Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-22
Inviting to Corrupt Combina-
tfOns.

The proposed city charter reduces
the City Council from fifteen to five
mem bers, and gives salary OF three
thousand dollars each to the Council
men. 1t further provides that the
Council shall meet every day at 10
O'Clock, and be in session, it is pre-
sumed, during Office hours, viz: From
10 O'Clock A. NJ, till A O'Clock P. NJ.
Four members shall constitute a
quorum and it will require four votes
to pass an ordinance involving money
or incurring any municipal debt.
The objections to these provisions
of the charter are: 1st. That to re-
duce the Council from fifteen to five
members is to facilitate the corruption
of the Board. 1t now requires the
affirmative vote of ten members to
pass an ordinance involving money.
As four is to ten, so will be the rela-
tive facility of passing bad measures
under the new charter. I'd. If Coun-
cilmen should receive compensation,
instead Of giving five men $4,000 a
year to sit in the council chamber
every day, it would be better to give
fifteen Councilmen $1,000 each to
devote portion of their time
to the city's business. Sd. 1t
is not necessary that there should
be daily sessions. The new Board
would not be deliberative body. 1t
would be an official bureau. They
could pass ordinances whenever they
pleased. Their proceedings would
cease to be public, for it is not to be
presumed that the newspapers would
attempt to fully report the proceed
ings of body in perpetual session.
The Council of Five would soon be-
come a mere routine machine. The
present interest that attaches to the
sessions of the Board would wear
away, and the people would only
awake to its labors when they found
that something striking and perhaps
disastrous had been consummated.
We have said that the people are
willing to give the proposition to en-
large the power of the Mayor, a trial.
But they are not willing to enlarge his
powers and very materially increase
his patronage, and at the same time
take away their most effective check
upon the abuse OF his powers, by de-
popularizing the representative body
in the Council. With Council Of
fifteen members, a corrupt Mayor
could be brought to grief and kept in
check. Therefore no great risk
wolld be taken in giving him
increased powers. But with a
Council OF five, four being
sufficient to pass all measures, a de-
signing Mayor might form league
that would lay the city at the mercy
of corrupt combination. We are
willing to open the door wide; but We
are not willing to give up the key al
together.
The greatly increased patronage
given to the Mayor by this charter
will be apt to have deterioratint
effect upon the standing and character
Of the mayors elected under it. Those
seeking Offices in his gift will start il
to run the political machinery Of par
ties in favor of nominations that will
suit their interests. Thus nj
man will be permitted to ge
the nominations until he ha
satisfied these manipulators. Thi
fact will bring into the list class o
men for the executive Office very infe
rior to those we have been used to
The same combinations that put VI
an inferior candidate for Mayor, will
operate to get four pliable men in tn
Council. When the conjunction ha
been effected. the city will be at th'
Mercy OF q corrupt Council and an un
principled Mayor, working in harmon.
10 rob the municipality. A charte
that opens up the possibility to such |
1xoupect should b rejected.