The record-union., 1893-10-02
THE NEW CHARTER TEST, !,

he II w L.
1t is one of the best assurances of the
permanency of free government that the
people are extremely jealous of any in
| terterence with their expressed will at the
polls. That expression is the final arbiter;
the submission to the will of the ma
jority has become, as was intended, the
highest test of loyalty to free institutions.
So it is that the citizens of Sacramento,
having with due deliberation adopted
new charter, and the same having been
approved by the legislative branch of the
State Government as provided by the
Constitution, view with extreme distrust
any assault upon that instrument that is
calculated to prevent its being put into
operation.
Mayor Steinman has had the courage,
as have few men, to take issue with the
public sentiment and to offer resolution
in the City Board of Trustees looking to
consultation with the Freeholder Board
which framed the charter, with view of
testing at law the questions of alleged in
validity of that document. The Mayor
must be given credit for sincerity of pur-
pose. While we disagree with him in
the proposed method he would have
adopted, we are perfectly sure that he is
honest in his view, conscientious and sin
/ HaH bo Il
duplicity he might easily have procured
some one to bring an action that would
have put the whole matter in the courts.
Mayor Steinman has made too pro-
gressive, courageous and modern an ex-
ecutive for his motives to be suspected
He has set the pace for ali future Mayors
of the city; he has not feared to throttle
vice in its best fortified strongholds: in
the face of bitter opposition he has pushed
forward progressive measures that are
to-day doing more for Sacramento than
any schemes that have been put on foot
for years; he has rebuked incompetency
and chcane and impaired vigor to public
work that was sadly needed. In short,
with unprecedented fear,essness, and
with an eye single to the improvement of
the city, the diminution of taxation, and
the advance Of prosperous conditions to
still higher levels. he has, with the mimi
mum of error, achieved the maximum of
good for his city.
But though sincere he is mistaken in
the plan he proposes to "test" the valid
ity of the new charter. If there is to
| come any assault upon that instrument,
it should come in a regular way and from
some other than an official source All
presumptions are in favor of the instru-
ment; except for irreparable and gross
error in its framing and adoption the
the people expressed by its ratification at
! the polls.
The several points of error suggested
we do not deem of importance or to be
more than immaterial matters at the ut
most. II, however, there is in the instru-
ment lack of legal vitality, it is time
enough to bring the issues into court
when, after the election, certificates of cleo
ton are about to issue. A case brought
then will be genuine, SO far as the courts
are concerned at least. and any judgment
reached by the tribunals will be binding
and final. So, as we have on other occa-
sions disagreed with the Mayor, we part
company with him in this matter and
commend the Board of Freeholders for
declining to become parties to his propo-
sition to have a o-called test case brought
before election. That board is functus
o6iclo. It's duties closed with the COM
pletion of the charter, and the boards
legal life expired with that act. Indeed,
| il would be a confession of weakness and
distrust of their own work for the citl-
zens who so faithfully labored upon the
instrument, and so long and unselishly
studied that most difficult of problems,
economic municipal government, to as
sumo any attitude of doubt or antagonism
/ 20 their own work,