The St. Louis Republic., 1902-11-23
THE MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY.

1
Theoretically the local system of municipal egisla
tion is correct The trainers of the present Charter
constructed the Municipal Assembly of st. Louis on
the fundamental principles upon which the National
Congress is established making, however the Board
OF Public Improvements an auxiliary body in improve
ment legislation. This dual-triple process, which ap
peared so attractive in theory has not been
full In pracce it has been failure in every direction
The former Charter commission has four primary
objects in view in providing complicated system
First of course. it desired to prevent unlawful prac-
tces in the law-making body; second. it sought to
prevent extravaganza third, it planned make legis-
lation conservative and safe through the resistance
one organization would show the other and fourth
1t arranged for fair representation for all districts
Notwithstanding that all these precautions were
inserted in the City Charter for protection of public
interests, corruption has prevailed in the House
Delegates the lower branch of the Assembly for
| twenty years. During period only a few years
ago. the corruption spread to the City Council and in
enactng special franchise laws, the Municipal As
sembly almost legislated away the right to enforce
police regulations.
Throughout two decades both branches of the As
sembly fought with the Board of Public Improve
ments public lighting propositions and finally the
city found itself at the mercy of private corporations
Contracts for sanitary public work awarded to
political powers. Representatives of various wards
combined in the House defeat public improvement
bills Fights for patronage disturbed the process of
legislation and almost interrupted the work of de-
partments. Methods were found to circumvent every
good restriction in the organic law.
Undoubtedly the House Of Delegates was the arch
consprator against progress and good government
Public interests subverted by lower branch
OF the Assembly to political and private schemes The
city was made to suffer to help the plots of ward
chiefains and Delegates with the Itching PALM" If
friend of Delegate opposed street Improvement
this Delegate formed combination with other Dele
gates whose friends opposed advancement the bill
was defeated or permitted to die in committee If
business man feared that rival would get fran
chise or concession, he went to Delegate or legis
lative agent" and had the House combine kill the
special bill. Occasionally Delegates reaped financial
profit by fostering competition among seekers of fran
chises.
Under the present system Of legislation public i'm
provement measures must originate in the Board Of
Public Improvements and 60 through both houses
They cannot be amended in either house. though
either house may return such bill with suggestions
for amendments. Each house has veto power the
President of the Council has veto power possibly the
Speaker Of the House has. and the Mayor has veto
power. 1t is easily understandable why public i'm
provement bills, running this gamut fail to become
laws
Experience seems to show that legislative body
would not be sufficient as all the precautions in the
present Charter must be Incorporated in the new one
But experience has demonstrated positively that ward
representation and ward elections are conducive to
corruption All the evils which have beset legisla-
ton were born Of ward politics.
Probably the best results could be obtained through
modification Of the existing system. Ward politics
could be eradicated by the establishment Of legis-
ladve body consisting Of branch elected at large
and one elected from districts embracing several
wards which would be equivalent in a manner, to
election Of both branches at large Perhaps a plan
may be devised for transmitting public Improvement
measures through only the board and one house to
tho Mayor. However, IL only Council is estab-
lshed, the organic law will have to provide special
regulations concerning franchises The franchise sub
ject will have to be dealt with separate feature
under any circumstances. But above ALL ward influ
ences must be removed from the Municipal Assembly