Omaha daily bee., 1900-12-02

| states the constitution assures the right Ia
| local self-government, sometimes by pro-
viding that the legislature shall not pass
| eny special act creating local Offices OF
| commissions to regulate local affairs some
times providing that the voters may elect
| all or certain local officers. Thela con-
| stitution Of Missouri, California and Wash
ington contain provisions under which
towns and cities may make or amend
their own charters by conventions Of their
| own delegates. subject Of course to the con
stitution and general laws OF the state.
The experience Of these states has proved
| that these provisions are successful. The
| charter Of st. Louis thus framed by It's own
convention Of thirteen of It's freeholders
| elected by It's own voters is considered
one of the best Of city charters and the
validity Of this method has been sustained
BY the supreme court of Missouri.
q. Refor in California.
"The system having worked there SO
well, when the constitutional convention Of
California met In 1879 It was proposed to
incorporate 1t in the new constitution The
machine politicians rose in alarm profess
ing great fear lest San Francisco, the only
city in the state containing the requisite
population Of 100000, should break loose
from the rest Of the state and set up free
government Of its own. This Is the boldest
Kind OF an attempt at secession, said one
speaker. The opposition was so great that
the friends OF the measure were COM
PEELED to accept an amendment that such
charter. after acceptance by the voters or
tho city, must be approved also by the leg
islature-to be approved or rejected as a
whole, however, without alteration. For
years the active opposition Of the city
hall gang q potent source Of corruption
In San Francisco. succeeded In defeating
every charter drawn under this clause of
the state constitution. At last a majority
voted to approve the charter thus framed
by its own convention. The system meet
Ing with popular approval throughout the
state, the constitution was amended to
allow all cities Of more than 10 900 inhabi-
tants to frame their own charters. The
cities OF Los Angeles. Oakland, Stockton,
San Diego and Sacramento have thus
framed and adopted their own charters
and all have proved successful, The sys-
tenn having thus worked SO we'll. in 1890
by constitutional amendment the right was
extended to any city of more than $500 in
habttants. In 1892 another amendment to
the constitution provided that charters thus
framed shall become the organic law Of the
city adopting them and shall supersede all
laws inconsistent Herewith, thus depriving
the legislature Of the power to interfere
with them. even by general law.
Homemade Charters.
The constitution of Washington OF 1890
contains similar provisions. Those who fear
extension OF the principle that the people
can be trusted to govern themselves should
read the debates Of this convention and
should follow the subsequent history OF ac-
tion taken under this clause. Seattle has a
charter thus framed and the city comptroller
writes, The plan is acknowledged to be
better than depending upon the legislature
In 1890 Tacoma also adopted q charter OF
its own making. The mayor writes:
The new is felt to be superior to the old
method The charter OF San Francisco re-
Gently adopted, framed in the same way, by
a convention OF Its own citizens, said 20 be
the best city charter yet framed, Is now at
tracing the attention Of students of munich
pal government through the country. The
charter OF Greater New York, framed
through the action Of the general assembly
and not of Its own citizens, Is already an
admitted failure, as It contains features that
never would have been either introduced oi
adopted by its own citizens. Already II is
to be revised in the same Objectionable way
II was framed in order that the boss and
his machine may retain their hold on New
York. But the charters OF the western
cities enumerated, framed by convention Of