Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-10-15

The palace was burned in 1885, and at
once rebuilt by Edward the Confessor,
who also began work on the Westmin-
ster Abbey we know to-day.
The city of Westminster grew
rapidly around the palace and the Abb
hey, and at once began to have troub-
lie with the neighboring city of London,
for Westminster was filled with the
camp followers of royalty, and London
was filed with shopkeepers. Henry
I'll, from his palace in Westminster,
once referred to his subjects in the
other city as 'those rustical London
ers, who call themselves barons on ac-
count of their wealth" Once, to give
Westminster boom, he established
fair there and made all the Londoners
shut up shop, and come over to West
minister sell their goods.
HUMORS OF GOVERNMENT.
1t was a wonderful government that
grew up in the city of Westminster
under the afbbots, and afterwards UNI
der the burgesses. In Elizabeth's time
a preamble to an act for the good gov
eminent of the city recites that the
people there of are greatlie INCREASED,
and being for the most part withowte
! trade or mysterie are become poore,
and many of them gwen whollie to
vyce and idleness, LIVING in contemDte
of all manner of officers within said
Cyttie for that their power TO correcte
, and reforme them is not sufficient IN
Lave as in that behalfe were meete and
requisite"
One can get some idea of the condi-
ton of the city in Shakespeare's time
from some of the ordinances then en-
forced, as, for example, these:
That every Burgess and their assist
ants, and all and every other person or
persons using any trade Of victualling,
or keeping any common ale house shall,
* from the feast of All Saints
4
Blessed Virgin Mary find ara sap one
| convenient Lanthorne, with candle
being light in the same, in the street,
at their street doors, viz, from
six of the clock in afternoon until nine
of the clock then next following, every
night nightly Except those nights as
the moon shall then and at that time
shine and give Light upon paine to for
felt and pay for every time offending
therein, four pence.
That the Inhabitants of the City or
Burrough Yearly, and every year here
after, from the Feast Day of the An
nunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
until the Feast Day of St Michael the
Archangell, viz: every Day at six or
| seven of the Clock in the forenoon,
shall, either by themselves or some 9TH
ers, with clean Water wash and sweep
the Kennels and cutters near unto
every Of their Dwelling House, upon
paine to forfeit and pay, for every day
makeing Default, Four Pence.
II any Hogg or Hogs shall at any
Time be found upon the Common of
Tuthill, and not being hinged or
pegged, or shall be found wanderins
in any Street or Churchyard, that the
owner of every such Hogg shall forfeit
and pay, for every such Hogg, and for
every time offending in any the Prem
ises Twelve Pence
Yet Macaulay, speaking Of Westmin-
ster as it was in 1898, says it was then
by far the greatest city in the world,
except only the neighboring city of
London"
VAST MUNICIPAL MIDDLE.
Even half century ago the place
was governed by "a confused network
of boards, commissioners, trustees,
committees and vestries and what-not,
that rendered efficient and economical
administration an impossibility," to
quote a local chronicler. For example,
nine paving boards, not to speak of
other bodies, had separate jurisdiction
over one short stretch of the Strand.
The jurisdiction of the various commits
sions overIapped in all sorts of ways.
Westminster, however, was no bet
ter off than all the rest of the ill-defin-
ed metropolis outside the square mile
city of London. Probably no such
tumble ever was before in all the his
tory of great municipalities. 1t was
worse than if you had lifted" a ward
each from New York, Chicago, Phil
adelphia and dozen other adversely
governed American cities. set them
down together higglety- pigglety, over
tapping here and there and each with
its own style of government. Even to-
day, until the new London Govern
ment act goes into operation, the
worlds metropolis is managed pretty
much on this fashion by nearly 500