The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-05-20
HOME RULE FOR CITIES.

There is one form of the referendum
which will be submitted to the voters Of
Minnesota at the next general election
to be voted upon as an amendment to
the constitution, and that is the PROPOSE
ton to allow cities in this state to make
and amend their own charters on the
home rule plan.
The people of Washington, California
and Missouri already have the home rule
plan of making city charters, and this
plan in these states has worked with
wonderful success. Municipal debt and
taxation in all the home rule towns and
cities of these states are at a minimum.
st. Louis levies half the taxes that Bos-
ton does, although the home rule city on
the Missouri has 100000 larger popula-
ton than the New England metropolis.
Kansas City, under home rule, levies
one-third the taxes to support its city
government that Minneapolis does al
though the home rule town on the Kaw
does more business. as shown by its
weekly bank clearings. All the cities of
California combined have not an aggre-
that of the Twin Cities, although the
two latter together have less population
than San Francisco alone. California at
first gave home rule to cities of 100000
population and over. Home rule then
became so popular that it carried by an
overwhelming majority for towns Of TO-
900. A few years more of successful trial
and by still larger popular majority, in
fact, by an almost unanimous vote, home
rule was then extended to the smaller
towns. This proves how home rule is
not only right in theory, but is salts
factory in practice. When people get
taste of it they will never let 60 of 1t.
Home rule is simply another name for
self-government, or the referendum, or
democracy, or government for and by the
people, just as you please. 1t represents
the spirit and genius of American insti-
tutions 1t is as thoroughly American as
it is Just and democratic. 1t rests on the
and the Declaration of Independence,
that government derives its just powers
from the consent Of the governed. Min
nesota should not lose it's opportunity to
place itself on the side of self-govern-
ment along with Washington, California
and Missouri, and vote for home rule for
it's cities.
Municipal home rule is not a new thing
under the sun. The first form Of pure
democracy in the worlds history was
that of municipal home rule in Athens.
The city of Athens was little self-gov-
erned republic. 1t yielded to the pater-
nal guardianship of no state legislature
or other authority. Athens In the height
of it's glory-the Athens Of Pericles and
Themistocles, of Socrates and Plato, Of
Herodotus and Miltiades, Of Aeschylus
and Aristotle-the Athens that was
queen of the ancient world In philosophy
and literature, in commerce and liberty
achieved its glory under the era Of mu-
nicipal home rule.
Rome in it's pristine purity, before the
corroding effects Of the empire were seen,
was a self-governed republic. Venice,
the mistress of the seas and it's powers,
the Venice of art and commerce and nav
igation and discovery, was a self-gov-
erned city, and enjoyed municipal rule.
Florence, the home OF art and literature,
the Florence of Dante and Petrarch, was
little municipal republic, city which en-
joyed home rule.
The 200 free cities Of Medieval Europe,
the 200 municipalities which wrenched
home rule from tyrann:cal barons by the
might of the sword or purchased the boon
of self-govenrment by hard ear ned money,
were the source of democratic government
and constitutional government throughout
the modern world. Today the cities Of
Hamburg, Bremen, and Lubbock still re-
main with their 600 years of experience in
self-government as standing monuments to
the fact that municipal home rule is safe,
sound, and practical, as well as in line with
the principle that government derives its