The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-21
HOW TO RULE 4 CITY
INTERESTING SYMPOSIUM ON MU-
NICIPAL CHARTERS AT THE
Y. M. o. A. ROOMS
GREAT MINDS NOT AGREED

Gen. J. b. Sanborn Differs From j..
j. McCardy and From Rev. Sam
c. Smith, While F. III. Griggs and
Webster WheeIock Are Quite Pes
simisttc I'm Their Views as to
Municipal Problems.
Rev. 8. q. Smith delivered the third
Of series Of lectures at the Y. M. G. A.
rooms last evening, taking for his sub
ject Municipal Charters" The audience
was much larger than at either Of the
previous lectures, and in the discussion
which followed Gen. J. B. Sanborn,
Comptroller McCardy F. FL. Griggs,
Webster Wheelock, Gov. Lind and w. B..
Dean made short remarks relative to the
subject of city charters.
Rev. S. G.. Smith briefly discussed the
charters of cities in the old country, and
then took up the subject of charters
granted to cities in the United States.
AS rule, he said, the charters of cities
were explicit and the courts had con-
strued them very narrowly. The state
gave the duties to the cities, but did not
see that these were carried out, In Min
nesota the people had decided that there
should be no special legislation, on the
theory that the representatives elected
to the legislature had the whole power
to change laws when special legislation
was allowed. Under the ordinary affairs
of the city there was a demand for spe-
cial legislation, but the constitution hav-
ing prohibited this the question was how
to avoid special legislation and at the
same time get it when it was wanted.
The only remedy was the power con-
ferred on cities to nave home rule
through a charter prepared especially
for the city. This had been tried in ST,
Paul but the people did not appear to
want a new charter. The trouble was
that the charter was fine on the whole,
but bad in spots and the spots We're so
bad that the people refused to adopt It.
/ The model charter now being advocated
by the League of American Municipali-
ties for all American cities, to his mind,
was the right thing. 1t provided for the
election of the mayor and the council
by the people, All other officers were
appointed by the mayor, with the excep-
ton Of the city comptroller, who was
elected by the council. There was but
one body of the council under this model
charter and the councilmen were elected
for six years, one-third going out every
two years the term Of the mayor being
for only two years.
No true home rule could be had by any
city without the council having large
powers, as the council should rule rather
than the legislature. He advocated one
council body for the reason that it fixed
the responsibility, and favored council
of thirty-three members, one-third from
the wards and the others from the city
at large. Civil service should be a part
of the model charter for until this was
the system there could be no decent
municipal government in st. Paul, or any
other city Some method must also be
taken to elect the right people and this
could only be done by having as strict
and rigid. a primary law as the present
Australian ballot law. The primaries
must be cleaned, as row it was simply
fight between two scoundrels. City
politics should be divorced from state and
national politics. 1t was futile to bring
should be elected treasurer of a city, as
was now too~frequently done. Under
the proper charter the council should not
have the right to pass on franchises
without having first submitted the ques'
ton to a vote of the people. Franchises
should be limited to twenty-one years and
the charter should provide for the
initiative and referendum.
At the conclusion of the lecture Gen.
J. B. Sanporn spoke for five minutes on
the beauties of the Howard charter. The
principle of the Howard charter was the
government by council, which was per-
haps vicious He called attention to the
cost per capita of the city government,
which, he said, was so The cost per
capita of the United States government
vas S. and of the state of Minnesota %.
The talk of home rule was all claptrap
and the general law charter was the cor
rect solution instead of special charters.
There was no reason why each city sfoulo
have a special charter.
Comptroller McCardy, who followed Gen
Sanborn, took occasion to deny. the state
ment made as to the per capita cost OF
the city government. The population, the
comptroller said, was 10000 in round
figures, and the expenses CT the city last
year $1,S00000, and the cost per capita
was about half what Gen. Sanborn had
stated. The Howard charter provided
that the council could make all appoint
ments and fix all salaries, and the worst
thing that could be said about it was that
no city had ever considered the question
of adopting it. He indorsed the present
charter.
AS Comptroller McCardy concluded his
remarks Gen Saubern said he had always
believed the comptroller to be q fair man.
but his statement as to the cost OF the
government of the city was not correct
In addition to the 1850, 600 expended there
had been spent some 100000 received from
licenses and about the same sum paid for
assessments. Comptroller McCardy re-
torted that assessments could not be call
ed a part of the cost of city government
and started to reply to Gen Sanborn at
length, but was informed by Rev. s. G.
Smith that there was no time to debate
the question just then.
Franklin H Griggs pointed out some Of
the defects in the present charter. de-
daring that it was simply a. resume OF
previous charters, with sections prov1d-
ing for a decrease of expenditures
Webster Wheelock said there was no
hope for special legislation and the only
remedy was the home rule law. A char
ter prepared by commission was bet
ter than one under a general law
Gov. Lind, who was asked for five
minute talk, said that in view of the fact
that he had not resided in the city very
long and was just at present trying to
run the state government, he hardly
thought it fair to call on him for an
expression. He advocated that there
should be another charter commission ap
POINTED to prepare charter in case the
present one was not adequate, and sug-
gested that if this was done the commits
sion should avoid details. The initiative