The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-12-10

In tnOSe days, and he further reflects
upon the charter con mittee Of that
Cour Gil by stating that they became
confused, and did not know what they
were doing. must here reiterate. and
think facts will bear me out, that it
would be difficult to secure more
brainy committee than that charter
committee Of l89l-02, nor do l believe
that committee composed OF such
men as A. e. King, j. Allen Watts,
M. G. Thomas and John ]. Sheehan
would become easily confused even in
the light Of the Com mercial Association.
Citizen" must again thank lob.
server" for the kind suggestion of what
might have been If he had submitted
his suggestions to Council. observer"
must certainly regard the City Council
in the light OF an august body, whose
business it is to sit in Judgment and
pass upon the opinions and actions of
ordinary mortsls, and tell them what is
good and what is bad, and certainly in
the light OF their recent action in the
matter of the amendment to the charter
he has just grounds for this belief.
observer" has failed utterly, how
ever, to show that it is good for the
people OF Roanoke that the mayor should
be entirely at the mercy Of Council as
to the permanency of his official tenure,
and he has further failed most signally
to show how it would be good for the
contractors, mechanics and laborers of
Roanoke that Council should have the
supreme power to award work to nom
residents over their heads at any figure
1t might deem proper. 1t is the most
fallacious argument to say that this
clause concerning the awarding of con-
tracts was introduced for the benefit of
the Roanoke contractors and working
men when it gives to the City Council
absolute power to award the contracts
to whom they like and at any figure
they might deem proper.
observer" seems affected with ner-
vous tremor and absolute collapse at
the idea Of the possibility that the
board Of public works may be retained
as a check on tho City Council Any
thinking man who will carefully read
the proposed amendment to the charter
will very readily conclude that some
check will be necessary, but "Observer'
seems ready to exclaim with Macbeth:
Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear,
The armed rhnocerous or the Ilyrcan tiger;
Take any shape but THAT, and my firm nerves
snail never trcmble."
the institution of the board of public
works as provided for under the present
appointment is vested in the mayor and
they have very positively defined
powers in regard to approving bills for
public improvements. 1 speak of this
board as an ins titu lion, but know moth
ing of tho personnel at present.
observer" confidently asserts in an
automatic way the astounding PROPOSE
ton that Power is safer in the Council
than in the judiciary or executive"
Nov, II he is correct in that he has
certainly founded new school of
political economy, and all political
economists who have existed in past
and present times have lived and
labored in vain. This means the aboli-
ton OF courts of justice and return to
a form OF government only lnstanced by
the Council OF Ten OF Venice. have
been taught to believe that the judiciary
in all government is the court Of last
resort, and, therefore, the highest
and that the executive is in
terposed as 4 check on legislative
power. 1t still appears to me that the
com mingling or condensing of these
three functions of government would
result in hybrid or kind OF political
what is it."
quote from Mr.. James Bryce, one
of the most eminent of political econo-
mists. In speaking of municipal legis.
lstive bodies and their relation to the
executive, Mr.. Bryce says: "Originally
these bodies were given very large
powers in order to carry out to the ut.
most the idea of local self-government.
AS rule they have so far abused these
powers that almost everywhere the
scope of their authority has been greatly
restricted. In the city of New York,
that tendency has been acted upon to so
great an extent as to deprive the COM
mon council Of every important function
1T ever possessed except thu single
power to grant public franchises. How
greatly they have abused this remain
ing power is unfortunately matter of
public record. The powers thus taken
away from the common council are ordi.
narily lodged in boards made up of the
higher city officials.
''Even in the city of New York it has
seldom been the case that the mayor of
the city has not been man OF good re-
pute and some points As general
proposition it is found in American
cities that the larger the constituency
to which candidate must appeal, and
the more important tie office, the more
OF man the candidate must be- What
may be the outcome OF this difficulty as
to the Legislative body in cities, it is
to say. Sometimes it seems
almost as though the attempt would be
made TO govern cities without any local
legislature
1T may fairly be said to be, there
fore, great unsolved organic problem
in connection with municipal govern
ment in the United States. That it ia
so illustrates with vlvidness the JUS
tice of the American view that it is a
dangerous thing in wholly Democratic
communities to make the legislative