The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-07-19
A CHANGE OF TOWN CHARTER.

For number OF years past there
has been growing sentiment that a
change in the organization of our town
government is desirable, and there
has been more or less talk on that
subject. Several years ago an effort
was made to secure special legislation
to repeal the special laws under which
we are organized, and to put the town
under the general borough laws. This
movement was confronted with an
obstacle in the constitution in the
shape of clause prohibiting special
legislation CIRCULATING the affairs of
counties, cities, townships, wards,
boroughs, or school Districts" or in
cooperating cities, towns, villages, or
changing their charters" and the
matter was dropped. 1t was believed
that nothing but a constitutional
amendment that will permit such
Legislation as would be necessary to
change our charter, could afford us
any relief, and the prospect of securing
such change in the constitution was
not promising, and SO no effort was
made.
If constitutional amendment is
necessary, there can be no nope for a
change. The machinery that must be
moved in order to amend the constitu.
tion, is too ponderous, and it would
be difficult proceeding to get the
whole state interested in a matter
which would affect only the Town OF
Bloomsburg.
1t seems to US that change can be
obtained by a general law repeating
the charters Of all toacnS in the state,
and recognizing them under the
general borough laws, if such change
is desirable. Bloomsburg is the only
tolon in the state, and we cannot see
why general law relating to towns,
but which would apply to no other
place besides Bloomsburg, cannot be
passed as well as general law relating
to cities of the first class which applies
only to Philadelphia.
But the question arises, why is any
change desirable =? One complaint is
that being organized under special
laws as torn, and being the only
Incorporated municipality by that
name in the state, that when new laws
are passed by the legislature relating
to boroughs, no one ever knows
whether they are applicable to Blooms
burg or not On this point lawyers
disagree. Some contend that Blooms
burg is an incorporated town, and an
incorporated town is borough, hence
BloomSburg is borough. Others in
sist that being incol porated as town,
no law is applicable unless the word
torn appears in it. Between the two,
laymen cannot tell what the law means.
Another complaint is as to the
manner OF electlng the town council.
Every year a full board is elected.
Sometimes members are reelected,
and sometimes not SO that it may
happen, and has happened, that an
entirely new set of men has been
chosen, none of whom know anything
of what has been done by the previous
council except what appears on the
minute book. It's urged that if the
council were elected for three years,
and only two elected eac h year, that
there would be constantly majority
of the members who are familiar with
the business of the town, and that
thereby much more good could be &C
complished Another objection is
made to the cumulative system of
voting, which enables any man who
has an axe to grind, to get himself
elected to council by small pro-
portion Of the voters.
There will be no session of the
legislature until 1897, and nothing
can be done until that time. If any
change is desired, the necessary action
should be begun in time, so that the
matter may be freely discussed, and
that it may be presented to the next
legislature without delay.