The herald., 1898-11-21
UNION REFoR1r LEAGUE oP-
POSES NEW CHARrEM
SOME WORDS IN ITS FAVOR
Majority Of Those Present Express
Dissatisfaction With Many OF
Its Provisions

Union Reform league IN favor OF tne new
charter. Some disposition was shown on the
part of those present to discuss charter pro-
visions at that time, but, as twas late when
Judge Variel concluded, it was deemed best
to defer the general discussion for one week.
Yesterday afternoon the members OF the
league assembled in Vincent hall, on South
Hill street, for the purpose of taking up the
argument where it had been previously left.
At p. IN. the meeting was called to order
by w. II. Stuart, at whose request the audi
ence joined in singing America" MIR. Stu
art called upon F. ID. Jones to open the dis
cussion, and that gentleman complied in a
manner that showed he had studied the
charter provisions with much care.
For the purpose of introducing his dia.
gram, which was displayed upon black.
board and which showed the charter pro-
visions in a general manner, Mr.. Jones read
an extract from the work on municipal gov
ernment written by Albert Shaw, who was
long associated with Mr.. Stead OF the Pail
Mall Gazette and later of the Review OF
Reviews.
The quotation was descriptive of an ideal
system of municipal government and told
of such as prevail in some of the larger
English towns. Most of such municipalities
are divided into l6 wards, and the legislative
bodies consist of 4S members, 16 being elect
ed each year, or one from each ward. The
mayor is elected by the councilmen, and the
individual electors have only an opportunity
of expressing their preferences in the elec-
tion of one representative each year to a
scat with the town council By such a
scheme two-thirds OF the councilmen have at
all times at least one years experience, and
the municipal machinery is not Jared so
much by an election.
The council, too, elects a mayor whose
power is limited, being, in fact, less than that
of the president of an American city council,
as he is deprived of appointive power and
the veto, his duties being mostly admins
trative.
Nominations, instead of being made in par
tisan conventions, are proposed by free
holder who, with eight others, signs blank
form and deposits it at least one week be-
fore election with the town clerk. Any nine
men can suggest candidate, and the entire
list of candidates is published conspicuous
ly for the information Of voters, who go to
the polls to vote on strictly non'partlsan
basis for municipal OHIcers.
Comparing the present and the new char
ter provisions with such system as that
employed in English towns, the merits and
dement's of the new instrument were anal
wed and diagrammed as Objectionable or
otherwise. Mr.. Jones was of the opinion
that the mayor had been clothed with too
much power; that an election once in four
years made him practically dictator for
that period. and that, once voted in, he
could not be removed when acting legally,
but in opposition to the wishes of his con-
stituents, as the imperative mandate, or
right of recall, had not been included in the
charter.
The speaker also objected to the equal
representation of wards in the council, in
sisting that this should be proportioned to
the voting population. He took advanced
ground as to the requirement of public util-
tiles, the initiative and the referendum, and
claimed that the charter did not go far
enough along any of the lines of popular
reform. Nevertheless, he admitted that
the new instrument was better than the
old a step in advance, but thought by its
odoption any further improvement would
be long delayed.
A letUer TeCelVeu ITOIl IteN' W. H. L :
Bliss was read by Mr.. Knight, at the re-
quest of the chairman. In it Mr.. Bliss op-
posed the adoption of the charter, saying
that it had been stripped of the elements
of reform on account of which it had pre-
viously commended it, and that the enc.
mics of good government had got in and
cut out most of its good features. He COM
mended the civil service provisions, but de-
clared that the charter as whole WAS worse
than that now in use, contrary to the broth
erhood taught by Christ and hat it favored
government Of the many by the few. For
such reasons he hoped 1t would be defeated.
Mr.. Stuart called attention to the fact
that the question now to be decided is not
what an ideal charter would be, but wheth-
er the new instrument was better than the
old, and whether on account of the re-
forms made it was deserving of the votes
of the people.
j. D. Bailey opposed the charter in pa
per which was we'll reserved by those pres
ent. He objected because only eighteen Of
ficials were to be elected under its provis
ions by the people, while thirty-five were
to be appointed by the mayor. The fail
ure of the boa' o. - to incorpor-
ate within it the principle Of proportional
representation on the council he con-
demned, as well as that relating to election
by pluralities, by means of which one of
three men running for the mayoralty might
become clothed with power over the entire
body, though elecred by the votes of n mere
trihe more than one-third. This govern
ment by the few was the entering wedge of
imperialism.
Mr.. Bailey also objected to the scale of
salaries proposed, as by far too costly and
tending to encourage voters to make poll
tics trade for the sake OF the emoluments
of Office. The initiative and referendum
were dead letter as to ordinances, there
being joker in the charter; by its use any
ordinance proposed by the people might be
adopted by the council thirty days before
election, thus preventing vote Of the peo-
pie, and then repealed Immediately after
ward.
The most Objectionable feature of the
charter, however, He characterized as that
relating to the requirement by the city of
public utilities The limit Of possible in
debtedness had been so fixed that it would
be impossible under the charter as pro-
posed to acquire more than a municipal
water system. The limit would be reached
long before public lighting, civic transpor-
tation facilities or other public utilities
could be acquired. Inability of the people
at large to vote on the question OF granting
franchises he also regarded as serious de-
feet in the new charter, as well as the per-
petuation Of the contract system on public
works, which had been productive here as