The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-05-06
LEADING 70 CONTAMINATION.

Massachusetts has been taking some
steps which may appear necessary, un-
der existing circumstances, but which
in our opinion are not in accordance
with our Political institutions. A bill
has been passed to establish a board of
police for Fail River. There are TO be
three commissioners, appointed by the
Governor and confirmed by the council,
TO hold office for three years, to have
their salaries and all expenses paid by
the city of Fall River, and to have full
powers over the police administration
of the city, and to act also as board
Of commissioner for the issue of liquor
licenses. In case of riot or other great
public disturbance, the mayor may, by
proclamation, assume the direction of
the police for the time, but this is the
only exception to the rule that the po-
lice are under the direction of com
mission with whose appointment the
people of the city have nothing TO do
The commissioners are 10 be of the
two chief political parties and must be
residents of Fall River.
{ similar bill in principle was
passed in 1885 for the city of Boston.
OF course, in both instances. the meas
ure came from Republican sources. A
bill is pending to have all the liquor
license commissions in the state ex-
cept those of Boston and Fall River
appointed by the Governor, thus ex-
tending state power over the local
authorities and establishing the prin-
ciple of Capitalization.
The excuse for the passage of the
Fall River bill was that the liquor ele-
ment had control of the city and the
Mayor would not enforce the or
! dinances but played into the hands of
the liquor men, and it was impossible
for the better class of the people to
overcome that influence.
We are glad to learn that the Demo-
Gratis in the legislature did all that lay
in their power when the project was
first under consideration, to prevent
this assault on the principle of local
iself-government When the right of a
city to regulate its own affairs, control
its own police, and issue its own IL
jcenses for business is taken away and
exercised by the State government, a
radical change is made in our institu-
tons and the tendency is towards that
concentration of power in the general
government which needs to be re-
strained
This is the trend of Republicanisqn.
The Democratic spirit leads in the di-
rection of local self government. II
promotes the largest liberty compatible
with the general good. Not only must
each State preserve its autonomy in
tact. but each county and municipal
government must exercise the powers
lit holds for the people within its
sphere.
If corruption creeps in, as it will in
every department unless the good citi-
zens are vigilant and active, the purif-
cation must proceed from within. The
State has no more right to grasp the
local powers that belong to county or
a city, than the national government
possesses to seize on the authority of a
State government because of corrup-
ton within its borders. The founders
of this nation defined, in the national
Constitution, the limit of the respec-
tive powers of the states and the ma
ton. and anything that leads to the
encroachment of one upon the other
ought to be opposed by every patriot.
To preserve this essential balance is
one of the duties of the Democracy.