The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-03-13
rrE Pacific
MrNICIPAL GOYERNMENT.

eminent is comparatively new. j. is
only Of late tina, the danger t. the
whole body pJIic from the dry rot OF
great cl..es began TO attract tle eye Of
the political student. In the United
States municipal methods were n, Sc
rious.y poudered until New York City
supplied an incentive in the Tweed
scandals, and then began ferment OF
ideas which early took the concrete
form of the Brooklyn City Charter and
finally produced idrs5 Gg@eer OF 'eX-
eellent laws for the government Of cit
les of which the Charter of San Fran
cisco IS perhaps the latest type.
II is a recognition of the fact that
the scandals of city administration
have mainly come Of divided response
bility that most of the reform charters
turn on the pivot of one-man power. II
was found that city departments an
swerable in the main TO themselves
and remotely to the grand jury with
the Mayor restricted to an advisory ca
pacity or given limited and oyerruI-
able right Of veto, easily bred bad
government. When things went wrong
no one could be punished. Usually
there was a ring which took 2. hand in
all schemes Of plumber but in which
not a single member had 50 exceeded
the rest in wrong-doing that, when
exposure came, he could be segregated
and put in Jail; nor was 1t possible,
owing to peculiarities in the charter, to
punish ali together. The result was a
saturnalia of misrule in which one Of
fender hid behind another and all
skulked behind a CTls-crOss screen
made OF the reddest of red tape.
Citizens who wanted reform and who
believed 1t possible soon hit upon the
expedient of one-man power. OF course
there was a tremendous cutlery from
the political beasts of prey. Every seal
awag in politics inveighed against
"aristocracy" and tyranny" in the
Veriest cant Of socialism. 1t was point
ed out that a Mayor with all the say
would be un-American-a graft from
Old World despotism and an offence to
representative government. For years
the argument prevailed, but as the
scandals of city government went
from bad to worse the people deter
mined to try the plan of concentrated
responsibility. Let uS frame a char
ter" they said. that will give the May
or power to appoint and remove the
leads cs municipal departments. We
can then look to him for good govern
ment and II he does not give It TO us
ne viii at least be unable TO shift the
responsibility upon other shoulders.
We can hold one man TO account and
compel him to do right or take the risk
of impeachment. F."
Brooklyn was among the first to get
a reform charter and a Mayor to
match. The incumbent was the IA
nous Seth Low, now president OF Co
lumbia University. After taking his
seat he picked out the best men he
could find to take charge of the mu-
nicipal departments and as a first step
towards securing conscientious work,
required each one to hand in his resig-
nation with the date left blank. These
designations were filed away to be
drawn upon when needed. Then all
hands went to work on the principle
of economy, retrenchment and reform
with the result that Brooklyn became
as famous in America for good govern
ment as Glasgow was in Europe.
The pace having been set, nearly al
American cities which have gone in al
all for municipal reform have copied
the Brooklyn organization. Greater
New York has had to have a more
complex system, somewhat resembling
the government of a State, but tn,
idea OF one-man power has been meas
urably preserved. Mayor Van Wycl
has more personal authority within hi
sphere than Queen Victoria has fl
hers. In the latest charter, that o
San Francisco, Mayor Phelan exercise
responsibilities of the most dednit
character. He appoints and dismisse
and so far. as in the ether eases o
Cne-man authority, he has conserve
the ends Of good government. For tn
first time in its history san FrancIsc
is a city where there is q direct re.a
ton between the amount Of none
raised by tax and the sum judicious.
and honestly expended.
Honolulu Is nearing the time whe
the uppermost question is to be IN
municipal one. Whether the Island
are organized as Colony or Terri
tory, the cities and towns of the srOu
must have home rule. The era of eIat
crate paterualism has been Outliyed.
behooyes us al, therefore. to 60 int
the study Of modern municipal char
ters with thOr0ughuess and zeal so q
to reach a seasoned Judgment when th
time comes to adopt q local system