The Portland daily press., 1897-05-12

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something of the kind was to be voted
on at sometime, but when, they admitted
they did not know. 1t is this apathy on
the part of people of standing and influ-
ence that makes the problem of municip-
al government so difficult of solution.
The only reason that all the people of
Portland are not conversant with the his
tory and general provisions of the new
charter is their own Indifference. The
newspapers have published columns in re-
gard to it, copies of it in pamphlet form
have been distributed from house to
house, there have been numerous hear
ings on the subject in the city council
and before the legislature-and yet a good
many intelligent people confess that they
are densely ignorant In regard to it. The
fact is they simply would not take the
trouble to inform themselves about it;
| it was not subject that interested
sufficiently to inspire them to give the
time and mental effort necessary to its
comprehension.
We had assumed that the history of this
charter was SO well known that it would
be a work of supererogation to repeat
| it at this time. But the Ignorance con-
| fessed to in regard to it proves that we
We're wrong, and justifies and even rem
ders absolutely necessary a rehearsal of
the facts in regard to it. The charter to
be voted on next Monday is a modifica-
ton of a charter prepared by the Hon.
| G.. +. Libby, Hon. E. B. Winslow, and
Mr.. Milford G. Chapman, who constitu-
ted a commission authorized by the city
council and appointed by Mayor Baxter
These gentlemen, all of them, men of
recognized ability, gave great deal of
attention and study to the subject, con-
suited the experience Of other cities, and
constructed the draft of the charter which
was submitted to the city council last
winter That draft was modified some
what by the council, and in its modified
| form was adopted by the legislature
and it is to be submitted to the voters
next Monday.
| In regard to the changes made by the
new charter we can do no better than re-
produce what we said some time ago.
The really important gchanges
| it makes in our present mode
of government are not very many.
AS to some of them there will
probably be no difference of opinion.
| The change of time of the annual NUM-
cipal election from the first Monday of
March to the second Monday of Decem-
Der, and the substitution of plurality for
tu Wi no 1nt will nri-
versal approval. There are many obvi-
Gus advantages in having the municipal
year correspond more nearly with the
calendar year; and as almost every officer
of the state and national government is
elected now by a plurality vote, it is
manifestly absurd to retain a majority
requirement for the offices of mayor and
| aldermen. The charter as drawn by the
commission proposed term of two years
| for the mayor but in the draft to be sub
mitted to the people the mayors term is
fixed as now at one year.
| The first important change about which
there may be difference of opinion is that
which affects the city council. That body
| is now composed of two boards, the up
per, or board of aldermen, which con-
sists of seven members, one from each
ward, elected annually, and the lower,
or common council, which consists of
twenty one members, three from each
ward also elected annually There is no
difference in the qualifications for mem
bers of these two boards, both are elected
in precisely the same way land both repre-
sent precisely the same constituency. The
new charter, proposes the abolition of
| one of these boards-the lower one, known
as the common council-and the enlarge
ment of the upper or aldermanic board to
twenty one members, three from each
ward At the first election under the
charter if adopted, three aldermen will
| be elected from each ward, one for one
year, one for two years, and one for three
years, but thereafter one alderman will
be elected in each ward annually to serve
for term of three years The effect of
| this arrangement will be that two thirds
of every board of aldermen after the first
will be composed of men who have served
one or two years, and only one-third of
| it made up of new men. The advantage
of this arrangement will be that it will
secure continuity of management in city
affairs. The abolition of the common
council has been objected to by some on
the ground that it will remove a valuable
check on legislation, and by others on
the ground that it 'abolishes what has
been useful school for training men in
parliamentary procedure and legislative
work The enlargement of the board of
| aldermen to twenty-one members removes
| both objections to a very large extent.
| The check of two additional aldermen
| from each ward will be substantially as
great as that of three councilmen, and
| the number of pupils who can study par
liamentary procedure and legislative
work under the auspices of the city is
only seven less annually under the ar
rangement proposed than under the ex-
listing one. The new arrangement has
these advantages, that it secures greater
continuity of work than the present one,