Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1899-03-18
MUNICIPAL REFORM.
HOME RULE THE IDEAL GOVERNMENT
FOR CITIES.

Legislatures Exercise Too Much Com
troll In Matters Pertaining to Civic
Needs-A Change Suggested to II emf
edy Existing Evils.
Horace +. Deming of New York read
a paper at the recent meeting Of the
National Municipal league at Indian
apolis on municipal government, show
ing the evils of the present system and
suggesting remedies for existing wrongs.
He said in part:
1.-The two principal causes of the fail
ure thus far i'll the United States to Sc
cure efficient economical, progressive
municipal government are;
First. The municipality is not
granted sufficient power to determine
for itself all matters of local public pol
icy and to settle for itself the details of
its scheme of internal local administra-
ton.
SeCOnd.-The municipality as a
subordinate administrative agent of the
state is placed partly or wholly under
the supervision and control, not of any
state administrative department, but Of
the state Legislature.
1.-THE cities have been governed from
without, not from within. Such govern
mental powers as they may have are
not exercised by methods and agencies
selected by their own citizens, but ac-
cording to the theories of outsiders.
They have not been self governing COM
munities free to apply their own reme-
dies to their on ills and, taught by eX-
perience, to work out an administration
adapted to their local needs
''This process has been going on with
accelerating speed for more than half a
eyes today. Both the process itself and
the results of it may be characterized
as an attempt blythe state legislature
to conduct the municipal government.
1.-The legal position of the city in re-
lation to the legislature has been 50
helpless, its dependence upon the legis-
lature so absolute and the need of fire.
quent application to the legislature as
the real source of power has been so
continuously urgent that not only does
local self government either i'll the sense
of the direct management of its local
interests by the cities own citizens
without outside interference or in the
sense of the administration of its local
scheme of government scarcely exist in
the United States today but there is
little genuine local public spirit.
"The remedy is plain. The city must
cease to be the abject slave of legisla-
tive despotism. 1t must be made suf1i-
cient for itself. 1t must govern itself. "
Mr.. Deming LAID down these funda-
mental propositions
"First.-The municipal corporation
should be invested with the govern
mental powers requisite to determine
all questions of local public policy.
There should be no excuse, and if posi-
BILE no opportunity to apply to the legis-
lature for additional powers, and, on
the other hand, the Legislature should
have no excuse and if possible no oppor
tunity to intermeddle with the local
government by granting or taking away
any power to enable the city to decide
for itself any question of local public
policy.
"Second.-The citizens of the munic-
ipality under general laws should be
free to make and amend their own form
of municipal government, provided it
be based upon democratic republican
principles, and to determine their own
methods of administration of the local
governmental powers, according to their
own ideas as to what will best satisfy
their local needs.
Third. In so far as the municipal
corporation is made the agent of the
state to enforce and administer general
laws within the corporate limits, it
should be under the supervision of and
responsible to central state administra-
tive departments and not subject to the
sport of special legislation.
"a municipality thus constituted is
not an imperium in imperiO, but a free
self governing community, subject to
state administrative supervision as to
all matters of general state policy to be
enforced throughout the state. Legisla-
tive interference is eliminated. Home
rule is not only possible, but compul-
sorry.
ITO accomplish these results in their
completeness and to guarantee their
performance a constitutional amend
ment is much to be desired. In every
state the friends of efficient, economical
progressive municipal government
should organize and continue vigorous
and unwearying campaign until a con-
stitutional amendment embOdying these
fundamental principles shall have been
adopted.
1.-The highest public good requires
that the constitution should guarantee
to each city, subject alone to the restric-
ton that democratic republican form
of government be preserved, complete
freedom to control the methods of the
exercise of municipal suffrage III purely
municipal elections.
The Best Lighted City.
Paris is now said to be the best light
ed city i'll the world and model for all
cities that are bent on introducing cleo
trio lighting on a grand scale. 1t is the
great installation under the vast central
markets of Paris that has enabled the
municipality to command the situation
and to carry out scheme which has
been settled after a patient, scientific