Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1909-11-17
THE PASSING OF PARTISAN GOV
EMINENT.

EMINENT.
The city of Boston by a referendum
vote recently adopted a new chapter
which reads into the organic law the
passing of partisan politics in its pure
ly municipal matters. By the pro-
visions of the new charter the govern
ment of the city will be vested in a
mayor and a council of nine members
elected on a general ticket. Nominees
to fill the two elective positions can
have their names placed upon
the official ballot by petition of
at least 5000 voters (about five
per cent of the e~lectorate), and are
to appear without any mark. emblem
or political designation whatever.
The government will be chosen for
four years, and will be subject to recall
after two years on petition of a ma
jority of the registered voters.
The problem of government for Am
erican municipalities has reached the
acute, and the experiment of the me
tropolis of New England will be
watched with interest both by the
academic theorist and the man with
good red blood in his veins, who goes
ahead and does things. Other cities
are trying plans that appeal to them
for better government, but none OF
the experiments have been in vogue
for sufficient time to be accurately
judged by results. Galveston, Texas,
delegates the whole management of
her city affairs to a commission COM
posed of three men, two or three of
the Iowa cities are working under q
similar plan, while in California the
initiative and referendum with power
of recall is being tried out as a munic-
ipal m~akeshift.
In our own state the city of Rutland
is working for the first year under a
charter which is at least radical or
retrogressive, according to the view
point. There the eleven aldermen are
elected at large on a general ticket,
ward lines being o~bliterated, except
as a figure Of speech, residence in a
given ward represented not being a
qualification for membership in the
board. 1t was claimed by the spon.
sors for this charter that this move
would give the city the ablest board
of aldermen possible to procure. and
the names of some of it's members Ger.
tainly look well in print. but judging
from the press of that city they have
assayed most disappointingly. Three
months ago Rutland was stricken
with an epidemic of typhoid, with its
attendant deaths and commercial par
alysis. Chemical analysis sustained
the opinion of physicians that the
plague was due to impure water.
Rutlandgstill has its typhoid. its Sc,
lect aldermen, and drinks disease
germs, but no steps have been taker
to obtain a pure water supply.
But We have depressed somewha'
from the thought of government with
out political PARTIES. If it should bs
enlarged in it's scope what would tn,
result be to the state? Take Yer
mont, for instance. if we should abol
ish political designations aud choos,
oar candidates for state officers from
among eligibles by petition where i
the prophet who could foretell the re
suit?
Its advantages might be an awak
ered interest among voters to matter
OF vital concern; as it is only abou
two-thirds of the men vote, and Q
those who do we hope half have som
conception of the functions of govern
ment and for what they are victims
Our nou-partisan candidates migf
open schools of politics like the Ath,
mans of old and take up the problem
taxation for n thing. Then, too. tt
discussion might unearth the Vi
thought of manwho was endowed by n
ture and research with a capacity
govern. He might with profit be CHI
sen TO carry out the will of the peopl
where as it is the voter is often fore,
to choose between one who has be,
successful in the horse market or Il
sale Of calico, when neither cou
distinguish between a problem in e
onomics and one of euclid.
The suggestion that we revive o
old debating schools and lyceums
discuss the matter may not be amis
A few weeks ago the Northfe
News accused the Monitor of bel
unduly active in the political arer
a11nrantinn thaf