The Portland daily press., 1892-11-29

There would seem to be established by
| this charter a government with an execu-
tive and legislative branch, the execu-
tive head being the mayor, and the leg
islatiye powers being vested in the two
! chambers of the city council. But the
charter provides that the executive
! powers of the city generally shall be
vested in the mayor and aldermen This
provision giving executive powers to the
| upper legislative chamber, together with
| other limitations imposed upon the pow
er of the mayor and with customs which
have obtained authority from long usage
| has made the legislative branch of the
government almost supreme. Recent
| legislation has given the mayor power to
| appoint the city marshal and his deputies
without confirmation. All other ap-
pointments must be confirmed by the
aldermen, but the appointing power of
the mayor is limited to appointments
| on the police force and to a few other
| comparatively unimportant positions.
| All the principal officials in what should
| be the executive department., such as
| the city treasurer, the city engineer, the
street commissioner, etc., and Largo
| number of minor officials are elected in
joint convention of the city council The
I, council fixes their compensation, and
may remove them by a two-thirds vote
| of each board. The mayor has no voice
whatever iu their election, they are di-
rectly responsible to the council and not
| to him, and he has no authority over
them save as given by the vague provis-
| ion that he shall exercise general super
| vision.
| As the executive power of appoint
ments is thus practically all of it exer-
o;c Il ~, q To- lot hro mob
| ly all the other executive functions also;
| but for each of the twenty-eight men
comprising the council to personally take
| part in all the city's affairs is obviously
| impossible. So the practice has obtained
of dividing them into large number of
small committees, and giving to each
committee the practical control of some
branch of the city's business. 1t is then
by and through these committees that
the city is governed Appointments to
committees are made by the mayor, and
of the more important ones the mayor
himselfis chairman. In that way he
takes an important part in the manage
ment of the city's affairs, but not be-
cause he is the head of the executive
branch of the city government, but be-
cause of his membership upon various
committees of what should be the legis-
committee, however, there is no distinct
ion in rank, and the vote of councilman
is equal to the vote of an alderman or of
the mayor himself. The authority of
the mayor then in given branch of the
public business comes not from his
Office as mayor of the city, nor from his
position as chairman of committee
having the matter in charge, but from
his own personal influence over other
members of the committee.
The city government of Portland then
is in marked contrast with that of Brook
lyn. In Brooklyn the heads of depart
ments are single officials appointed by
the mayor. In Portland heads of depart
ments are committees of the city coun-
Gil. In one city the executive branch of
the city government is distinct from the
other, and its own province supreme. In
the other city the executive functions
are practically all of them performed by
Brooklyn department. is man presuma-
bly, chosen for his fitness. He receives
salary and gives his whole time to the
service of the city. The head of the
Portland department is committee
changing from year to year in its per-
sonnet. No member of a committee
brings to his position any particular
knowledge of the department of which
he is placed in partial charge. He re-
ceives no compensation, and he must
therefore, give the greater part of his
time and attention to his own private
affairs, If the citizens of Brooklyn are
not satisfied with the management of
affairs, they know at whose door the re-
sponsibility lies. If the citizens of Port
land are not satisfied, whom can they
blame?
Portland is fortunate in many respects.
1t has population which is homogene-
Gus, and which has high average of in
telligence. Bribery of voters, while it is
doubtless practiced to some extent, plays
but a small part on the whole in munich
pal elections. Our city governments
whatever may be their mistakes or short
comings, are not corrupt. Although our
aldermen and councilmen may some
times seem to have false conceptions as
to their duties and as to the ends for
which they should strive, they are doubt
less, the most of them, faithful in the
performance of the duties which they
conceive to be theirs, and honest in at
tempting to secure the ends for which
they believe they should aim. Still the
management of our city affairs is not in
many respects satisfactory, and it is SUBJ
mlIuou IldC d principal reason IOr UnlS
may be found in the system of govern
ment established by the charter.l
The most noticeable and
Most Serious Defects in this Charter
is the division of responsibility and in
the absence of single responsible head.
The committees act Independently and
often in rivalry with each other. At the
beginning of each municipal year each
committee estimates the amount of money
required or desired by it's department
The total of these amounts is generally
considerably larger than the estimated
income, and while the committee on es-
Inmates may strive to have the citys ex-
penditures as whole, made to the best
advantage, it often meets strenuous OPP
position from other members of the
council, each bending all his energies to
obtain for his own particular committee
an appropriation as large as possible.
Local interests also play an important
part in the question of appropriations.
Many aldermen and councilmen seem to
think that they must get all they can for
their own immediate neighborhood. that