The Portland daily press., 1897-01-12
The New City Charter.
To the Editor Of the Press:

4 v GtO &Se~eSOf W Wv l. fSocs
In response to request to contribute
to the columns of the PRESS series
Of articles upon the proposed new Guy
eharter, have examined with some care
the draft of the commissioners, COM
pared it with the charter at present IN
fosce and with charters recently srah'eo
to cities of similar size and character TO
Portland. 1t may be noted ct the out
set that the proposed charter t"nioh
sbsu haresfter refer to as the new char
tsr, is in many of. it's provisions an exact
oony of ,be old. Any discussion of 1t
then NAV be confined to the changes
which are proposed, and as to whether
otAsK changes not suggested in the draft
,s TIN. commissioners may not be adv isa-
bic.
But before referring specifically to such
changes it may be well to state in gen.
eral terms the problem OF municipal gov
erument and ses what light has been
thrown upon 1t by modern athought and
study and by recent municipal expert
ments.
A municipality is an organization for
the self government of city or town by
anaxof a corporation empow wered gen.
ernliy to maintain peace and order and
to manage. the affairs Of the Inhabitants.
The corporation exists for two purposes.
First, to enforce certain political powers
originally vested in the state, and by
the state delegated to the city, among
which may be mentioned the police power,
the power o.make ordinances and regu-
lations, to grant licenses, to assess and
collect taxes. Second, TO provide such
conyeniences and necessities demanded
py an aggregation of people as can be
better provided collectively than sindi-
yidually such as to provide and maintain
a fire department, to lay out and care for
streets, sidewalks and sewers, and to
essaplish parks and cemeteries. In the
hrsr sense the city is properly political
community, and its government exercises
real governmental functions similar to
those exercised by the state itself. In
the second sense the city is nothing
,nsre than huge business corporation.
The problem of municipal government,
then, is to discover some form OF admin
issration which shall provide for gov
ernment exercising within its proper
sphere real governmental functions, and
which shall also provide for an intslli-
gent economical and business-like ad-
ininistration of the city's business.
This fundamental division of the
powers of the municipality into those
whioh are political and those which are
purely administrative ought not to be
lost sight of. Formerly city WAS looked
upon as a miniature state. and was
given fern of government which WAS
almost copy of the government of the
state itself More recently, since it has
been realized that the city is not only a
miniature state but a business corpora
tion as well. the pendulum is swinging
in the opposite direction, and efforts are
making * some quarters to copy the or
ganization of railroads, trusts and other
large corporate organizations which have
been so successful in the business world.
In the beginning people thought only of
the political or governmental part OF the
city's powers, unmindful cf the business
part Now they are in danger OF think
ing only of the business part. forgetting
that municipal corporation is also
government.
Leaving out of view for the moment
the powers exercised by the school COM
mittea and by the oyerseers of the poor,
which will be dicussed later, it is obvious
that all the powers of the city, both gov
ornamental and administrative, must be
exercised by tbs mayor and council (con.
sisting either of two boards or onel ana
by those acting under their authority.
The vital points in the discussion then
Will be in reference to these officials,
how shall they be chosen, what shall he
their respective powers. and what sfail
be their relation to each other.
They should, of course be chosen by
the people. AS to that there Ia no differ
kn
elected by the whole city. AS to that,
also, all agree. But should it be neces-
sary for the successful candidate to have
d clear majority of all the votes castl
The old charter says yes, the new charter
says no. The governor of the state, rep
reeentatives to Congress. mem bers OF the
legislature, and ell stateHand.county officials
a plurality. Up to 1880 a majority was
required to elect the governor, but IN
that year the constitution was amended
go that a plurality should elect. Our ex.
psrsence has been that it is better &c
trust to plurality than to insist upon
a majority. With plurality elsctinR
there is at least no danger that one who
should be elected, as has happened more
than once under the majority system.
Election By plurality has now become
the settled rnle of the state, and there
would seem to be no good reason why
the election of city officials, should be
made an exception to 1t.
AS to the method Of choosing members
of the city council or board of aldermen,
students of municipal affairs arc now ad
vocasing two things, first. that they
should be elected on general ticket
and second, that there should be minority
or proportional representation. 1t is very
properly urged that mans fitness fol
service in the CITY government ought moi
to be determined by the fact that he hap
pens to live in one part of the city rather
than in another, yet under the present
system he cannot be elected unless M
belong to the party which is dominant
inshis own ward. A man who might bi
elected mayor by a large majority might
fail of election TO the board of aldermen,
because in the one case his constituency
would be the entire city, and in rh'
other only that small part Of the city
lying within certain arbitrary lines
The people of the whole city have th'
same interest in the makeup of the Cit!
council that they have in the choosing o.
the mayor. The people Of ward one hav'
quite as much desire that proper maj
should represent ward seven in the boarf
of alderme as have the people Of tn