The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-23
UNDER THE CHARTER
Judge Lewis Says the System
Is Simple Enough.
VIEWS OF ONE OF ITS TRAINERS.
No Reason for Complicated Machinery
or Extravagant salaries-Some
of the Points Raised.

Judge J. R. Lewis was member of the
commission which drafted the city char
ter and was the author of the dual system
Of council. and mainly of the board of
public works. He was interviewed yester-
day by a OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES reporter as
10 the practical results of the system he
had devised.
although have been absent from the
city for several months, have paid some
attention to city matters. find the great
difficulty to be that the legislative branch
of the city government does not realize
that the purpose of such body is defeat
ed if it does not keep its hands of the exec
utive branch. The system has been adopt
ed in the national and in all state govern
ments, and nobody would propose a
change to a single house. The system is
perfectly simple if the analogy is pre-
served.
The state legislature does not concern
itself with the execution of the laws; it
passes them and leaves their execution to
the right departments. There is where
the board of public works comes in. That
is a very useful body, but it does not seem
to have exerted its full authority. Per-
haps the fault may be found with the ma
tCiiti AZ SSi Idik INV bS 40 Ato NOiicli-
tuition, for its powers are as ample as pos
sible consistent with the higher powers of
the city council My idea was that in
stead of street work, for instance, being
done by a committee, the council would
pass an ordinance, if it approved the
policy of grading street, and then leave
it to some competent. practical man like
Alexander to see that all the necessary
work was done.
~ mention this because experience
shows Alexander to have been very COM
petent street commissioner, and if compe-
tent men are selected to carry out the pur-
poses of the council there viii be no fault
to find with the charter. No charter can
make good government if common sense
and business methods are not followed
If the city government is run as a political
machine, the charter can not make 1t
success.
II don't say that it is run as a machine,
but have been away and do not know
how to account for the apparent difficult
Ties. j may Justly say that I do not be-
lieve there is any corruption. There has
been great deal of extravaganza.
whoever dreamed of all these officials
being piled up on the city now? The
charter was ..Sade elastic enough to ac-
commodsss e itseffiU the city's growth. For
instar the corporation, counsel was
Voted large salary in the charter so as to
cover the cost of clerical work. The first
thing the council does is to give him
clerk in addition. Then everybody has
got to have clerk, and those clerks are
voted salaries by members to the coun-
Gil who exercise patronage and work to-
gether for the mutual benefit of each
others proteges. The best bank clerk in
this city, with few exceptions, gets only
81 $50 year. One specially good man
might be worth $3.50, but the ruling rate
for clerical work is S75 to 500 month.
The city has exceptionally good men?
Well, they don't need exceptionally good
men to fill merely clerical positions.
81 see there is quite a stir about the
councils fear to rectify its error and cut
salaries down to reasonable figures. l be-
lieve IN the Jacksonian theory of govern
ment. Do what is right and take chances
on the courts supporting you. If the
council thinks salaries too high let them
put them at reasonable figures. and let the
one who thinks he Is not fairly treated APP
ply to judge for mandamus compelling
the council to pay him more than they
think is reasonable. have not much fear
of the decision of the court especially if
application is made to an elective Judge.
Gas to terms, the only officers who have
terms are those elected or appointed by
specific provision. Except those heads
there is no other employee of the city who
has term and more than a policeman, and
no one would suppose that the council
could not increase and diminish the police
force as it thought wise.
II repeat that the charter is very simple
in its operation and the only trouble is
that there is either lack of brains, of in
terest or of responsibility in carrying out
its provisions"
This is, in substance, what Judge Lewis
said. The interview was embellished by
characteristic comment and anecdote,
which emphasized his points, but are not
absolutely necessary to a comprehension
of his views.