Evening star., 1902-01-25
The Ideal City Government.
From the Philadelphia Press.

/
| The government of the city Of Washing
| ton and the satisfaction Of the people un-
| der 1t Is confounding to our accepted ideas
| OF local self-government. There Is no self
government for the residents Of the ma
tional capital. The people Of the District
| OF Columbia have no vote on the question
Of their rulers. A Congress chosen wholly
| from outside the District legisates for it.
dent and Senate Of the United States ad-
| minister the laws Of the District and the
| municipal affairs Of the city of Washing
| ton.
! cratic city is about the only one in the
country containing 100 900 population or
| upward in which loud and almost continue
GUS complaint Of local maladministration
| and bad government are not heard. The
| committee on municipal progress naturally
wants to hear about this, and Hon. H. B.
F. Mcfarland presloent of the board Of
| commissioners Of the city Of WASHINGTON
considered that phase Of the municipal
question In his address in Witherspoon Hall
| last night.
The privilege of voting for our local
rulers is very great one. no doubt, but
1t Is disconcerting and disheartening to find
1t results SO frequently In a government
| wholly trresponsive to public opinion and
regardless Of the public's real interests.
| Scandal In connection with municipal gov
| ernment is the rule rather than the ex-
ception, and content and satisfaction with
| municipal government on the part Of those
governed are almost unknown outside Of
the rule Of the undemocratic city of WASH
ington. Thus says Commissioner Macfar-
| land
1.-The municipal government of Washing
ton has gone on from year to year for
nearly a quarter Of century without sus-
picion OF blackmail or jobbery bribery or
| corruption. Its executive officers have had
| the respect and regard Of their fellow-citi-
zens. They have usually served at sacri-
flee and have to go out of Office poorer than
when they went IN. Their subordinates.
appointed, retained, promoted or denoted
under merit system maintained without
| sanction Of law, are not political workers,
| do not levy or pay political assessments,
| work hard for their salaries and get moth
Ing in money on account Of their Offices but
their salaries. Its police department, for
example, from the superintendent down to
| the last recruit, is non-political, as hon
est and as efficient as the regular army Of
the United States. Its members under
stand that no one can hurt them If they
do their duty, and that no one can help
them II they do not. Levying blackmaii,
| even to the extent of pilfering from peanut
stands, would bring swift punishment upon
the man who did it. The contractors who
| deal with this municipal government do not
have to offer bribes either of money or of
influence to get contracts. Indeed, that
getting contracts. They do not have to paw
commissions or assessments or take part
in politics in order to get and keep con-
tracts. The lowest responsible bidder gets
| the contract every time. In other words,
this municipal government is managed by
business men for business purposes on busi-
| ness principles, with an eye single to ef-
| ficiency and economy"
This seems to be an ideal situation. VIII
| universal suffrage ever give 1t to PhiladeI.
phia? We are loath to accept the conclu-
sion that popular government Is failure
| In cities of this class and character Mr..
Macfarland sees the cure for local misgoy-
ernment In the elimination of politics from
| the municipal business. This has been done
IN Washington by abolishing the elective
franchise. The city government. though
undemocratic in form, is more sensitive TO
public opinion and more regardful Of the
wishes and comfort Of the people than cleo
| tive governments are as q rule. This makes
1t popular and the people contented while
chronic discomfort is the condition Of near
ly every other city large enough and rich
enough to tempt the cupidity Of unscrun,,-
] lous and scheming politicians