St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-01-17

DR.. Washington GLADDEN.. the munic
fpal reformer and political economist.
and a man who has made profound
study OF all matters bearing on the
enactment and enforcement of laws for
cities. delivered a. highly instruct i've
and entertaining lecture on the sub
jects Indicated last night at the Lyceum
theater. The lecture was under the
auspices of the board of trade. and it
was the first OF series to be given dur
ing the remainder of the winter season.
DR.. GLADDEN. arrived III the city yester-
day. and he was met by delegation OF
prominent citizens. During the day he
was the guest OF ID. Percy Jones. the
weli-knowu real estate man.
The stage of the Lyceum contained a
number of prominent citizens. and the
audience was highly representative.
DR.. GLADDEN. spoke for over an hour.
his address in part being as follows:
'What are the causes of the failure of
municipal government i'll the United
States? 1t is difficult to state these
causes logically. l will name few Of
them without attempting TO define their
relation to one another. We must ad-
nit considerable abasement of the
average intelligence and morality of the
urban populations, due to several
causes:
TO immigration, which drops its sed-
iment quite largely in the cities, and
leaves us great masses of people who do
not speak the language and have no
conception of the duties of citizenship.
40 industrial crises and fluctuations,
which push multitudes over the Dor
derS of self-maintenance into the limbo
of responsibility and sem.-mendl-
cancy.
10 the influx of e'er-do-welIs from
the neighboring country, who prefer to
take their chances Of livelihood among
the odd jobs and the aims of a city
rather than to engage in any regular in
dustry.
10 sentimental and indiscriminat-
ing charity, which creates an economic
demand for paupers and tends to the
DEGRADATION of character.
40 the abandonment by the churches
of large sections of the cities Inhabited
by the less prosperous classes, leaving
them without spiritual or moral guild
ance.
10 the absenteeism of large numbers
OF those who are the natural leaders of
the municipality, but who live in the
suburbs, and thus lose their citizenship
i'll the cities.
40 these, and doubtless to other
causes, we may trace that debaSement
Ill the moral and mental quality of the
urban citizenship which now confronts
us, and to which the failure of municipal
government is largely due.
''Out OF such conditions springs the
demagogue as naturally as, and about as
quickly as, the toadstool springs from
the compost heap. The demagogue has
been produced by these conditions. His
interest lies in perpetuatiug them.
Action and reaction are equal, and the
resultant movement is downward.
1--WE ought to have in every state
some constitutional limits upon the
power of the legislature to NEEDLE with
municipalities. The constitution OF the
state should itself furnish few simple
rules To- which all cities should conform,
and should prescribe the methods by
which the citizens of every city, in
conventions. should frame their own
law. submitting it to popular vote. The
legislature of Minnesota should have
no power to impose a charter on the
city of Minneapolis. Large liberty
should be allowed in the construction
of municipal machinery, that expert
ments may be freely tried. Home rule
in the largest sense should be the right
of every city,"