The Portland daily press., 1895-04-16
MUNICIPAL PROBLEMS.
Congregational Club Considered
Them Last Night.
DIR. NEWMAN SMYTHE SPEAKS OF.
CITIZENSHIP.

Mayor Baxter on Needed Changes in
Forms of City Observation-Disclosures
ment of Branch of Municipal League
| Recommended.
| The regular monthly meeting of the
Congregational Club was held at the
Preble last evening. After dinner, the
President, Rev. DR.. Jenkins introduce
the guest of the evening as native OF
Maine, who has made himself well
known in several lines of effrot, Rev.
DR.. Newman Smythe of New Haven. DIR.
Smythe said that he had tried to adapt
himself to the more peaceful and happy
conditions of Maine cities, where the
vexations of problems of other states dc
not come in. In regard to liquor legis-
lation. his greatest effort had been to
get license law enforced.
We are on the food tide of the revival
of the sense of civic response bility. The
great problems of the future lie in mu-
nicipal government. We who lived
through stirring war times sometimes
long for great moral questions atfording
| fields for heroic action.
| But it is not true that we do not have
moral issues in politics today.
The Providence of God ia felt now
in relation to civic affairs. The problem
of the war was the preservation of one
national body. That question was set
tied forever. The question today il the
wholes0meness of the units composing
The body. 1t is question of life and
death in the nerve centres of the body
If they become impaired the whole body
will be sick.
What are the existing conditions which
threaten in the government of our large
towns and cities. There may be a ten
deDcy to regard our civic life as really
worse. than it is, but.there is enough of
corruption to cause us to look with So
licitude upon the future Of municipal
government. 1t is not probable that in
other cities. in this country there is the
organized corruption that reigned in
New York. But there are the same ten
denotes. If we no not have robbery, we
have jobbery. If there is not positive
corruption, there is unbusinesslike ad-
ministration.
We can discern specific causes for
concern and alarm in regard to this. In
our American cities we are in the exper-
mental stage. No thorough going sci
ence has been worked out of American
soil. We can hardly copy the approved
systems of European cities, as they are
not adapted to our institutions. The
American system has not yet been
worked out. But there is general agi-
tation in this matter, and notably in
Connecticut, several cities are now ask
in g of the legislature revised charters.
New Haven is one of these. The mayor
has very little authority except in cases
Of riots. Now, why should not a city,
like business corporation, be run by
a RESPONSE BILE head. The system of bi.
patronage commission prevails. The
police, for instance, are. managed by six
commissioners, three from each of the
two great parties The result is a mis-
cradle government of deadlocks or deals.
The city must be
RUN AS A BUSINESS
is run, by responsible, not irresponsible
people.
The chief duty of reformatory citizen
ship is not SO much to criticize and pull
down bad men, as to uphold honest adj
ministrations. We leave our public attor-
neys and city officera without backing.
against the assaults of the vicious. When
we have good man in Office, we Should
back him with the whole public sense
of the community. If we upheld better
the hands of our good magistrates, we
should have fewer evil magistrates to
punish.
After Dr.Smythe had concluded,
MAYOR BAXTER
was introduced. After few humorous
remarks, he turned to the subject of
municipal reform. This could never be
done satisfactorily under the present sys-
tenn. Now our city governments are or
ganized on the model of the national
government with two houses and an
executive officer. Our cities should be
run like business corporations. The
mayor and an advisory board should
manage affairs. At present the mayor
has very little power.
We also have many precedents to
trouble us. For instance. mayor or
alderman is not expected to hold office
but two years. The first year he gets
acquainted with the business. The sec
ond he begins to be good for something,
and then must retire. The same usage
insists that man elected one year is
entitled by usage to reelection, even if
he has net proved himself efficient. An
other thing that troubles, is the reluc-
tance of men to respond to calls to the
public service. When men are SO called
they should consider it their duty to re-
spond.
vko Lc1