The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1909-05-06
Special Correspondence.


been home rule week in the Legisla
ture. The House passed two home
rule bills giving to the mayors of ST.
Louis and Kansas City the right to ap-
point police and excise commissioners
but reserving to the governor the right
to remove such officials for neglect o
official duty or for dereliction in office
sufficient to warrant interference on
the part of the state. These bills
were taken up by the House and passed
after a message had been received
from the governor urging that the
pledge of home rule, made by both
parties in the last campaign, and be-
fore that time, be redeemed. He very
clearly outlined the Republican posi-
ton by stating that power should be
conferred upon the people of the large
cities to select their own police ahd
excise officials, but that care should
be taken to reserve to the state the
right of such supervision and authori-
ty over such officials as will secure at
all times the enforcement of the laws
of the state, the maintenance of its
peace and dignity and the protection
of the lives and property of the people.
The Senate Democrats held a caucus
and decided that the Senator should
strike out the provisions under which
the governor may have authority to re-
move the appointees of the mayor,
thus making the enforcement of the
laws of the state in the big cities de-
pendent entirely upon the mayor and
his appointees. When the bills came
over from the House amendments
drawn by a committee appointed by
the Democratic senators were voted on
them, entirely divorciDg the state from
control of the police and excise Of
fcials of the two large cities. Then
the question arose, will the Repub-
licans of the House support the bills
as amended by the Senate?
In the Senate several Republicans
voted for the bills thus amended, hop
ing that after the House acts upon the
amendments the difference between
the Senate and the House may be ad-
justed through the services Of con-
ference committee, and that some con-
cessions may be made under which
the bills will meet the home rule pledge
of the Republican party without de-
priving the state of authority to inter-
fere in case the cities are subjected to
a policy of non enforcement of law.
The governor anticipated the Demo
Gratis by submitting to the Democratic
attorney general the legal question in
volved in the pending home rule bills,
and that official, in answer, gave the
opinion that there is nothing in the
constitution to prevent the Legislature
giving the people of the cities abso-
lutte home rule in police and excise
matters, or giving them the right to
select, through the mayor, or by cleo
ton, the police and excise officials,
and giving the governor the right to
remove such officials for cause. This
leaves only the question of policy to
be determined by the Legislature and
the governor. The Democratic Sen
ate believes, or seems to believe, that
the people of the cities should have
absolute home rule in these matters
privilege which was taken from them
by the Democratic party; while the
governor and the Republicans believe
that the state should reserve the pow
er to compel enforcement of state laws
by the excise and police authorities oi
the cities, however such authorities
may be constituted. They hold that
the chief executive of the state, being
charged with the enforcement of law
and the maintenance of peace and or
der everywhere in the state, should
have such check upon officials, who
are to preserve the peace and enforce