St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-02
HELPLESS QljAkERS.
Gov. Pattison Scores the Gov
eminent Of the Pennsyl-
vania Metropolis.
The Built Bill Vests All
Power in the Chief City
Executive,
And Builds UP Corrupt and
Powerful 0f1ce-Holding
Rings.
Local Bills to Be Carefully
Scanned by the Legisla-
tupe Hereafter.

While the Sanborn adaptation of the
"Bulllt bllF' has no possible show of
passing the legislature, yet it is inter-
esting to note the workings of the orig
inal bill in the city OF Philadelphia.
Originally this bill was put through the
Legislature of the Keystone state for the
benefit OF corrupt clique of politicians
who had grown tired of plundering the
Quaker City under the charter of 1857.
How well it has worked can be learned
from perusal of the following quota
ton from the inaugural message of
Gov. PattSOn, delivered at Harrisburg,
Jan. 20:
No corporations in the world are, as a rule
so helpless rs the municipal corporations of
America. In Pennsylvania these bodies have
few rights guaranteed to them in the fun
damental law which the legislature is bound
to respect Nearly one-half of the people of
Pennsylvania live in cities. The tendency of
our times has been towards enlargement of
the power OF municipalities in the manage
ment of such affairs as are intrusted to their
administration. An effort has been made to
regulate them by general laws to the end
that well-defined principles of government
might perVade all our municipal charters
one great aim III this direction has been to
concentrate official responsibility 10 the elect
orS by VeStlng all power in the chief .eXec-
utlve OF the municipality. But in perfecting
This theory have we not meaSurably lost sight
OF the accountability which the municipality
owes to the state? All powers vested in the
cities and municipal officers are Theoretically
at least, delegations from the whole people,
and the state should preserve It's supervisory
power by regular methods to prevent possible
abuses through undue concentration of
power. patronage and the means of corrupt
influence
The new charter of Philadelphia was
granted upon the express stipulation ana
provision that the vast powers conferred
upon the executive should be absolutely free
from political interference or control, and
that public officers should be trustees for the
whole people, for the minority and for each
individual. And yet at the last election the
city employees were repeatedly assessed upon
official approval. TO promote The success of
the ruling party Many of the powers of the
municipality, notably that of the police were
used with virulence against the rights of the
minority, which the people of the entire
state are bound to protect. Would it not be
wise TO reserve TO the commonwealth the
power to remove an official whose abuse of
authority transgresses the right of the mi
nOrity or of the indvidualy
There has been an utter disregard of en-
actments prohibiting the removal of public
servants for political reasons, and the mac
ton OF the state, or, rather. its abandonment
OF Its servants TO the personal authority of
party leaders, reduces independence 10 IL
dream. not for the public servants only but
tor the communities which, in their turn,are
overridden by them. While patronage, as re-
cent experience has shown, does not
strengthen parties, 1t does strengthen party
leaders OF certain type; indeed, with
out patronage men of that type could not be-
come leaders at all. The great defect of our
municipal organization in PENNSYLVANIA as
elsewhere. is the want of permanence of the
civil service.