St. Paul daily globe., 1895-10-06

SIX months or year before the legiS.
lature convenes, whose duty it would
oe TO make an exhaustive study of the
matter and then to draft a well-con-
sldered charter and submit it to the
legislature. The idea of the people
being allowed to vote for a measure
that the masses would never thorough
ly understand is absurd 1t is far bet
ter and safer to let things remain as
they are than to run any such hazard
Gus risks as the one proposed"
State Senator T. D. Sheehan. the au-
thor or the famous home rule bill. was
, decidedly averse to discussing the How
ara charter. AT first he refused to ex-
press any opinion upon 1t, but upon
further urging Senator Sheehan said:
Betore the people cast their votes
Tor the Howard charter they would do
Wen TO examine it closely to ascertain
whether 1T contains any loopholes for
eXtraVagance in city government, and
also for the concealment of large-sized
woodchucks. might add that there
are grave doubts of the constitution
allty OF the act, but 1 do not care to
discuss that point at present" And
this is all Senator Sheehan could be in
ouced to say regarding the Howard
charter.
or his home rule bill, he spoke freely,
though without any reference to it's
possible adoption here. The bill pro-
Vides that the district court Judges of
county may appoint fifteen freehold
ers of village or city desiring a new
system of government, whose function
1t shall be to draft a charter for the
government of such village or city, and
to submit it to the people to be voted
upon. In case it should afterwards
prove unsatisfactory, the legisla ture is
granted power to amend it upon prop
er application. Before this bill can be-
come operative, however, the state con-
Stitution must be amended by vote of
all the people. Thus it would require
four or five years from the present
time to accomplish the desired change
in any city government
Q. Q. Cullen said that he was not
sufficiently familiar with the Howard
charter to discuss its provisions, but
from such knowledge as he had of 1t,
he questioned the propriety of the
adoption of it by st. Paul.
THERE ARE LOOPHoLEs
in the Howard charter" said Mr.. Cul-
len, that would undoubtedly permit
great extravaganza on the part of the
council in administering the affairs of
the city. If we could assume that all
city councils We're absolutely incor-
ruptible and wise, then this law would
unquestionably afford a most superior
scheme of municipal government, but
we know too we'll that such Is not the
case. Councils should be restricted by
proper Safeguards as we'll as other city
officials. There are sections in the
Howard charter that grant dangerous
ly extensive powers to the council.
have in mind one in particular that
gives the council power to erect, pro-
vide for, improve and repair almost
any kind of a building or structure
one can think of. Yet there are many
provisions to commend in the charter.
AS to the wisdom of allowing the peo-
pie to vote upon its adoption, am not
prepared to express a decided opinion,
but I do think that the measure
should receive prolonged and serious
attention and study before it is SUBJ
mitted to the people,
NJ. D. Mum had nothing to say re-
lative to the merits of the Howard
familiar, but he was emphatically in
favor of getting rid of the Bell charter
as soon as possible.
What is the Bell charter" said Mr..
Mum, but a miscellaneous hodge
podge of special laws passed from time
to time during the past twenty years,
mainly at the instance and in the
interests of a lot of office holders 1t
is the worst charter any city can have
the misfortune to be under, as witness
the appalling extravaganza of our city
government. 1 am not familiar with
the Howard charter, and don't believe
the people generally understand it, or
ever will unless they are afforded an
opportunity to study it. For that rea-
son it seems to me that the daily news
papers would be doing the public a
valuable service if they would publish
the charter, or at least its salient and
Distinguishing features, in order that
they may familiarize themselves with
the bill before voting upon 1t, In case
the ordinance is passed"
C. n. Bell positively refused to be
interviewed upon the Howard charter,
nor would he discuss the ordinance in
troduced into the council. He de-
declared that he was not acquainted
with the provisions of the bill and,
like Mr.. Mum, thought that the news
papers ought to publish it.
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