Los Angeles herald., 1891-02-09
noNDAY. FEBRUARY .. 1891.
GOVERNING BY COMMISSION.

GOVERNING BY COMMISSION.
Saturdays San Francisco Chronicle
contains strong protest against the
spirit, which has thus far disclosed itself
in the legislature, OF governing San
Francisco from Sacramento. For once
our contemporary is entirely right.
The government of cities by ccmmisr
aions appointed by the governor, or from
what source soever outside of the in
itiative of it's people, is entirely wrong.
The underlying principle of the Ameri-
can system is local government. As
Abraham Lincoln expressed it on the
battlefield OF Gettysburg, what San
Francisco wants is government of the
people. for the people and by the
people," No man knows 80 we'll what
is good for him as the citizen OF city,
large or small. :
There were never in the history OF the
United States more municipal infamies
recorded than in the long interval in
which New York City was governed from
Albany. That these outrages were per-
petrated by the Republican party in
no whit diminishes their Nervousness.
1t was this foreign, so to speak,
government OF New York City
that made the outrages OF Tweed,
Sweeney, +Ingersoll, Connolly and the
rest of the Tweed gang, possible. 1t
must never be forgotten that it was Re-
publican legislatures OF New York that
stood behind misgovernment in New
York City. At every stage of Tweed's
career as q municipal robber he had the
staunch backing of a Republican legis-
lature.
1t is to be hoped that this nefarious
system will never become popular in
California. In discussing the project to
govern San Francisco from Sacramento
the Chronicle correctly says:
But even if it were a foregone conclu-'
sion that the city must have a boss, it
would be better to have one here on the
ground than one at Sacramento. Gov
ernor Markham may have the. best in
tentions in the world toward this city,
may desire to do all he can to secure
good government for it, but he cannot
know the situation precisely, and would
be certain to be deceived and misled If
he should attempt to govern the city
from the state capitol in Sacramento.
Nothing could be sounder than this.
Away with all the existing useless COM
missions, and see that no new ones are
formed whose functions are not strictly
local! Thomas Jefferson's model OF gov
ernment was the township. 1t will be
an ill-day for California when its prin-
eipal city shall be brought under 'boss"
dictation emanating from Sacramento.
If ''bossism" is inevitable it ought at
least to be local. But it is
neither inevitable nor expedient. In
fact, neither the idea OF state nor local
bossism is to be tolerated. According to
the Chronicle the argument advanced
for an interference in the local affairs Of
San Francisco is based on the insidious
argument that if the people OF that city
are left to govern themselves, a boss"
will be the result. A more ridiculous
non sequitur has seldom been presented
to intelligent people. This move
ment is maniiestly in the interest Of
would-be boss Dan Burns, and the other
defaulters who have made the state
treasury sick by their whole-hearted
peculations. Ii Governor Markham is
desirous OF making solid reputation
with the voters, not only of San Fran
cicsco but of the state at large, he will
sit down on all such robber-conceived
schemes. After a few years of buccan-
Ger government emanating from Sacra-
mento the hard-bested taxpayers of the
Golden Gate would be ready to cry
aloud for a restoration of the compare
lively benefcent rule of Buckley. Such
a scheme, on smaller scale, would be
fully as disastrous as the force bill would
have been if the promoters of that
malign conspiracy had succeeded in
pushing it through congress.