Omaha daily bee., 1898-08-03
LEAGUE OF MUNICIPALITIES
Boston Professor Outlines His Views
ON Needed Municipal
Reforms.

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DETROIT, Aug. 2.-Some 500 city officials
attended today's session of the League of
American Municipalities. They constituted,
on the whole, an intelligent and conscien-
tious appearing body. The feature OF the
session was an address upon self govern
ment for cities by Prof. Frank Parsons of
Boston University, president of the National
League for Promoting Public Ownership of
Monopolles. Prof. Parsons held that the
principle of safe government as applied
through our present laws is deficient in four
respects, viz:
l. In area, because while the state is
self governed, the municipality Is the
creature Of the states e%nactments and con
sequently every other city in a stale is
Obliged to be consulted about what any par
ticular city chooses to do.
2. Deficient as to class distinction. since
women, although a part Of the people, are
not yet permitted TO participate in the
peoples relief movements.
3. That the principle of self government
is not applied to industrial, as it Is to po-
Htical life. Workingmen, he urged. ought
to have a part in the government Of their
own respective groups of industrial lines.
4. That the self governing principle is
not complete as to method, since the peo-
pie are masters only during election times,
while their public servants hold the SOW
e~reignty for the balance of the time.
The remedies, according to Prof. Parsons,
are the initiative and the referendum,
woman suffrage, cooperation in industries
instead Of monopolies and entire self gov
eminent for the cities, free from control.
Thu later point was enlarged upon and
illustrated. The professor asserted that the
present Smarter of San Francisco is the
most notable instance of progress toward
self government of cities.
Mn,nr 90, " - " 49,
Evans of Birmingham, Ala, read papers
on the relative adequacy of administrative
boards or commissions, as compared with
the common council committees.
Discuss Regulations of Saloons.
Questions of policy concerning regulation
of saloons developed an interesting discus
sion during the afternoon. The principal
address on this topic was by Mayor George
R. Perry of Grand Rapids. He commended
that is is impossible for a state to frame
a measure calculated to govern or regu-
late any offense less than crime itself
which public opinion will sustain as applic-
able to city and country alike. Hence he
suggested efforts toward inducing the state
to concede a wider latitude to municipalities
in the matter of enacting local s~elf-gov-
eminent measures. The speaker favored
permitting saloons only in the business
part of a city and the taxing and regula-
ton of clubs and saloons alike.
Mayor f. B. Farnsworth of New Haven,
Conn, stated that his experience had alb
%solutely convinced him that prohibition
never did prohibit. Concerning the ~agitated
question of drinking of Yale students he
assured the fathers present that a boy
who would go to the devil by way of New
Haven would probably go anyway.
III l., - -
about a two years experience with prohi-
bition in his city, which he said resulted
badly for all concerned. Afterward the
people and saloonists effected a compro-
mise, which regulates the business very
strictly, and, as he claimed, satisfactorily.
Formula to AnnuI Liquor Evil.
Mayor Smythe Of Charleston, S. c., out
lined the workings of the dispensary sys.
TEN. He said there was more drunken
ness in South Carolina under said system
than formerly.
Prof. Parsons Of Boston being called upon
gave the following as a cort of formula
for annulling the evils of the liquor traffic
without interfering with personal liberty:
First-Education of children along tenn.
perance lines.
Second-Industrial reforms to enable al
men to have comfortable homes.
Third-Local option for cities.
Fourth-Enact the South Carolina dispen.
sary or some other similar law which should
cut out the element of private investment
and profit in liquor dealing.
Mayor SALESMAN of Erie read a paper
on street paving and Mayor Taggart of In.
dianapolis was excused from speaking or
that subject on account of hoarseness. Prof
Bemis Of the Kansas State Agricultural
college made an address upon municipal
electric lighting. He gave results of ex.
haustive inquiries on the question of public
versus private electric light plants, witt
the result that he found the former un
questionably the cheaper, generally speak.
ing.
This evening the delegates were taken tc
Belle Isle, which was beautifully illumi.
mated for the occasion with more thar
$1,000 colored lights. Various designs il
lights were suspended over some of the is
lands various lakes. The masterpiece was
a representation of the American and Cubar
flags. Several other pieces of a welcom.
ing character were displayed. Meanwhile
the visitors were entertained with music
by a combination Of two leading military
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