The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-06-20
Address.


an interesting and instructive discus
sion of the second class city question
and an address on the Philadelphia
exposition by one of its special repre-
sentatives, Il. p. Cowell, of Philadel-
phia.
At the last meeting of the board the
question of the desirability and prac-
ticability OF Scranton becoming a Sec
ond class city was brought up by Sec
retary d. Il. Atherton and referred to
the committee on legislation and taxes.
Last night, Attorney r. II. Patterson,
chairman of that committee, presented
the following report:
To the Board of Trade.
The undersigned of the committee on
legislation and taxes respectfully make
the following report with reference to
the desirability of changing from a third
to a second class city:
The purposes of city government are
the same in cities of the one class as
in those of another. II is question Of
means-of machinery.
The printing press suitable for the edi-
tion of great metropolitan daily would
be as unwieldy and absolutely ruinous
In small country office as the small
country-town press would be inadequate
tion of million copies.
COMPARISON OF CITIES.
The cities of Pennsylvania differ in
population and size very much as news
paper circulation differs.
Population.
Philadelphia had in 1890 over. 1000 900
Pittsburg had in 1890 over......... 23S 900
| Allegheny had in 1890 over........ 10000
| Franklin had in 1880 over.......... 622l
| Cory had in 1890 over ............ 567i
| MOnonSahela had in 1890 over... 409j
Philadelphia has in some single wards
twelve times the population of MOnon-
gahela. Scranton has seven wards each
| of which has a population greater than
| that of the whole city of Monongahela.
The constitution of Pennsylvania CAR
| ticle g. Section y provides that "The
| General Assembly shall not pass any To-
| cal or special law Regulating the
affairs of counties. cities, townships,
wards, boroughs or school districts =
Incorporating cities, towns or VII
| lagos, or changing their charters
Creating offices or prescribing the pow
ers and duties of officers in counties,
cities, boroughs, townships, election or
school districts"
| 1t has been said that only dead cities
| have perfect directories, and 1t may also
| be said that only dead cities have per-
| feet charters and laws. New laws must
| be passed from time to time to meet
| the growth and new conditions. The
whole system of street railways has
changed from horse power to electricity
| since this present constitution was adopt
ed. With this provision of the constitu-
| tion; with the necessity for legislation
and with cities varying so greatly In
| size and conditions, classification be-
| comes necessary. Doubtless more salts
| factory legislation could be secured with
a larger number of classes, but this Is
held unconstitutional. We must accom-.
modate ourselves to the laws provided
| for second-class cities or third.
| If the legislature has done its worl;
wisely the laws applicable to cities OF
the second class Pittsburg with 23S,O0l
and Allegheny with 100000 are much
better suited to the Scranton of today
and of the coming ten or twelve years
than the laws suited to these third.
class cities of a population of 10000 Ol
1900.
WHAT THE LAW PROVIDES.
The law provides that when u city
shall get a population of 100000 it shall
become a second-class city, and the prac
ticability OF this change has been dem
onstrated in the case of Allegheny City
which was transferred from a thIrd- class
| to a second-class city Immediately after
| the census of 1890, and experience has
| shown that the laws applicable to sec
| ond-class cities are much better suited
to the needs of Allegheny with it's pop
| ulation of 100 900 than the laws provided
for these smaller cities. In obtaininl
legislation, it would presumably be easier
for Scranton to agree with two cite.
as Pittsburg and Allegheny-than witt
a score of towns like Pittston and Monon
gahela.
Looking now to the differences in de
tail, we find the principal ones to be al
follows:
The powers of the councils are yer,
similar to their powers in a third-clas
city, but somewhat extended. They chos
the heads of the department of public
safety, department of public works ant
department of charities, to whom muci
of the detail of the management is com
mitted with a general supervisory powe
in the mayor
The common council is a more repre-
sentative body, being composed of abou
forty members, apportioned on rati,
of resident taxabes.
The select council of cities of the sec
ond class are one member from eacl
ward.
The mayors power of appointment /
somewhat abridged in cities OF the sec
ond class, and his duties as police mag
istrate are shared by him with five sal
ared police magistrates Of his appoint
ment.
There can be no increase of bonded In
debtedness without a vote of the elec
tors authorizing it,
REAL ESTATE ASSESSMENTS.
Real estate assessments are made a
fun valuation and upon three classes
the highest being on built-up property
the second rural or suburban propert