Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1902-11-01

CITY government whlcn Sn0uld retlect
credit upon our great commonwealth
was thus presented; and If that body
had been made up in It's majority Of
patriotic men it would have been wei
coined and improved.
But instead the Republican Legisla-
| ture abdicated their powers in favor
of disreputable boss. in whose per-
sonal company not a respectable man
among them would desire to be seen.
The result was piece of legislation
ut once crude, clumsy, dishonest, and
subversive Of the very principle Of
government Of, for, or by, the people.
We have had occasion heretofore to
point out the ineffable hypocrisy Of
this scheme, by which, while pretend
ing to permit the appointment of
those officers to whom the most i'm
portant functions of administration
are confided by man elected by the
people, the real power is handed over
to the Governor Of the State.
This of itself, both on account Of its
inherent iniqulty of strangling the
principle of home rule, and also be-
cause OF the degrading and dishonest
trick by which the infirmity is under
taken to be hidden, ought to put the
seal of condemnation upon any party
guilty of the crime and its attendant
fraud.
Since we criticised this measure for
the violence 1t does to popular gov
ernment, new tricks and additional
frauds in its makeup have been
every day discovered. Among these
is the omission of a few words which
completely emasculates any effective
administration OF civil service rules
in municipal governments. Another
} jugglery with sentence or two per-
|, nits franchise to be renewed or
| granted by resolution only, instead of
: by ordinance. as was the law former
: ly. Now an ordinance requires for It's
, passage majority vote Of all Council
/ members elected. But resolution
! may be adopted by majority Of a
quorum merely, so that it follows that
minority may fasten upon the peo-
: length Of time, and this is right
which of all others the public are
justly the most jealous.
, Still another portion Of this wonder.
: ful law, which looks innocent enough
upon first reading, is found on Il
more careful inspection to open the
! door to an untold amount of corrup
} ton and jobbery. Provision Is made
! requiring the Council to give its au
thority for the making of any con
tract amounting to more than $500
and to appropriate the money for 1t
. But when the contract is once au
l thorized, the sleeper in the act
5 wakes up and says "the Council shal
: take no further action thereon" The
, whole matter Ia then turned over tC
s the tender mercies of these boards oi
: irresponsible appointees, which thu
|. people by their votes can never reacl
It and punish. And, as if the cinch o
these boards In the matter Of con
y tracts was not thus left tight enough
l. a subsequent provision enables thes,
o boards ''to make alterations or modi
y fcations in such contract" IL they
l. will but pass resolution to that ef
& feet.
d Here then, we have law whicl
!. ties the hands Of the sole representa-
), tlves of the people after they hav,
d once gone through the form of legis
l. lating generally on the subject mat
$ ter, and then permits bare majorit,
It OF nm appointed board to change tn
g terms of the contract, to raise TN
> price to be paid, to relax Its conditions
d to lengthen the limit for Its perform
ance, and In short to make alteis
y tions or notifications" nd libitun
f Every safeguard by which the publ
e interests ure now hcdged about ar
Il thus swept away, and totally irrC
Il sponsble jobbery becomes the rule O
It law.
& We may be very sure that thes
I. hidden traps which are being foun
n In the new code were not put ther
D. without a purpose. They were place
y In II knowingly, and the Republca
o majority which forced the measur
u through the Legislature under tn
o gag of the previous question, withor
e permitting amendment or discussion
A. is guilty either of an active particips
Ie tion In the fraud, or II wos so grossl
k. careless In not detecting and exposin