The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-02-27
CITY GOVERNMENT.
a Competent Authority Declares a Major
ity of Them to be Corrupt.

UiShou1 euo slightest eXaBBeratlon
we may assert that, with very few ex-
captions, the city governments of the
United States are the worst in Christen-
dom-the most expensive, the most in
efficient, and the most corrupt" This
grave indictment is the opening SEN
OF q thoughtful article upon the subject
of the government of American cities by
the Hon. Andrew d. White, president of
Carnell University, and formerly United
States Minister to Berlin, published in
theoDecember number of the Forum.
Broad and sweeping as the words are,
II tho comparison bo confined to the
principal cities of great Britain and
Central and Northern Europe, they are
probably not one whit too broad.
mo, one" says President White him
self, "who has any considerable know
ledge OF IL w country and Of other
countries can deny this"
1t cannot be said that these are
the words Of a d~octrinaire or O pessimest,
or Of a man whose observations have
been confined to tho four walls of O
library or q college lecture-room. Mr..
Whites opportunities for observations
have been large and exceptional. AT
home, besides always taking an active
interest in public affairs, for four years,
as he himself tells us, as a member of
the State Senate of New York, he served
upon the committee which had most to
do with the municipal affairs, as veil as
upon special investigation committees
appointed to examine into and report
upon the practical working of various
departments of the government Of the
city of New York. Abroad, besides the
advantages of extensive travel, he re-
sided as a student in Berlin when it was
q city of 500, 600 inhabitants, and subse-
quently for three years as American
minister, when it's population had in
creased to 1,100, 600.
Among American cities we arc by no
means prepared to admit that Balti-
moro is one of tho worst governed. 1t
is undeniably true, however, that it
might BIO much better governed. Not
moro than a year ago a commission APP
pointed by the present mayor sub
mitted q report showing q number of
particulars in which our municipal gov
and methods Of transacting the
city's business might be materially im-
proved 1t is needless to say that the
suggestion of the commission, who were
plain business men, without any axes to
grind in the matter, found little favor
in tho eyes of the practical politi-
%cians," the "bosses" and the ward
Managers and consequently have
never been acted upon 1t is tho funda-
mental vice of our city governments
that the ''bosses'' and tho politicians
have absolute control of tho city's bust
ness. The people have very little either
to say or do about it, except to pay the
taxes. which The other fellows spend.
But, without considering the expert
ence Of Baltimore to be an exceptionally
bad one, or our plight as any worse than
that OF most of our %neighbors, when we
examine President Whites summary of
instances of bad and inefficient NUM-
cipal government every citizen and tax
payer of Baltimore will be able to recog-
nize some few familiar features in the
list. "Wretched wharves, foul docks,
inadequate streets, and inefficient sys-
toms Of sewerage, paving and lighting.
Pavements which were fairly good at
tho beginning (when first laid DOWN
have been taken up and replaced with
utter carelessness, and have been pre-
maturely worn out or ruined" This
may ordinarily be seen by persons Of
good eyesight by simply looking out the
window. "Obstacles of all sorts are al
lowed; tangled networks of wires fire.
quently exist in such masses overhead
as to prevent access to buildings il case
of fire." and it may be added, in the
case of electric wires, to seriously
jeopardize the lives of persons using
the streets.
"Here and there corporations have
been allowed to use the streets in such
a manner as to close them to the gen.
eral public. In wet weather many of
the most important th%oroughfares are
covered with rocking mud; in dry
weather this mud, reduced to an impal-
pablo dust. containing the germs of al
most every disease, is blown into the
houses and into the nostrils of the citi-
2ens." For the enjoyment of these and
kindred luxuries the citizens of Balti-
more are required to pay taxes at the
rate OF Sl.85 on every 500 of real estate
they may own within the limits of the
city, and every 500 of personal property
they may possess, without regard to To-
cation, the residence of tho owner being
regarded as locating tho property for
the purpose of taxation.
Comparison with tho experience of
other cities, particularly some of the
better governed cities of Europe, shows
that these fruits of bad government are
not the inseparable and necessary in
cldents or c~oncomitants of city life. 1t
IS possible to enjoy the advantages and
comforts of life in a great city and vet
have wharves and docks which are not
rocking with foul doors, streets which
are we'll paved, kept clean and sufH- |
GENTLY lighted, and sewers which do
not exhale pestilential gases to the ruin
of the health and property of those who
live near them. 1t is not necessary to
have 10000 %cesspools in a territory of |
twenty-five square miles. There are
cities larger than Baltimore which are
properly severed and drained. In short.
our municipal methods arc clearly sus-
ceptible of imprOvement-of very great
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