Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-12-21
MUNICIPAL M1seovERNmEsr.

MUNICIPAL MISG0VERNMENT.
President Andrew D. White, in caus-
tic review of government in American
cities, asserts: with few exceptions, the
city governments Of the United States are
the worst in Christendom-the most ex-
pensive, the most inefficient and the most
corrupt" Can this serious charge OF the
essayist be maintained? We think so. It
is capable of demonstration that, in a ma
Jorlty OF cases, municipal government is
system of fleeing; it is uneconomic, un-
businesslike and unrepresentative.
We have not far to go to ascertain the
reason-it is found in party control,
through which service for municipalities
Is made the means of rewarding party
creatures and promoting the gains of men
who live upon political contention and by
the control of purchasable influences. 1t
is not needed that they shall buy electors
M n; the parceling out of municipal
favors serves as an efficient means of
bribery. Municipal economy will be con-
served and city control wrested from those
who have usurped power, therefore, only
when the people resume the authority
upon which rings, trusts, bosses and ring
masters have trespassed.
Franchises that ought to be worth mill
ions to the people, since they are grants to
occupy and use public space or to monopo-
lie privileges, are annually disposed of
without the cities granting them receiving
any part of the consideration that is ordi-
narily paid for them. Such payment is
made to the many officials who are sup
posed to represent the community interest,
or to the influences behind them and to
which they are subservient, in payment for
the gift of place. So open and fragrant
has this abuse of place become that it is
no longer disguised, and associated capital
rarely asks for grant of privileges from
a municipality without providing for the
secret salving of official palms or the stuff
ing of the purses of those who prompted
the official action.
Interests of the vicious order which re-
alize that they are subject to regulation or
even to refusal of the privilege of exist
ence within city bounds, never address
themselves to the people. They invariably
go directly to the seat of party control in the
municipality, and bargain with the domi-
nant party leaders who run the machinery
of city government. Supplies for munich
pal needs are furnished, in nearly all cases,
with a marginal allowance for the cost of
obtaining the award; what an American
city buys it generally pays very much
more for than the private individual would
be asked to pay. But it must not be sup
posed that the dealers in the supplies lose
by such arrangement. The people of mu-
inequalities foot all such bills of cost in
the end.
1t is needless to catalogue the further
causes for grievance that the people of
most American cities have in the matter
OF municipal control. Their varied charac-
ter and multiplicity, and the servility of
city populations to political and other
combinations that ride in the municipal
carriage, are things familiar to all think
ing people, and it is by such people that
the remedies for such abuse are to be APP
piled.
What these remedies must be it is not
II. ea,,l+ = T. al II
will be found in the resumption of con-
troll by the people with small regard to
the asserted gain or loss by political par
ties; by the substitution of the plain and
economic laws of science, for the venality
Of political agents in all matters affecting
sanitary laws, such as drainage, sewerage,
disposal of refuse, street lighting and
cleaning, health regulations, etc.; by the
substitution of the practical wisdom of
Blu: mess prudence in the purchasing of
supplies, the letting OF contracts, the i'm
provement of streets, and generally in the
construction of public works; by requiring
fair compensation to be paid into the pub
lie treasury for the grant of all privileges
Of value to the grantees; by the supervi-
sion of public works by boards having the
disbursement but not the raising of the
means by taxation by abandonment of the
theory that so far as its domestic concerns
are involved, a city is political body, and
substitution of the truth that it is cor
poration, precisely as the law entities it,
and as such should be "run" for the gain
of the corporation membership, and not
for the reward of party servitors.
President White thinks that it would be
a wise compromise to demand the aban-
donmentof the political" theory as to all
Offices except those of Mayor and Council
men, and permit such to be filed upon the
lines OF Stale and National politics. But
if the present forms are inefficient and
promote corruption, We can see no reason
in compromise. To leave Mayors and
Councilmen subject to party boss domina-
rion will be to leave all they can effect
subject to the same influences.
As to how the desired ends are to be ac-
ccmplished, is perhaps matter of debate.
Methods in variety have been proposed,
tried and rejected, while few have been
adopted with measurable success. But
back of and beneath every reform method
there must be quickened conscience the
people must first realize not only that they
have grievances because of the maladmin-