The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-03

the proper and sufficient restraints.
OF course II the people are incapable of
choosing wise men to make their laws and
honest and fearless Judges to interpret them,
and II Tor this reason we cannot be sure about
the restraint upon the executive power, that is
a defect that lies deep and is an unansWera BILE
argument for the necessity for the formation
by public.Spirited citizens of associations fed
eratlons or guilds (if you please to wipe from
the lace OF the earth the so-eaIled best citi-
zen, characterized a short time ago by the
Mayor OF Chicago as ''the anarchist of Amer
lea" and thus give the people fair chance.
DO not ask them TO do impossibilities and do
not eXpect them TO run government with
crazy machinery.
We must not lose faith in popular govern
ment until the people are brought to a sense of
Inelr own degradation and slavery by reason
OF boss domination and corporate infamy.
Make them see where they stand and popular
government will not be a failure in this
country. One thing to be remembered is,
however, that notwiths landing all the evils
That exist in this City. the lovers of good order
ana honest government are, as in other cities,
IN the majority. Public order is as easily
maintained here as anywhere in the world.
Respect for law and desire for peace is mani
lest whenever the people gather in large
dsselnDlages, and especially is this true OF the
so-ealled common people. Who the common
people are, however, it would not perhaps be
Wei TO define. The people not only love order,
Out are deslrouS OF good government.
All large bodies of men to act efficiently need
leaders, and there are those whose duty it is
10 lead. Men OF property, whether they have
TO this Government higher duty than mere
Young and yet this simple duty they more
than any other neglect
Inc people have shown on more than one
occasion during the last few years that they
are ready to break away in large mum bers
from bosses and party leaders when 1t can be
proven to them that 1t is expedient to do So
When the Legislature gives San Francisco
municipal goYernmentIn conformity with the
general idea OF American institutions 1t Will
have performed its whole duty. All further
q n
cisco themselves. II they culpaDly neglect
their own affairs; ii they Will not give to po-
utlcat matters the same Afternoon wnleh the
rest OF the people in their several localities are
IN the habit OF giving, they must suffer the
consequences. No self-actng machinery can
be devised which will do what the people are
bound TO do. The complicated machinery that
now exists serves only TO invite the combina-
ton OF designing men whose thieving opera
lions are concealed underneath it,
Give TO the City of San francisco a chief
executive with full power to appoint heads of
administrative departments Let him have
the Dower TO appoint as well as to remove his
subordinates, being required publicly to
sign his reasons. This must be done sooner or
later. Make him the head of the police, as the
Governor is the head OF the National Guard,
with proper protection to the heads of the
force against removal while faithful to duty;
make him responsible for all wsste and i'm
proper expenditures by requiring from him
OF what money is needed for the support of the
government and its various departments be-
lore any appropriation is made.
Give TO the people full representation in the
Common Council, which shall be confined to
legislative duties and excluded from all ad-
minlstrative ones. Give 10 the Common Couu-
ell the power to reduce estimates of expendi-
lures, but not TO increase them; the power to
limit expenditures, but not to originate appro-
priations. Give to the Mayor and Common
Council the power to regulate taxes, to eXpend
each year what money they see Il { in cash ex-
penditures, but limit rigidly by law the power
TO increase debts. II the expenditures are
wastetul, let the people feel 1t in their taxes
and apply the antidote. Add such provisions
as shall procure frequent publication of expen-
ditures and transactions OF the City govern
ment and secure q ready access for taxpayers
to City accounts and opportunities to the
people to change their chief magistrate at
short intervals. Thus are all the safeguards of
good government furnished.
In scheme of city government there is,
more than in any other, the need of strong
and thoroughly responsible executive Tor the
same reason that wnen body of men is con-
fined within the narrow limits OF ship in
mid-ocean the government thereof must of
necessity be administered by one man prompt
to make his will felt, and to whom prompt
obedience must be rendered-by one who
knows that he alone will be held responsible
for disaster.
We can less afford here than in comm unity
more dispersed 10 dispense with concentrated
responsibility.
To require the consent of the Common Coun-
Gil (or OF Board OF Supervisory to the Mayors
appoin tment of the heads of departments only
opens the way tor dictation by the Council, or
for bargains, or what is commonly called "a
pull" This is not the way 10 get good men.
The head of every department should be
single one-no boards or commiss1ons-and
thus will the responsibility to the Mayor be
concentrated, as his is to the people.
What we need is not complex system, but
one that is simple and direct, and all through
which should run one sound principle. Such
is the scheme OF the immense business houses
OF the world-one man at the head OF every
branch and every one responsible to the head
of all. It is strange that the banker, the mer-
chant and the broker, in fact, any Individual
in the business world, cannot see that the
principle which they apply to their counting
houses and offices is not applied to public
admin istration, and that it must be applied
or we cannot hope for anything but corrupt
ana wastetul expenditure of the peoples
money. These very men-kings in the bust
ness world-will also, year after year, su bmlt
to legislative enactments which in every es-
sential particularly violate all sound business
methods and which if applied to their own
affairs would produce nothing but bankruptcy
aud ruin.
No doubt what has been here said as well as
the adoption OF the new charter will be OBJ
Jected 10 by many, Tor the most part by poll
lcians and their bosses, on the ground that
the experience OF large cities in their Mayors
does not warrant vestlng in that executive so
much power. But does the experience of
these same cities under Mayors without power
prove that system to be q better one? The
latter has been tried, and it has always failed.
Inc hrst up to this time, has only been par
tally tried.
hAOAu6I ODgeCLlO0 10 Ills cQaIteT Will De LlaL
the system 1t proposes gives too much patron
age TO the Mayer. So much the worse for him.
The distribution OF patronage makes enemies
as well as friends. No man in America ever
undertook to build up personal party or
perpetuate power by means of it successfully.
shall we rather have patronage in the hands
OF boards, in whose secret councils it is par
celed out? is it not better to submit 10 the
minor evil of executive with too much
patronage than to accept the greater one OF an
executive with too little power?
Again, some will say, What reason have to
expect the people Will choose the proper man
ior Mayor" If they VIII not that ID defect
for which remedy can be found when the evil
presents Itself. We believe they will. The
more Importance given to the Office the more
Importance the people will attach 10 their
selection OF man to fill it, and the more
likely is II that the most capable and trust
worthy man among us will be Willing to accept
IT, Concent rate the attention of the people
upon the election of the Mayor as the one and
only thing they have to do with the executive
branch OF the City's government.
A rich man in New York once expressed his
disgust at our system of government, because
MS coachman's vote could Offset his. He was
told that his coachman probably paid more
attention 10 public affairs than he did. The
same rich man was met al the polls some
time after with his hands full of tickets, the
tckets tulI of names and mis- face full of per-
pIexlty and despair. He asked friend, "What