The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-04
Municipal Growth, He Says, Is the
Result of Tendencies TO
Economic.
CITIES PROSPER BEST ALONE.
Separate Elections and Exclusion
of Party Politics Have Proved
Beneficial, the Speaker Tells
Washington University.

Frederick y Judson delivered an adj
dress or our Municipal Problems last
night under the auspices OF the Washing
ton University Association
Questions of municipal government. he
saia. were OF Increasing interest. He held
that urban population had increased in
comparison with rural population and that
this tendency to great asgresations OF
people was favored by economic tenden-
Cies
THE separation OF municipal from ma
tional and State elections" he said. which
has long been the rule in st. Louis, is
now universally approved. The National
Municipal League has gone further ana
urged the exclusion of party politics by
requiring nominations OF municipal officers
10 be made by electors. Experience mas de
Veioped. however. that the dirticuities OF
municipal government are too deep-seateu
to he remedied by transient independent
movements. II is desirable, however, that
the power of public opinion over party or
CARNATIONS should be made effective by IA
cilitatins independent nominations as a
protest against bad party nominations.
B P [. NEEDS WIDER POWER.
THE organization OF the Board of Public
improvements was commended as Tea
tiers and which affords a quasi-judiciai
hearing before public improvements can be
made which involve any form of specia!
ldAdllOH Inc EONtIs Va tLlc Dpel.I si'o sAAs
be extended as to include such hearing
and recommendation by the board in the
case of any application to grant fran,
such franchises should be sold to the high
est bidder whenever practicable.
AS long as valuable franchises are
have franchise buyers, franchise brokers
and franchise sellers. Public corruption
could only be eliminated by removing the
sources o. corruption. The conditions of
the right of DuDllC DlaCe
street by switch connection or otherwise
should be fixed as FAR as practicable in
be granted by administrative officials upon
the payment of fixed charges into the pub
lie treasury.
.'On the subject Of the constitutional
limitations of taxation and bond issues in
II lnicipalities. attention was called to the
growing demand for the extension of mu-
I.icipal activity and to the exemption from
such limitations on the bond issues for
improvements. such as waterworks. which
would be income-producing. In the necessi
ty for popular vote approving bond issues
we have an illustration of the referendum
The difficulty of securing public interest in
special elections, such as Charter amend
not encouraging for those who advocate
this remedy for the evils of miSgovern-
ment.
STANDARD OF LIVING CHANGED.
The tendency to the increase OF the ex-
penses of municipal administration was
illustrated by the comparison of the mu-
mcipal expenditures of 1S77 and 1903 The
standard of municipal living has changed.
as has the standard of individual and do
mestic life. The luxuries of the last gem
Grafton nave become the necessities of this.
Public opinion to-day demands freproof
sChoolhouses, with modern equipments.
which We're not thought of generation
ago. Thus the expenses of our Health De-
partment have increased GOO per cent in
the twenty-five years All this means an
enormously increased expense of munich
pal administration. The comparatively SIM
PIE organization of the past has become a
complicated machine: and this complexity
civilization.
cities, has been intensified by the disper-
sion of the population over a large area.
The increase of taxation authorized at the
last election amounts to so per cent in the
case OF school taxation and 50 per cent in
general municipal revenues. It was not
right that the entire burden of permanent
public improvements should be borne by
the present generation. and it was therefore
right that the city should avail itself by
Charter amendments of the full extent of
its bond-issuing power.
These burdens of taxation. general and
special, necessitated by the increasing ex-
come intolerable unless the wisest possible
administration is secured.
DISCRIMINATE CRITICISM NECESSARY
Discrimination is necessary in the criti-
cism OF public officials. Unless il is dis
eliminating. II is worse than useless. 1t
was often an incident Of public service that
the conscientious discharge of public duty
would involve a conflict with private inter
ests. and mems motives would be subject
- suspicion and misconstruction. Some Of
the men who are now serving the public in
st. Louis are doing so at a serious personal
sacrifice. and they are entitled. as are all
public officials. to the support of a watch
full and discriminating public opinion"