The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-11-25
Thelntelligencer.
wHEELING, NOVEMBER IS, 1906.
The Government OF Whaling.

The 1ntelligenccr has indicated what
It takes to be q radical defect In the pro-
posed new city charter. There Is execu-
tive responsibility without power; a dis
scmination OF power and responsibility
through sundry channels; a failure to
draw the line sharply as between the
executive and the legislative branches
tive and the judicial on the other.
The defects in this regard will appear
more clearly If we contrast that which Is
proposed for Wheeling with that which
is in operation in Evansville, Indiana,
under a charter now about three years
old. In respect OF the points under o
sideration the Evansville charter may
DO taken as n model. 1t follows as near
ly as possible the federal plan Of gov
eminent.
Evansville centers executive power
and responsibility In the mayor. who
docs not sit In the city council and does
not exercise judicial functions. With
the sole exception Of the mayor. Evans
willie elects no executive officer and none
Is chosen by the council. Among other
things the mayor OF Evansville Is re-
quired ito cause the ordinances Of the
city and the laws of the state to be exc
cuted and enforced" and he is given
the power to discharge this respon-
slbility.
It is proposed to make 1t the duty of
the mayor of Wheeling ITO cause all the
laws and ordinances of the city to be en-
forced" and the charter gives him no
power to discharge this responsibility.
True. it is provided that Sin order to en-
able him 10 do so he may. in emergen-
cies, temporarily suspend any officer in
default or falling to perform his duty"
This is a recognition of the ACCESSIBILITY
OF placing in the hands of the mayor the
supreme executive power, but 1t is an
impotent way to get at it.
Who is to determine when an emer-
gency has arisen to warrant this exer-
else Of executive power? Presumably
the mayor. The officer charged with the
delinquency would be certain to deny
The charge and to resist suspension; for
he would be the choice of the people or of
a board not appointed by the mayor and
feeling himself to that extent independ-
ent Of the mayor. Or, he may have gone
into a deal including himself and the
mayor and the rest Of the executive
officers.
In fact, under the proposed charter
the mayor OF Wheeling would be about
as powerless to discharge the duty i'm
posed upon him as. the mayor Is nov
The present mayor of Wheeling, for ex-
ample, Is 4 good man and disposed to do
his duty, but as an executive officer he is
without the power to execute.
In Evansville the people look to the
mayor for the administration of their
city goverrment-thcy al lay their
hands on n single head. II they see 1T
to take of that head all other admins
trative heads so off with 1t. In Wheel
pie will look for the administration OF
their city government to the mayor, the
assessor, the treasurer, the auditor, the
board of control chosen by popular cleo
ton, the board Of public safety chosen
by council. and the chief OF police elected
by the people i6 the people prefer that
way Of filing this Important Office. The
mayor of Evansville has the power to
veto. q good power for the mayor to
have. The mayor of Wheeling Is to con-
tinue to be Judge of the police court, an
office that should not be held by the
mayor.
Unless the people OF Wheeling are de-
tcrmined to have an inferior form OF city
government, which we do not believe,
they would endorse a plan to give them
as good government as any other city
in the country mas. With due respect to
the charter committee. which has desired
to do the best 1t could. we think 1t erred
In taking for granted that the people
would not approve II really first class.
up-to-date charter. That the proposed
charter Is this kind nobody has been
bold enough to assert.
New city charters are much like new
state constitutions In this. that they are
hard to get. When the effort Is made
the instrument should be one that Is like
ly to be good enough to hold on to for a
considerable time. II the proposed city
charter be adopted 1t will fall far short
the day It goes into operatlon-and for n
long time It will stand In the way of get
ting n first class one.