The Portland daily press., 1896-11-30

troll Of legislation is often ready 70 o"ss
It's votes to help an opponent IN oluof w
secure prospective reciprocal 1asos.
With single BODY of larger size, 'ho o
olinculty OF securing control wouM 70
greater. Another objection 10 thnI one
serves as check upon the other. II Az
80 serves 1t is certainly in the oifeVslon
VI interference with good leglsia1lon
ragher than with bad.
In the municipality
PARTY SHOULD BE IGNORED.
In the state and nation where con-
fioting policies. must necessarily come
lhto discussion. parties find proper
nfio OF activity; but in CITY the ques-
lions which hold parties together. like
'ne tarlH. the currency, socialism, o.
oetera, DO not exist. 1t Is a business
AFFAIR altogether, and the best men OF
| poth parties should unite In selecting the
Best men to do the public business with
out regard to party affiliations. This is
entirely practlcable, and would at once
eievaOe the character Of municipal ONCE.
10 snow now pernioious Is party adher-
enoe In municipal affairs, case may be
cited. am told that in New England
city OF pretentiOI to intelligence and re-
gard Tor morality, man has been
elected Tor several years to represent
Ward, who has been In the watch house
Tor drunkenness and disorderly conduct,
and who carries on saloon in direcG
violation OF the laws he has taken an
oath to sustain. Moreover, he is a man
OF the smallest capacity, wholly without
| interest in the welfare of his cOnstitu-
ents; In fact, absolutely worthless a.
a legislator. There are Intelligent and
good citizens enough in tho ward In both
no nC To <lo4
sentative; but men of the highest char
aoter and social position under the false
glamour Of party fealty go regularly to
the polls and stultify themselves by
voting for this man, because he il regu-
larry nominated by the low and ignorant
men VINO constitute a large majority of
their party in the ward, and control the
caucus.
In speaking OF the duty of citizens to
render public servics when called upon,
Mr.. Baxter alluded to the laws In Euro
pean countries requiring citizens to par
ticipate in the suffrage and said: Should
not neglect of suffrage be punished by
me? We are told OF street in New
| York in which large majority Of the
voters are educated and wealthy, over
half OF whom did not vote in all election
involving questions Of great public inter-
est. The man who absents himself from
the polls, with the frivolous excuse that
his vote will do no good, or that every
thing has been out and dried in the eau
cus' is not patriotic American citizen,
and is unworthy of the protection of
the Tag, which represents the grandest
Idea upon which any govern ent was
ever founded; namely, universal suf-
frage. He should attend the caucus and
try to nominate good man and failing,
Should vote for the best man nominated,
and there are always some good candi-
al tartaJ MI ia M
away from the polls and lose his vote.
| 1t has been remarked that a
municipal Is a business corporation, and
| its affairs, involving the care and ex-
| penditure Of large sums of money, should
be managed as are those of other bust
ness corporations. Ii this is true, the
| Mayor, who is its head, should have
| larger powers and larger responsibilities,
and should have longer term OF office
| than one year. No business corporation
would think of hampering Its manager
with rules which would prevent him
from deciding business questions requir-
| ing prompt action. nor would 1t be
considered wise If it changed Its man.
ager every year, and with him it's bust
ness policy. Yet this Is what the stock
| holders in our municipal corporations do,
| with complacency which would be
amusing were it not fraught with such
| per1lous consequences TO the community.
/ Inc IacG ID Gn6 WnOlo brouDld VIII mOu-
ern municipal government, is due to a
false theory respecting 1t. Instead of
regarding it as an Institution solely to
advance the public welfare, and demand
| ing i'll order to secure the best results
the best talents available, 1t Is rather
looked upon as an arena in which men
may legitimately strive for pt rsonal ad-
vantage, leaving the people outside to
look Oh and applaud their favorite
| champions. while their own interests
suffer. Shall we not have some true
thinking upon this important subject?
| The scope of this discourse will not per-
NIT the discussion Of many questions of
| In terest; of the employment of labor; of
public management, ct cetera:yet it may
| be said in general, that good sense de-
| mands that civil service rules of the
| most advanced oharaoer should be ap-
piled to the employ ment of all labor,
and that whenever practicable in the
various municipal departments, promo
tion for merit should he practiced, while
such Offices AS those of treasurer, clerk,
auditor, city engineer, and some others
should not be changed without good
cause. Though municipal government
In this counry Is not today what 1t ought
to he, we have good reason to believe
that America, whioh is quicker to size
and to act than the older nations, is
yet to furnish to the world the best
model of municipal government.