Evening star., 1909-06-19
A One-Man Imported Commissioner

The addresses OF Mr.. Reynolds and MT.
Davis at the recent Chamber of Commerce
meeting were interesting and illumnat-
ing. Mr.. Reynolds elaborated the propo-
sitions of his report with which the COM
munity is familiar. urging the adoption
for the American capital of the charac-
terstic features of the municipal govern
ment of Berlin Mr.. Davis traced exhaus-
lively the evolution of our existing form
of municipal government, and concluded
that in its practical application to the
needs of the people of the ten miles
square it was absolutely the best gov
ernment that could he devised. demon
strated to be such not by abstract theory,
but by concrete experience
The different viewpoints OF the two
speakers find illustration in their varying
conceptions OF the office of Commissioner
Mr.. Reynolds treats the office as purely
executive. to he best filed on the tradi-
tional principle by one man. WHO may be
as well selected from Kalamazoo as from
Washington The successful importation
OF Col. Warins to clean the streets of
New York is cited as a precedent for
WaShingtonS commissonerShip. Mr.
Davis traces the gradual evolution Of the
office of District Commissioner with its
present varied and far-reachins and COM
plicated powers and responsibilities. lesis-
lative as well as executive. and shows very
clearly the practical inapplicabity TO II
OF the abstract principle of a single exec
utive, with a carpet-bagger preferred.
The Commissioners make municipal or
dinances: they frame. explain and defend
before the appropriation committees of
Congress the appropriation estimates, the
most important legislative propositions
that affect the District; they consider and
report upon all bills affecting the District,
by whomsoeyer submitted, the same be-
ing referred to them matter of Gus
tom by the District committees To per-
form these vitaly important functions
most efficiently they must be in posses
sion of great body of local facts, of
knowledge of local things and men. of
happenings and of propositions that have
failed-a knowledge not only derived from
study, but absorbed unconsciously from
the newspapers and from intercourse
year after year with ones fellow citizens.
Because it may be wise on special occa-
sions TO import an expert street cleaner
TO clean the citys streets. or an expert
dog catcher to impound the tagless ca
nine, 1t does not follow that it will ever
expert as a mayor of Oshkosh to legislate
as Commissioner and to frame and ad-
wise legislation for the National Capital,
with its unique status and peculiar condi-
tions. TO remove dirt from the streets
and To snare skillfully the vagrant dog are
the same in Oshkosh as in Washington.
The functions of mayor of Oshkosh and
of Commissioner of the District of Colum
bia are as wide apart as the poles.
The requirement of local residence for
eligibility to the conimissionership goes
far to work a practical compliance In the
local municipal government with the prin-
cipie of mo taxation without representa-
tion,' the gist of which is that the man
who puts up the money should say what
shall be done with H. The District tax
payers include Uncle Sam as to 80 per cent
of the whole amount and all other local
property owners combined as to the other
ID per cent. Uncle Sam through Con-
sress decides all questions of tax raising
and tax disbursing; but the local tax
payers through the Commissioners, local
residents and representatives of the COM
munity, take the initiative in framing ap-
propriaiive legislation by preparing and
submitting all estimates. Thus the one
half taxpayer, through its representa-
tlVeS, the Commissioners, proposes the
tax raising and tax disbursng which will
meet the needs of the people of the is
trict and the other half taxpayer,
through its representatives in Congress,
approves or rejects these propositions.
When an appropriation is made in this
way IL represents the will of all or the
great bulk of the taxpayers.
In sharp contrast with this practical
compliance with the principle that only
those who contribute to fund should
say how much should be raised and how
the money should be expended Is the
practice in many other. large American
cities, where tax questions are deter
mined by unlimited popular suffra ge,
and where organized non-taxpayers have
by mere force of numbers been able to
seize the city's purse, and to spend as
they pleased or to steal the money con-
tributed by the taxpayers. AS long as
the Commissioners remain, as they are
now required by the eligibility provision
OF law To be, the genuine representa-
tiyes OF the views and wishes of the
local taxpaying community, the taxing
and appropriating legislation for the Dis
trict will thus come far closer to repre-
senting the will OF the taxpayers than
that in any other American city.
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