The record-union., 1892-08-04
A MISTAKEN NOTION.

Mr.. Frank Morrison of Boston, who
has officially made study of municipal
government in the United States, says in
recent paper in the Forum that city
government is corporate, not a political
problem. That is a truth disputed now
by no one but the case-hardened poll
tician, whose conception of Office is that
it is created only as a means to political
power and for the reward of political
servitors. Mr.. Morrison did not need to
argue the proposition that city is not a
political community. 1t has, properly,
to do only with paving streets, supplying
water, lighting the highway, conserving
the comfort and peace of the people and
the enforcement of such regulations as
congestion ofhuman beings makes neces-
sary to the general prosperity and con-
venience.
AS Mr.. Morrison puts it, city is not
only technically, but is logically. cor
poration, and not political community.
Politically every resident of city is resi-
dent OF the county and of the State andof
the nation in turn, but so far as the city
is concerned, he is simply member of a
corporation, and the business OF the City
Government is corporate business and
not political business.
Now, the management of a corporation
is always put into the hands of men who
have an interest at stake. In the same
way, Mr.. Morrison argues, the mainte-
nance of city ought to be put into the
hands OF men who have something at
stake, viz: property-holders AS a
matter OF fact, however. he shows by an
analysis of the Common Council of Bos-
ton land the same is true of most of our
American cities) the men who have
municipal government in hand are men
who have no stake in the city; that is to
say, are not taxpayers at all.
On this line he assails our system that
admits to voice in municipal affairs the
man who has no property at stake. Here
Mr.. Morrison and the people who enter
tain broader views of self-government
and humanity will part company. Prop
erty possession by no means implies
often represents narrowness of soul
misery disposition and retrogression
Property ownership has never yet demon
strated that it is superior to brains. Many
of the most progressive, brainy anC
idea-charged men in the community are
those without property. The quality tina
makes them public-spirited, energetic, il
love with humanity and soHcitous to con
tribute of energy and push to human
advancement, disqualifies them, in mos
part, from cooping up dollars or acquir
ing town lots and tenement houses.
Cut out of the scheme of our system
the originating, pushing, self-sacrifcing
public-spirited and executing men o
communities who are poor men, com
paratively, and you eliminate the mos
useful elements. If Mr.. Morrison's the
DRY is good for anything, it should carr,
with it the demand for representation il
municipal government, according to thu
amount or value of property owned
which would be opposed to every i'm
pulse of free government.
Moreover he who lives in a communit
and possesses not, may contribute to
as much and have perhaps deeper inter
est in its welfare than the owner of lot
and houses. There are other and strongt
ties than those of realty that bind me
and women to place. Still further,
municipal government is a corporate a
fair it does not follow that the corpora
property consists simply of tangible DO
sessions. Communities have interest
hopes, trials and successes wholly unr
lated to property. A town may be f
nous, strong and model because it
one of letters, or science, or art. Equal
it may have at the basic stone of its foul
dation, brain. courage and genius to
accredited with its success.
While communities known as mum
ipal corporations are not political bodi
In true sense, the units of their cor
position have political rights that cam
by class distinction be put upon wit
out endangering the fabric of free 90
eminent. Certainly, cities should
governed and conducted upon busine
principles and be divorced from par
politics; but to do so it is not necessary
set up land or property possessing a
governing aristocracy in municipal &c
eminent.
A LEvEE OBJECT LESSON.