Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-05

The duty OF selecting two civil Commission
ers for the District Of Columbia and q successor
TO Judge Merrick upon the District supreme
bench viii be among the irst which Pres lent
Harrison viii be called upon to exercise. The
manner in which thi sduty Is performed will
affect the capital more seriously than the
Presidents choice Of his cabinet.
The experience Of all large American cities
shows that many notable evils in mu-
nicipal government arise from making q
direct political issue Of the selection Of
city authorities, and Of drawing strictly
party lines in choosing such officers Municipal
authorities are in very many respects the busi-
ness agents rather than the political represent
tatives Of the taxpayers of q city, and to the
extent that their selection can be based upon
the public opinion of their honesty and effi-
cheney rather than upon the consideration
solely Of the interests Of party in a state or in
the nation. to that extent the results have been
found to be good. The conversion of q city
government into a mere political machine is
not only hurtful generally in all municipalities,
but it is especially injurious in the case of
the District whose legislature is selected
for 1t by the states without consultation with il
as to its political preferences. 1t is necessary
that the District should be officially on speak
ing terms with both parties among its legisla-
tors In Congress- and the community can ill
afford to have its municipal government con-
verted into the political tool of a single party
For these reasons the attempt has been made
to maintain the local District government as
non-partisan. The custom has been to select
one of the civil Commissioners from each Of the
great parties. The army officer who serves as
engineer commissioner is assumed to be not
much Of politician An administration, re-
sponsible for the conduct Of municipal
affairs, may be expected to see to it
that the city government il not
used for the benefit Of the opposing party
Political leanings Of two of the Commissioners
favorable to the party which that administra-
ton represents will effectually secure this end
There is no danger that for the next four years,
even with one Commissioner Of democratic
tendencies, the District government will be a
democratic machine; and to the extent that
President Harrison prevents q swing to the
other extreme by so constructing the municipal
government that it shall fairly represent the
people and business interests of Washington,
even at the expense of its efficiency as a re-
publican machine. to that extent he will receive
the regard and gratitude Of the people to be
governed
Another consideration in addition to that of
the desirability of an approximate non-parti-
sanship, deserves to be suggested The Com
missioners are influential SUCCESSORS of
legislation concerning street and other public
Improvements in all parts of the District They
have been appointed invariably from the west
ernmost section of the northwestern quarter of
the city, and central, east and south Washing
ton complain that the result has been a Sec
tional discrimination by the Commissioners,
unfavorable TO them. There is no condition OF
affairs more to be deprecated in municipal con-
C ems than that in which sections are arrayed
against each other, and sectional jealousies
thwart every project for the general good which
happens to specially benefit one portion of the
city slightly more than another. There
is some gound for the complaints
of the people who do not live
In the northwest quarter, and there
seems to be no good reason why, with the re-
moval Of sectional iealousies in view, one of the
three Commissioners should not be appointed
from among the residents of that great stretch
Of city which lies east of west 18th street. 1t
Is asserted that no commissioner yet appointed
has resided east of that street. The northwest
section Is the beauty and pride of the city. 1t
Is the most populous, the wealthiest the most
fashionable, and, through the magnificent res
licences that have been erected in it. and the
park and street improvements granted to it, by
far the most attractive portion Of the capital.
But two out of three Commissioners
ought to satisfy it, and thoughtful
residents Of that quarter, mindful of
the general good of the city and the perma-
nent as distinguished from the temporary well
fare OF their section, readily assent to the
proposition that the custom Of selecting all the
Commissioners from one corner of the city
breeds iealousies, is hurtful to the interests of
the community as a whole, and may well be
modified.