The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-02-12

pets and workers" Until it can be advo-
Gated from higher and purer motives it is
not worth being met by argument, but merits
only denunciation.
But the metropolitan police syz tenn has
and everywhere failure. Its most conspic-
uous trial and failure has been in New York
Governor Cleveland, in his inaugural adj
dress, just from the experience of the mayor
atty of Buffalo, laid particular stress upon the
recommendation that to the cities should be
restored full self-government Lieutenant
governor Hill, mayor of Syracuse, followed
his chief in the same suggestion, Baltimore
is going in similar direction, and there is a
loud cry for reform in the government of
Philadelphia in this behalf while in Nash
Vile there is a scheme on foot for better local
government, in which the citizens and tax
payers shall have the absolute authority-an
authority that can be exerted in the simplest
and most direct manner. The true plan for
country is the worst government is to have
the executive authority as direct and ex-
elusive as possible All boards of every
kind of an executive nature should be abol-
nor fire board. The diffusion of executive
responsibility tends to breed confusion,
inefficency and corruption. The mayor
should be the executive head of the city,
clothed with ample power in the control of
the police the fire department, and the other
executive branches His term of office
should be short because a mayor need have
no policy" to develop other than the execu-
ton of the law. If he does his duty to the
acceptance of the people, they can and will
re-elect him; if there is failure in the gov
ernment they will know precisely who is to
blame, and as the year rolls around can
apply the effectual remedy which the ballot
box provides. The Philadelphia Record, an
Independent Democratic paper, discussing
this question in recent issue, says:
There must be a return to a central re-
SpOuSlOI1Iy lOT l1t Vi dudlTb.
The cost of the municipal government has
reached maximum of expensiveress which
it will not do to increase. The distribution
of power has become so complicated that the
departments are constantly treading on each
others heels. In this way offices are multi
piled, expenses increased, litigation invited
and responsibility lessened. This has been
the bad work of partsanship. The city has
been largely governed at Harrisburg and has
been made the prey of politicians. The peo
pie now desire to govern themselves, and to
have the officials of their choice placed with
in striking distanceof the balot-box, so that
the evils of bad government may be easily
corrected"
Indianapolis does not desire to begin the
experiment everywhere disastrous, of an
abandonment of local government to the
State, to be at the caprice of a Legislature
that indianapolis can once be plucked, our
taxpayers may be sure the process will not
stop until every feather is taken. The prop
ostion of metropolitan police bill simply
means plumber and partisan spoils. If the
Legislature and the Marion comfy delega-
ton desire to give Indianapolis good Cow
eminent, and do at the same time the right
thing and the defensible thing they win see
that the metropolitan police bill is at once
killed. and such changes made in the laws
as will do away with triple-headed exec
utive, and give us a central and directly re-
sponsible power in the shape OF mayoralty
clothed with ample power, upon whose in
cumbent can be placed the entire response
bility of the executive branch of the govern
ment.