New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-01
THE GOVKRNMENT OF CITIES.

1T is to be hoped tnat tne afnenulnenJ 10 tne
Constitution providing for local self-govern-
ment for cities, which has already passed
the Assembly, will not fail in the Senate.
1t restricts the Legislature in the laws 1t
passes for the government of cities to gen.
eral laws applicable alike to all of them.
1t further provides that the Legislature shall
not pass any special or local bill affecting the
local OF municipal government of a city or
provide for the filling of any municipal Office
now existing or hereafter to be created, other
wise than by popular election or by appoint
ment of the Mayor with or without the usual
confirmation. The amendment concludes as
follows: "No city shall increase its permanent
|" debt or raise the rate of taxation above that
prevailing at the time of the adoption of this
amendment, or undertake new public works,
"or direct public funds into new channels Of
expenditure, or issue its bonds other than
@revenue bonds, until the act authorizing the
"same shall have been published for at least
"three months and thereafter submitted to the
"people of the city at a general election and
shave received a majority of all the votes cast
" for and against it at such election"
A number of attempts have been made in
recent years to devise a comprehensive and
uniform plan for the government of cities. The
chief of these was undertaken by commission
appointed by the Legislature of 1875, and it is
worth while to recall it. The commission con-
sisted of William NJ Evarts, James c. Carter,
Oswald Ottendorfer, William Allen Butler,
Joshua NJ. Van Colt, f. l.. Godkin, John A.
Lott, Simon Sterne, Henry F. Dimock and
Samuel Hand They organized in December,
1875, and presented their report to the Legis-
10 in no Iicbi c
inclusive of the draft of proposed constitu-
tionaI amendment, we commend to all those
interested in the momentous problem Of the
government of cities. 1t presents startling
array of facts concerning the evils existing
in municipal government, while its recommen-
dations for curing those evils, embodied in the
constitutional amendment, are certainly worthy
of more respectful and careful consideration
than they received at the time they were SUBJ
mitted
The Commission mentioned three chief causes
of the existing evils in the government of
cities-frst, incompetent and unfaithful gov
erning boards and officers; second, the in
PRODUCTION of State and National politics into
municipal affairs and third, the assumption by
the Legislature of the direct control of local
affairs. The constitutional amendment which
they submitted to cure these evils had as
its principal feature a provision for
body in each city, separate from the Board of
Aldermen, to be known as the Board of Finance.
This Board was to be elected by tax and
rent payers and was to have such powers only
as relate to taxation, expenditure and debt, its
principal functions being to determine the
amount of the annual expenditure and to ap-
propriate 1t TO its various objects and purposes.
Provision was also made in the amendment for
renting the business of local administration
to the citiesj for placing restrictions upon
their debts for reserving to the State only its
proper supervisory functions; and for the per-
maneut separation of the charter election from
the State and National elections. 1t will be
seen that this plan for the government OF cities
called for radical reform. That the amend
ment, if it had been adopted, would have proved
an incalculable advantage to the majority of
the cities of the State there can be no doubt.
1t goes to the root of the evil and provides a