Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-02-07

where We Stand.
y Ehe rsvsruAl BY the supreme court Of
: y 1oelsion that The 67th section Of the
o e 1874 h uncopstituti relieves
: = eitisD of The state Of the tribulatson
- have been under because Of un-
genlnty - 10 their state, and avoids
80 l0nodiats necessity for additional
24ln1at,on In their behalf.
s xAo ct Of 1874 Is one dividing the
G - q ths state into three classes and
Uv1elne for The incorporation Of cities
- ehird class, besides providing regu.
nlens for cities Of all three classes. The
sGylA section made It optional with any
s0lly Of the third class Heretofore incor.
J IeAtsd 10 accept. the provisions OF
49, oct governing cities OF the third
- 70 be thereafter Incorporated
NJ provided that the mayor and council
te any city desiring to become subject to
~ act, should 20 declare by ordinance
oxeperiy passed and certified to the secre-
NJ oe the state. The supreme court
sGouGideeed this optional feature uncon.
/ akltutionAl because 1t favored Of special
1egiHlation, since II established different
1aws for different cities.
Ihe court has now reversed this decision,
~ consequently all those cities Of the
1&lrd class, established prior to 1874, ss
Vo1lay those formed subsequently, find
11emselves now governed by this act OF
164; and those cities which did not &C.
ogpt the oct are governed by the laws
Nhich controlled them prior to the pas
! gage of the act, - well as by the general
tootiops OF that act and by the valid gen.
eeal laws since established; the act OF
/ 1es7, however, which made seven
elnnes Of cities, being definitely swept
sway - unconstitutional.
The majority Of the cities Of the state
accepted the provisions of the act Of 1874
governing third class cities, but Lancas.
see did not, nor Allegheny, and perhaps
oehers. We therefore would have had
~ great reason TO be disturbed by the
allure OF the act of 1887, since we had
{ our special laws to fall back on for our
4 xnpvsrnment, but for the fact that the
oltiss that were grounded on the act Of
ASIA, were in trouble when both that and
- oct Of 1887 seemed to drop from under
1Aen. In their alarm they appealed fran
11pally 70 the Legislature and that body
~ hurrying to. their relief with its most
xapM strides, when the supreme coult
0oncluded to reverse its decision as TO the
net OF 1874 and leave that as soft cushion
1or the cities to drop upon when they
hi tho act Of 1857; all the cities con
: now be comfortable in being returned TO
their original condition, and they will be
voy likely TO be content with the Law Z
they have for the present, and will re-
quest the Legislature to make haste
: slowly with the municipal legislation II
has been hurrying along. The cities do
not want any more unconstitutional legiS.
1Ation In their behalf, and anything that
& = done for them should be we'll considered
bsf0re being done. What will be done
Vim probably be in the way Of amend.
!: Den6 to the existing law; nogeneral law
{ aaslmilating all the regulations for cities
4 q the third class, Is likely to be passed
The city Of Allegheny will be very hos
tlle TO such legislation. II has been very
much disturbed by the pending bill
thinking that many Of its'features were
i mot adapted to Its circumstances; aud
not liking, either, all the features Of the
Osond class city government, into
which she could have entered, with
Pittsburg, II she had chosen, her
population being about 100000. She
! WAs forced to one choice or the other
- che could not form o class by herself
Now she finds her self governed, just as
Lancaster Is, by her old special laws
secured before the constitution was
adopted, and by the general laws
elncs passed. As the other cities
have their act Of 1874 to rest
MOON, there will bs no need of the
! passage Of charter law for them that
vill forco Allegheny and Lancaster ia
! give up their special legislation, and our
interests viii not have to be sacrificed to
That Of the Others. Our spring elections
Nill again occur sS they did prior to the
Z one Of last year, which was the beginning
and the end of the act of 1887.