget that their present state OF de-
tendency arose from the fact that they on tor
mer occasions virtually confessed that they
were unable to govern themselves properly,
and appealed to Albany to have some OF the
popular power taken away from Them Their
funds were mismanaged, and he money of the
taxpayers was being voted away so reckless
" by the non-tax-payers that they were
obliged to admit that in their case govern
ment for the people by the people was fall
ure.
1t was in the time of Tweed. We
do not think that the people confessed
that they were unable to govern them
selves, or asked to have some OF the
popular power taken from them. The
difficulty was then, and is now, and
always will be, that the people OF the
municipality were not permitted to
qualify the municipal voter. What
the people of the city wanted was that
control. They were as powerless tor
self-government without it as without
the ballot. If the country member at
Albany was to determine who should
be enfranchised as voter at the polls
in New York city it was idle to talk of
municipal self-government, and the
only thing to do was then done. The
member at Albany provided the city
government.
Nothing but disaster can follow this
abuse, and nothing else has followed
it anywhere. A few years ago the con-
stitutional convention of Pennsylvania
attempted a thorough expurgation of
the obnoxious features of cheap states
manship. In devising an extra
ordinary constitution with the single
view of reforming legislation it did
not fail to do much good. 1t tied the
hands of its statesmen on all sides and,
among many prohibitory clauses, inter-
dictcd the legislature from passing any
local or special law regulating the az
fairs of counties, cities, townships or
school districts. OF course general
law regulating the affairs of cities and
applying to all cities alike was not un-
der introduction, and we believe much
contention has prevailed in subsequent
legislatures by classifying cities and
seeking to impose the customary inter-
ference under new forms.
The one brief thing to be said Of it
is that it was not the right remedy. at
has been thought necessary generally
in all the states remarks the Globe
Democrat, "to take away from cities
the power of taxing themselves to
death. In some instances the laws
have gone too far, as in the case of
St. Louis and actually interfered with the
growth and prosperity of the cities af-
fected." In all instances the laws
hare gone too far. The CD. merely
happens to be best aware of the case
cited, of which it is itself part. What
city could present more deplorable
spectacle than New Orleans to-day
with the U. S. Marshal Selling under
Federal judgments, private property
upon which a special tax has been I'M
posed by the court to satisfy the city's
creditors demand. The Globe Dem
ocrat is mistaken. No authority living
has a right "to take away from cities
the power of taxing themselves to