The Portland daily press., 1896-11-30
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.
Mayor Bakers Address Before the
Women's Council.

Mayor Baxter's Address Before the
WOmen's Council.
| He Speaks of Swiss System-Believes in
Single Legislative Board-Party Should
| Be Ignored-Mayor Should Have
| Larger Power.
The Woman's Council listened to the
first of series of addresses that will be
delivered before them by prominent oit-
liens this winter, Saturday afternoon.
The meeting was held in the Second AID.
vent church and the speaker was His
Honor Mayor Baxter. His subject was
Municipal Government and it proved to
be raost entertaining and Instructive
paper. Beside the exceedingly instruo-
tive description of ancient municipal
governments and their relations to the
governments of the present day the pa
per was stronger appeal TOR better
business policies and higher grade of
ability and Integrity in the public service.
Mrs. L. NJ. N. Stevens pleasantly in
PRODUCED the speaker and on motion OF
Mrs. j. W. ID. Carter he was extended
rising vote of thanks at the close OF
the address.
In the course Of his remarks
MR.. BAXTER SAID:
| Ours Is representative government,
and it is manifestly desirable that all
| Ghon1d no ir1u .+o1
cable, hence the widespread interest in
proportional representation. Much has
been written upon it, and many plans in
its favor proposed. Several of these plans
have been put into practice with excellent
results. The simplest is of course the
| best, and this seems to be the one pro-
posed by the Municipal League of Bos-
ton. which was endorsed by tho late Pres
ident Garfield, and has received the earn
| est support of some Of the best and most
practical men of the country, irrespeo-
tive of party affiliations. This plan has
been entitled the Free List system, and
has proved altogether successful in
Switzerland, where it has been in full
operation for number of years.
Among several systems designed to
secure kindred results presented at the
| worlds Congress at Chicago in 1893, this
was one of two which received endorse
ment. The principal advantage of this
| system over Others is it's simplicity. I'm
| der 1t the voter who has used the Aus
tralian ballo5 would find no difficulty,
as he would only have to make mark
against tho candidates of his choice.
The great advantages secured by this
system are derived from the election OF
candidates on general ticket and in the
manner Of counting the votes.
| sgnum CWICC CVCmuNr
involves the abolition of ward or district
lines: the nomination by convention or
petition as at present; provides that each
voter shall have as many votes as there
are persons to be elected, one vote only of
course for each candidate; and that the
votes shall be counted SO as to apportion
the candidates elected among the differ
ent parties in proportion to their re-
speotive votes by taking them from
their respective tickets IN the ordsr of
their Individual votes. the one having
the largest number first, and the others
following in order, according to the
number of votes received by them. In
order to show this method of counting
more clearly, we will suppose city coun-
Gil OF twenty -one members, of which
are to be chosen each year; in city
ticket receiving one-seventh Of this
number Of votes, or 1900, would be en-.
titled to one councilman. II there were
only two parties represented, Democrats
and Republicans, and the Republicans
threw 5000 votes and the Democrats
4, 800, the Republicans would elect four
| counoilInen and the Democrats three.
Suppose, however, there should be a
Prohibition ticket in the field which
| threw ], 500 votes, while the other two
parties threw respectively five and four
thousand zach. The Democrats and Re-
publicans would each elect three oandi-
dates, and the Prohibitionists one, as the
party having the largest remainder after
| dividing would be entitled to the re-
manning candidate.
that many of our city govern
ments are almost wholly composed of
| men unfit in every way to manage large
| business AFFAIRS men who have never
had business experience, and have no
property interests in the municipality
the finances of which they control. The
Common Council of the city of Boston
in 1893 was composed of rs mem bers, SO
of whom paid only poll tax. Now it is
not for moment to be urged that's man
because he pays only n poll tax, shall be
debarred from holding the office of a city
councillor. All classes of citizens under
u IsePuD1lcdH lOrm u &OfoTuiuouG SuOulU
be represented, and while there may be
men who only pay poll tax, eminently
qualified to serve in city government,
will not every fair minded man admit
that 30 is altogether too large proper
tion of poll tax men to serve in q council
of Is, which has the control of the taxes
on property valued at over nine hundred
millions of dollars? That something is
not right in the
GOVERNMENT OF BOSTON
appears from report made of expendi-
lures for carriage hire and refreshments
In 1898. One aid erman, whose personal
carriage hire during his whole life had
nsver probably amounted to S25, ex-
pended for this luxury $l,929 and two
others nearly MS large a sum. The mem
bers OF the common council did some
what better, their expenditures for car
rage hire and refreshments being but o
ilttie-ovsr $4,000. Many of the men who
lavlshed hundreds of dollars of the city's
money for carriage hire and refresh ments,