The morning call., 1892-10-30
Gentlemen Who Serve Their
Town for Honor.
THE SYSTEM VERY SIMPLE.
The Mayor Has No veto-Paid Officials En-
ployed Permanently Chance for
Bessss-Quaint Customs.
Written for THE MORNING CALI.

! "bOodle." b0odling" and "boOdler" are mt
! in use, either as applied to individuals or
party aggregates. There are other terms.
however, such as waste" ''exlravagance. -
financial folly" and ''ruinous policy. Is
which 10 the common understanding of the
! taxpayers pocket may mean the same
thing. Yet there is radical difference, A
municipality may be extravagant and reck-
! lessIy wasteful in undertaking public
| works or entering upon contracts, but that
| does not imply that there Is any faint Of
personal dishOnOr or moral obliquty.
| There have been instances of fraiI public
morals under the English system of city
| government, but they are few In recent
wears. The wonder is they are not more
! numerous. A few officials occasionally are
found out in dark courses of fraud, but aa
all officials are permanently employed dur
! ing good behavior. and salaries are pro-
! gressive, the temptation to go wrong is re-
! duced to minimum. Councillors and Alder
| men gain a little in social status by their
| selection 10 serve on the Council OF the
| borough in which they live. This eleva.
ton in social status again may have a
| stimulating effect on the business or pro-
| fession they follow. But Councillors and
| Aldermen are without salary OF any
! DESCRIPTION. and they have very slender
/ IL
| so inclined. Tie large majority OF them
accept cflice Tor the sake Of the honor it
/ brings them.
| The growth of municipal institutions in
| England has great interest for the student,
| who finds himself carrie back to Saxon
! times, and even TO the ce INJURIES OF Roman
! occupation. Some cities on the continent
1 Of EuroTe, such as Cologne, do actually
! show continuity Of municipal government
and usage from Roman times. In England
| ali the old towns hold charters OF ineorpo-
ration, and some OF these are very ancient.
! The customs Of the Anglo-SeXons in NUM-
cipal Institutions were practically con tinued
| by the Norman kings, who saw in the
chartered towns or bOr0ughs an available
force 10 pit against the power of the feudal
barons. Ii is in every respect probable
that the franchise was exercised by all the
male citizens in the early stages Of munlci-
pal development, but the monarchs eventu-
ally preferred a concentration OF corporate
power ia few hands, and actually il be-
came the practice that municipal CORPORA
tions should elect their successors. They
were thus spoken OF as close corporations,
managing the property Of the town, i'm
posing taxes, collecting market tolls and
spending money contributed by all without
efficient check or control.
That much corruption should arise under
such system was inevitable, and at length
the evils became so flagrant that during the
reign OF William the Fourth general NUM-
cipal law was passed putting all civic corpora
lions under uniform regulations aud extend
ing the representative basis. Other acts of
Parliament have been passed broadening
and improving this reform, and to-day Il
may be truly said that the municipal cor
porations OF Great Britain are thoroughly
representative local parliaments, regulated
by botn general and local or special laws
passed by the Imperial Parliament That
little but important part OF London called
faV Bo1ef H.. 8
il meant the whole of London-was alone
exempted from reform. The City is to-day
very much IN customs OF government. privi-
leges, immuntles and powers, what Il was
in the time Of the Plantagenets and Tudors.
But it is a radical age, and some day the
mighty corporation Of the City Of London
will be reformed also and the millions in
property II possesses put to better uses.
A Town Council in an English borough
consists OF Councillors, who are elected for
three years by direct vote of the burgesses
on the register; and also Of a small num-
Der OF Aldermen. who are chosen by the
Council ia oIen meeting, and usually from
among their own number, but this is not OBJ
lgatory. An Alderman may be selected
from the body OF citizens without being
voted for by the people. The Mayor is also
chosen by tie Council without direct vote
of the people, and he is generally the nom-
inee of the party which has the majority
lie is commonly spoken Of as a Liberal or
Conservative Mayor, according 10 his pol
tiles, but as a matter of practice party pol-
tiles are excluded from municipal business,
and men of different opinions who live in
the same town agree TO administer its af-
fairs in the right spirit Of citizenship. A
Mayor may be Councillor orr Alderman
as a rule the latter-but his mayoralty only
lasts one year He is, however, eligible to
reelection, and il lie has done his duty well
he often Is reelected.
Aldermen hold Office for six years. Be
sides their duties as members of the Coun-
Gil, Aldermen act as magistrates in
boroughs. They are Justices Of the Peace
and sign warrants and try prisoners for
petty offenSes. This judicial duty they
have Of late been relieved of to a consider
able extent by the appointment OF ''sti-
pendiary magistrate" are Judges Of
limited jurisdiction paid for their services
by the town. and who hold Office during
good behavior, as DO all paid judges in Eng
land. Nominally stipendiary is chosen
by the crown, in reality be is elected by the
Council. The crown appoints him a magis-
trate; the Council selects tile barrister
whom it wishes to have appointed.
Neither Aldermen nor Councillors receive
any salary whatever. They have both re-
sp0nsible and heavy duties, but these thew
undertake cheerluly and eagerly solely for
honor and glory. Even when on the bench
an Alderman Is without remuneration. In
an old town. with numbers of prosperous
worthy, honest men of means ready to give
their services for these positions Of honor.
A worthy spirit OF emulation prevails. Pos
sioly the honor assists them in business
but there are large numbers Of such men
who have wholly retired from business or
who have handed IL over to thsir sons and
are only sleeping partners. The prosperous
man In England always retlres from active |
business pursuits soon after he passes mid |
die age.
lie pnto La
most large towns he is allowed one with the !
understanding that it is to be spent In the |
entertainment Of the citizens themselves or |
of visitors of distinction. Should the Prince |
and Princess OF Wales pay visit or the |
Shah of Persia halt BIZ the way, it Is gener |
ally necessary 10 vote some additionai
money out of the treasury for decorations
banquets, concerts or balls. As rule !
Mayors not only spend all they are allowed |
for entertainment, but good deal more ont
of their own pockets. A rich Mayor who ia |
generous thus becomes very popular AMI |
when the opportunity comes his native
town may send him to Parliament. where
the honor Is greater, but where also there is
no saiary.attached. What the Lord Mavor
OF London may spend in a single wear de-
ponds OF course upon his private fortune.
A poor man cannot take the ofYice
liberal as Is the allowance running
into thousands, for civic hospitality. SONS
OF these sovereigns of tile city would think
lightly OF dispensing from 10000 TO goo Oo0
OF their own money and vet thew have
funds Of fabulous amount to draw upon for
all necessary purposes. In prov inciai towns
1000 or E2OO0 Is considered sufficient for
the Mayors civic expenditure, but n prac-
tiee has grown up in some places of ex-
pecting the Mayor to provide dinner or
luncheon for the Councillors, Aldermen and
officials each time the Council meets and
he Is also expected to give a bali ana ann.
per TO the citizens generally An Fngliab |
Mayor has, therefore. to pay for his wbIstie
but he does it cbeerfully, and contrary to
what might be expected on q sordid earth
there Is usually much competition for the
position. In London the Lord Mayor al
the Aldermen. In provincial towns the selers
ton OF candidates isquite arbitrary and tho
voting in the Council Is genuinelv sarnast