The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-05-08
THE NEW CHARTER.

The new city charter which the people
of Portland are to vote ON in few days
is not apparently receiving the attention
that it deserves. Our local government
affects more closely the interests of the
average citizen than the national or
state, and changes proposed in its methods
ought to receive close and intelligent
scrutiny from every thoughtful citizen.
Our present charter was adopted in 1882,
when the city was much smaller than it
Is today, and the problems Of its govern
ment much simpler than now. 1t has re-
manned unchanged in the great majority
of its details up to the present time. 1t
could hardly be expected that a charter
which was suitable for the city in 1882
would be suitable now; if for no other
reason because the city has grown greatly
since that date in population and in the
numb Der and extent of it's interests. Fur
thermore during the past quarter of a CEN
fury there has been great advance in
what may be called the science of NUM-
cipal government, of which the progress
sive city of today ought to desire to get
the benefit.
Our city government was originally
laid out on the plan of the State and
National government, it's two boards and
its Mayor corresponding to the Senate
and House of Representatives and the
Governor. The tendency of modern
thought is away from this arrangement
for municipal government and toward
greater concentration of responsibility :;
and we find most of the municipal char
tiers granted nowadays provide for
single board and impose upon the Mayor
greater responsibility than used to be the
case. The aim of modern city char
tiers has been to concentrate responsibility
upon few persons, rather than diffuse
1t among great many as was the old
plan. To avert the danger of Zone man
power" the powers given by city charters
used to be distributed among great many
persons, but experience has shown that
the one man power was not always nor
even generally averted by this plan. That
power was oftentimes there still, but
it was screened from view, and hence
responsibility to the public. The tendency
ow-a-days is to endow executive heads
with sufficient power to control and di-
rect the business of their departments so
that in case of mismanagement they can
not excuse themselves on the ground that
their failure was due to lack of necessary
power. Under this arrangement the pub
lie can see just where the responsibility
for failure rests and can easily apply the
appropriate remedy. The new city char
ter of Portland is constructed to a con-
siderable degree in accordance with this
plan, though not to so great an extent as
many think desirable. The responsibility
of legislation is concentrated on single
board, and of executive management
very largely upon the Mayor. AS it is
now sthe Mayors Epower is shared to so
large an extent by committees made up
from both boards that there is always
great uncertainty as to just where the re-
sponsibility lies for any executive mis-
management which may occur. The
Mayor can shield himself behind the COM
mittees and the committees can shield
themselves behind the Mayor. The new
charter to a large degree changes this and
enables the public to see just where the
responsibility is. It has been claimed
that the new charter takes power from
the people. 1t really does no such thing.
On the other hand it strengthens
their power by enabling them to use it
intelligently land effectively. If it is
adopted they will no longer have to hunt
about in the dark for the culprit when
mismanagement or inefficiency is appar-
ent with as much chance of pitching
upon the wrong as the right person, but
will be able to see clearly just where
the blame lies and just whom to
nunish