The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-08-02
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{ MUNICIPAL REFORM !
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The following is a condensed edition
of n paper read by Charles Cassat Davis
before the Sunset club on the 24tn uit''
Prof Bryce. after his very compre-
hensive and candid examination OF gov
ernment in the United States, gives 1t
as one of his conclusions That Whatever
of success we may have attained in the
solution OF the problems OF government
and he frankly comedies many-in the
administration of our cities, we have
failed. We must concede that he Is
right. and that our city governments are
had And in their inefficiency and cor
ruption. their costlness for the work
done. and the political and personal de-
moralization coming from their training
schools of politics, many feel that they
see the sources of the corruption in our
state and national governments, and the
springs which must first be purified be-
fore the stream of our political life can
flow pure and inoffens:ve in its course.
Using our own city as an example,
the unsatisfactory workings OF city gov
eminent are apparent. The streets arc
poorly cleaned; the paving does not
compare either in appearance or dura-
bility with the best of other cities; the
surface of the paved streets Is often un-
even when the work Is done. ana II grows
worse with the patchy paving allowed
the car tracks, instead OF being rails
flush with the surface, with depressei
flange, as is required in some cities,
thereby leaving the surface smooth, Is
often a real obstruction in the streets,
ruinous to vehicles and dangerous 10
travel; the uneven surface from these
I ,aeat.f In,
for water and filth which our hot sun
constantly transforms into noisome and
offensive poisons; in the business cel-
ter the streets are filled with net work
of wires, supported by innuinerapie
poles, always grouped at points where
they are the most objectionable. The
wires and poles find shade trees in thei'
way and the tree. with its beauty and
comfort and healthfulness Is hacked
away. The water at times is unsettled
and muddy; again, 1t carries animal
and vegetable life; and again. IL is OF
fensive in odor. The rates for water are
high; the cost of gas is higher than It
is in other cities with like conditions;
the telephone rates are not as low as
they should be: and the franchises for
these public privileges are given for the
asking, almost invariably for the long
est term the statute permits-flfty years,
without any provision that, as the city
great value, the city shall receive any
thing of the increase which it itself,
and 1t alone. has produced. Berlin in
1923 received not less than half of her
twenty-one millions of revenue from her
gas and water companies; and Toronto
and Philadelphia each have large in
comes from their franchises. The taxes
are high-any tax is high if 1t is larger
than is needed for the economical ad j.
minstration of the duties of the city.
Some salaries are out of all proportion
to the work done; and many officials
seem to feel that the deputies only are
to work.
OBSTACLES TO IMPROVEMENT
1t is easy to point out the things we
should like to have righted in municipal
government. but the righting of them
is no small matter. Even though the
need he apparent, the hesitation to at
tack. the established order of things. the
diversity of opinion as to the best meth
Cd of procedure and the doubts of many
that the effort can be successful or will
be doggedly continued to the end, all
contribute to make the starting of a re-
form movement a matter of difficulty.
In order to clearly understand tha.aN TO
lem of municipal reform. 1t II ~ - %
49, ---,s e--'s...s',--, -rel1t1f-fS ignorant
or municipal affairs: he does not know
the revenues nor the disbursements
or the city; nor the officials, nor their
~.4NS' eiiidpS ne Knows the tax ra tie.
put not the reasonableness or unrea :
sonableness of it. He has no knowl-
eidge OF the services municipal cor
poratlon can render nor the expert
ments which have been tried. Let
MIN be educated; let him once compre-
bend the situation, and realize the blum
derirg. inefficient. expensive and de-
passing control which is enveloping and
expressing him at every turn. and the
good which may be attained if only the
effort be made, and he becomjes an
earnest fighter under the banner for
civic bettermnt.
Second-1n addition to the indiffer-
ence of the people, and their ignorance,
there is another serious impediment 70
be encountered in the open and fierce
opposition of the polticians-the classes
OF the people who look to politics as a
means of living, or gaining prominence.
or of pillaging the public
IL Is idle and worse than foolish to
underestimate the force of this opposi-
ton. 1t IS an organized mass of large
numbers, of united force, of unouestion-
ing discipline, composing MANY who
honestly think that any move of this
sort Is only the effort to get the offices
by another crowd whose professions
or reform are simply shrewdly chosen
slogans to attract the unwary voter
and who are therefore bitterly earnest
In their indignant resentment
Third-At the very foundation of any
reform in city government there must
be the separation of city politics, which
concern only the economical and eff
fective administration of the business
affairs of the city, from national and
state politics, which are controlled by
national or state questions. City
affairs involve simply business
questions. The qualification for
an officer of the city, from
the mayor down to the laborer on the
streets, can only be his fitness to per-
form the duties of his position Wheth-
er the mayor or the laborer Is protec-
ZIONIST or a free silver man, has nothing
to do with his ability to perform the du-
ties required Of him by the city work:
and being foreign to his duties cannot
logically or reasonably be allowed to
nave any influence in his selection for
the position.
Fourth-The partisan and personal
ieelings or voters are played upon by the
ieaders for the purpose of welding the
voters INTO compact and unassailable
mass. The solid, unwavering mass of
voters is as effective in elections as the |
solld column in battle; it is essential to |
the posses, who hold out to their follow |
ers as promised reward of victory the !
epoiis Oh the campaign; and those spoils |
are ene oHlces- They secure and re- !
tam their followers by the favors ar |
thelr disposal-the more offices the |
larger the Following; ,and the larger the |
ioiiowing, the more their influence. II |
is to the interest of the cifv +bo+tL N,