The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-11-19
CHARrER REVISION.

AotHo 1aitur VI thc JOuhnAL AND Nouhieis'
 American cities have grown so rapid iy that our people have found 1t im- possible to keep pace with them in devising any adequate laws to meet growing conditions. For instance, our town meetings. school district meetings and town government are well enough for villages. but have no place In mod ern cities. Present city government methods are cumbersome. extravagant and unsatisfactory and without re- sponsible head or check. Everything seems to be question of political pull. In fact. ward politics and organization elevate small men to great offices.
 Who owns the city business? The taxpayers are the owners of this city's business. Why don't they attend to it? The answer Is simple. If they attend the primaries they are outvoted by machine politicians and people who give most of their time to politics. They must either join the ring or they do not count. So they stay away, If they have fine sensibilities. This Is very deplorable condition. They are too busy with their private business to be always fighting rings, and until the rings abuse their power to an extra ordinary extent, they are tolerated, then the taxpayers wake up and over throw the rings. But new rings are formed and they come into power again and again perhaps under a new name), no matter how often they are overthrown and so 1t Is constant bat tie.
 I desire to do away with this con- dition and constant war of trying to keep the dishonorable from electing themselves to honorable positions, and voting away the taxpayers money. It has become very rare that man hold ing political office any longer com mands the respect of the community. The remedy Is simple and easily put into execution. Let the charter contain a clause establishing '"The Taxpayers Protective Committee of One Hundred" This committee must be strictly non-partisan, and inde- pendent of any political power. Therefore it is not to be appointed or elected. It is not to be administra- tive nor legislative but 1t shall be check on those two bodies. This com mittee shall by right consist of the one hundred citizens whom the records show paid the largest tax on the pre- vious tax list. and it shall be com pulsory on the assessors and tax col lector to furnisll a certificate to each of said one hundred heaviest taxpayers, signed by the county clerk or clerk of records or other competent authority, and said certificate shall empower them to act on said committee.
 They shall be vested with power to organize, elect an executive commit tee or commissioner if they deem best, with power to examine all depart ments, officials or clerks and hold them to an accounting for their acts, review, criticize, report and recommend from time to time Cat least quarterly) to the taxpayers such information and action as the committee of one hundred deem for the best interests of the taxpayers. This committee to act as a check en- tirely for the welfare of the city and represent the taxpayers only, said committee to have an appropriation of say $5,0OO year to pay for assistance, legal advice, stationery and printing. Under this condition all responsibility should rest with the mayor, and the committee would hold him responsible. He should nominate all heads of de- partments, and the committee must approve of them or veto them. Such heads of departments should be simply head clerks and they should appoint or remove all clerks under them, and be responsible for their acts, and the mayor should have power to remove any or all such head clerks and nomi- nate others, to be approved or vetoed by the committee of one hundred.
 The Boards of Aldermen and Coun- cilmen should be merged in one bodyand consist Of say ten representatives at large not elected by wards. Each man should represent the city as a. unit, and SO do away with ward deals and boss ism.
 The committee of one hundred are to receive no pay, except perhaps the executive committee or commissioner, who is to be actively engaged, and 1t will be regarded as such an honor to serve on this committee, that many will be anxious to have their tax lists increased instead of reduced, which will materially increase the finances of the city, cultivate spirit of patriotism, cause each taxpayer to feel that he is protected by safeguard and check, the result of which will be that he will pay willingly and freely the taxes due the city as his share of common bur- den, and not as now try to pay as little as possible on the theory that its "catcHlas-catch-can." The city busi- ness, in fact, should be conducted as near the same methods as possible as any private individual or corporation would conduct theirs. The mayor is the manager and must give an account ing of his stewardship to the owners, and the owners must have their organ ized committee, to demand that ac- counting and veto more appointments.
 The Committee of One Hundred would not handle the finances nor. make the laws, and so would have no. motive, no opportunity to make deals. And being the largest property owners would be deeply interested in the tax payers welfare. Besides the majority would certainly be above suspicion. as they would hardly feel. the need of Ytnoney nor yal1lt,, if as above their honor