Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-06
CITY GOVERNMENT
Annual Conference of the National
Municipal League.
IMPORTANT TOPICS DISCUSSED
The Progress Of Reform in Chicago
Described
PLAN OF WORK OUTLINED

PLAN OF WORK OUTLINED
BALTIMORE, Md, May 6.-The annual
conference of the National Municipal
League began in this city this afternoon.
Delegates from almost every state east of
the Rocky mountains are present, and the
following organizations are represented:
City Club, New York; Municipal League,
Philadelphia; Civic Club Pittsburg; Libra
ry Hall Association, Cambridge, Mass;
Municipal League. Boston; Good Gov.
eminent Club, Buffalo; municipal COM
mission of Wilmington, Del; Munic-
ipal League. Pittsburg; Citizens League,
Pittsburg; Civic Federation, Chicago;
Civic Federation, Cleveland, Ohio; Wo-
mems Health Protective Association, Phila-
delphia; Good Government Club of Rich
mond county, N. Y; Democratic Good Gov
eminent League, Richmond, Va; Iowa
Municipal Association; citizens committee,
Vineland. N. j.; Municipal League of Mil
waukee; Citizens Union of Brooklyn; City
Club of Troy; Good Government League,
Bordentown. N. j.; Good Government Asso-
cation, Jersey City; Municipal League,
Schenectady, N. Y: Christian Citizenship
Union Camden, N. j.; Civic Center, Wash
iEgton, D. c.
nc loICWluS cities are also represented
by ofhclals and prominent citizens:
New York, River Falls, Wis; Hartford.
Conn; Galveston, Texas; Cambridge, Mass. ::
Springfed. Mass. Minneapolis, Mimi;
West Superior Wis; Macon. Ga; Atlanta,
Ga: Memphis, Tenn; Nashville. Tenn: De
trolt, Mich, by Mayor Hazen s. Pingree
and Albany, N. Y, by Mayor John Boyd
Ihacher both Of whom will rea3 papers.
Inc conference will last until Friday
night.
Papers will be read on variety of sub
Jects connected with municipal govern
nicipal Ownership of Street Railways"
Public Control of Franchises" Munich
pal Government From a Wage Farmers
Standpoint" Should Municipal Legislators
Receive a Salary and Shall We Have One
or Two Legislative Cha mbers?"
The initial session began at 3 o'clock this
afternoon. with President James c. Carter
of New York in the chair. Secretary Gin
ton Rogers Woodruff of Philadelphia, in a
paper entitled "A Years Work for NUM-
cipal Reform" gave a history of the
leagues progress since the last meeting.
He YVES followed by Charles Morris How
ard, secretary of the Baltimore Reform
League. who spoke of The Recent Revolt
in Baltimore; Its Results: Its Lessons
A paper on Chi ago Since the Adoption
of Civil Service Reform" by Merritt Starr
of that city, was then read.
Reform In City Government.
civil service commission, and quoted the
report of the commissioners in describing
their work, showing that almost the entire
official list of the city, save heads of de-
partnents has been placed under civil
service rules during the past few months.
AS to the results Mr.. Starr thinks it too
early to look for any striking changes, but
he notes, among other things, the total
abolition of stuffed pay rolls, and the more
effectual discharge of their duty by the
members of the police force, the reason for
the latter being, in his opinion, that the
aldermen are no longer permitted to inter-
fere with them.
AS to the future. Mr. Starr looks for
danger from the efforts of the politicians
to repeal the law and from the mistaken
impression which many well-meaning peo-
pie have as to the scope and extent of the
reform meant to be brought about by civil
service rules.
Too Much Expected.
disappointed well wishers,'' said he
''who have mstakenly expected immediate
and complete transformation of the public
service, public order and politics to follow
the adoption OF the law, are apt to give
expression to their disappointment, and
these expressions may DE seized upon as
Acknowledgements of the total failure of
the law. Another cause for anxiety is the
unconcealed hostility of many of the poll
ticians, who make no secret of their dislike
of the law and may be relied on to cripple
it's sufhcency in the execution and to repeal
it if possible. Their interests stand in con-
trast to those of the good citizen who Sc
cured the passage of the law and favor it's
retention in the well-known proportion Of
$50 to l. The politician is interested every
day in the year, the good citizen on election
day
Suggestion.
IF 1 may make a suggestion to the
friends Of municipal reform who are gath
cred and represented here, it would be that
an agreement be reached upon municipal
program, in which should be determined
the order in which several questions of re-
form should be taken up and carried to an
accomplishment, and that the friends of all
the reforms should sink personal prefer
ences for particular measures and unite in
laboring for the accomplishment of the re-
forms embodied in the program in the
order in which they shall there be present.
ed. This does not mean that the same
program should necessarily be taken for
every city. nor every state, but that this
league should recommend the adoption of
such a program in each city and in each
state by all the workers thereof and the
work CT the reformers united upon the
measures presented in the program"
Thomas L. Johnson, secretary of the
Civic Federation of Cleveland Ohio, fol-
lowed in an address upon THE Work of
the Ohio Chamber of Commerce"