Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-01-22
Speaker Sherman Urges
More Home Govern
ment in Cities.
FAv0RS SPECIAL LAWS
Such as
Would Insure Great
er Freedom.

Springfield, H., Jan. 22-Speaker
l.. y. Sherman, of the Illinois house
of representatives. delivered an inn
portant address at the Mems club
here last night. In il the speaker
took advanced ground on the relation
of the state to the municipalities of
the state and declared against lcgis-
lative interference with municipal af-
fairs. He also insisted that the state
should have definite policy in deal
ing with its cities and that the cities
should not be subjected to the ca
price of every new assembly. He adj
vOcated a classification of cities and
the enactment of laws which would
be applicable to each, being in effect,
home rule
'TwO-thirds of the population of
Illinois now lives within the corpor-
ate limits of cities, villages or towns
he said. THE other third is what
can be called strictly rural or agri-
cultural population.
The municipality has a double
function. In nearly all American
states it is an agent of the state gov
ernment in addition to it's duties in
the administration of strictly local
affairs. 1t is the confusion of these
two uses that leads to so much mis-
chief in state Legislation.
As to Local Issues.
THE city has n great variety OF
questions which must be dealt with
which are of no concern to those who
dwell outside the cities. Among
these may be classed such problems
as transportation, whether on the
surface or underground, whether by,
cable, overhead or subterranean ca
bic, with problems of paving and
sewering. of lighting and cleaning
and sanitation and a hundred ques-
tionS utterly unknown and un-
dreamt of by rural or pioneer life.
The people have studied state and
national self-government and have
arrived at a fair understanding of its
modes, but it is only in the last few
years that any attention has been
given to laws which shOulG govern
the administration of affairs in large
municipalities. No one ventures to
pretend at this time that the best
results are obtained from a given eN-
penditure in a large city. The men
affairs of the metropolis are not al
ways the ones most competent II
administer its business.
There is no such thing as lcgiSla-
tive policy in a state legislature nn
municipal matters. Every legisla-
ture is a law unto itself. A city is
created, its charter amended, revised
or destroyed by the state legislature.
-.e-To1
save as the legislature orders.
Home Rule Evident.
There is in Illinois this recDgni-
tion of home rule; special acts FOR
the creation of municipalities are
the legislature cannot
levy taxes on the city, the inhabit
ants or the property within it for
corporate purposes, neither can it
grant the right to occupy street TO
a street road without the consent of
the local authorities.
Saving these three matters of
home rule guaranteed by the consti-
tuition the legislature can roam over
the field of municipal inquiry. Why
should a city's park system be adj
by the state? Why should
city buildings be ordered by the leg
islature. as in some other states?
Why should the municipal problems
of water. gas. street lighting, street
and local city govern
ment through mayors, councils and
other municipal organizations be
invaded by state legisla-
lures?
There will never be complete JUS
tice done to the cities of Illinois SO
long as one law is applied to those
so widely different. Cities ought to
be classified. city of 1,50o is not
like a city of 100000. 1t is an alb
surdity to attempt to fit the same
clothes on both"