Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-11-07
THE CITY OF LONDON.
a small spat In the Great Metropolis of the
World.

small spat In the Great Metropolis of the
World.
Century.
The resident population OF the CITY of
London proper, as has been said. was
$4,000 by the last census. The CITY
business district, with day popu-
ia'loh OF million souls, nineteen-twen-
tlethS of whom reside In Greater Lon
don. The members of the guilds do not.
oil course, To any extent live in the city.
hut those who reside within q radius of
% miles are entitled to have a part in the
city's government. They vote in one or
another OF the 20 city wards, for alder
men and common councillors. Each
ward elects an Alderman for life. and
each elects number of Common Conn
cllorS for one years term. The Com
mon Council has 206 members. The
Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Common
councillors form great court or gov
erning body that controls all the affairs
of the city. Recent legislation has
made it possible for resident household
erS to assist in electing Councillors and
Aldermen; but the affairs of the NUM-
cipal corporation remain practically in
the hands of the close and self-pcrpetu-
ating guilds. The Lord Mayor-whose
jurisdiction, it should be understood.
extends only throughout the limits of
the small inner city-is chosen annu-
ally from the ranks OF the Alder
men. The Court of Common Hall
selects two Aldermen who have served
as Sheriff of London, and from these
two the group of Aldermen designate
one to fill the of Lord Mayor. Re-elec-
ton to that Office IS an honor rarely be-
slowed. When the year is ended the
Lord Mayor turns the Mansion House
over TO his successor and continues to
serve the City as an Alderman who has
''passed the Chair" OF the present Al
dermen about half have "passed the
Chair" {. C., have served their year as
Lord Mayor. The Queen almost ill.,
variably bestOwS knighthoOd upon the
Lord Mayor, and he energies from his
brief and always exceedingly expensive
months of lavish entertaing in the Man
sion House with the Handle OF Sir to
his name.
The City corporation, with its head
quarters in the noble old Guildhall, has,
like the individual companies, large es-
tateS, chiefly in the form OF house prop
erty; and ii also owns the great mark
cts OF London. Its affairs are admins
tered by committees of the council.
The city proper has its own separate
police system, its streets and drainage
authorities, its educational work, and
its various functions. Its ''liverymcn,"
or gildmcn, besides voting for members
of Parliament in the districts where
actually live, assist in electing two
members for the city OF London. 1t
is not to be disputed that the corpora
ton of London, with its constituent
gildS, has become a great privileged
monopoly, held together by the power
full but selfish interest OF some seven
thousand influential men. 1t was, per-
hapS, in 1873, that Mr.. Gladstone, in
speech at Nottingham, declared that
the London guilds must be reformed
and their great sums of money devoted
to public purpose. Previous to that
uttcrance the liverymen were, to con-
siderable extent, Liberal IN politics, but
since then they have become almost
unanimously Conservative. In 1850
parliamentary commission was appoint
ed to inquire into the history, status
and revenues of the London companies;
and its VoluminouS report, published in
1884 is marvelouSly interesting. The
commission, composed OF men OF the
highest weight and authority, advised
the reform OF the guilds by law, and
the application Of their properties 10
public uses.
Recent years have witnessed on the
part of the workiugmen and the Liberals
OF Greater London series OF dctermin-
ed assaults upon the companies; but as
yet there has been no result except
marked change in the conduct OF these
societies. They have begun to make a
large use of their funds for the purchase
of parks and open spaces In and about
the great metropolis, and for the en-
dowment Of technical and general ed
ucatiOn, principally in London, but
also in other parts of the British Islands
The "City and Guilds of London lnSti-
tute.r endowed by number OF thecom-
panieS, supports great central inStitu-
lions for technical education, and it
subsidies night classes in the principal
trades throughout the United Kingdom
Two or three of the companies are con-
tributing heavily to the maintenance OF
polytechnic institutes and peoples
places" for the young working folks of
London.
Sooner or later the guilds will be
obliged to surrender their political and
municipal privileges, and public opin-
ion will compel them TO account open
ly for their funds. Possibly their en-
| dowments may be cOnStrNes by Parlia-
ment as public trusts, and devoted by
law, after the analogy of the old
London parochial charity endowments,
TO the general welfare of the metro
politan masses. However that may be,
the County Council, as the representa-
tive of the aroused and gradually cen
tralizcd municipal life of the Greater
London, will eventually undermine the
venerable charters and privileges of the
city, and will reduce the central district
to the status Of one OF series of sub
ordinate parts OF an inclusive municipal
corporation. This survival of the I'M
reformed medieval borough will pass
away within few years; and those
who have never seen Lord Mayors
show on November should not post
pone the sight too long.
as THIS the best," is a question often
asked, when medicine is wanted. The fol-
| lowing are n few of the medicines of known
1 s.Ls h. ~