Evening star., 1909-06-18

|
proposition is not disposed of by that ad-
| mission.
THE main question is whether the ef-
| f1ciency of the service will be increased
by such changes, and whether they are
warranted by the enlarged amount of
the business to be handled. 1t is my
| belief that the increase in business of
the city government does demand a
thorough reconstruction of its machinery
and that that machinery should take the
form which. on the whole. has proved
most satisfactory in the cities Of our
country Of similar size.
i "The increase in the work of the city
departments and the increasing impor-
be solved demand a proportionate in
/ crease In the salary to be paid to their
executives. And such chiefs should re-
! ceive adequate authority to administer
the affairs of their departments"
Question of Franchise.
Repeating his statement that he had
not been authorized to investigate the
question Of franchise. Mr.. Reynolds said
| that he had nevertheless come to certain
conclusions relative to the representa-
tion the people of the District should
have in it's affairs. The lack of any
provision to give the citizens Of the Dis
trict right to appear before Congress
he described as a serious defect. OF the
various schemes advanced to remedy
this the only one that struck Mr.. Rey-
nolds as feasible was the appointment
| by the President of committee Of 100,
and this struck him as being crude. In
his opinion. such a committee should
be formed by the citizens themselves.
The right of petition should be exer-
cised not only with respect Of hearings
| before the Commissioners but also with
| respect of hearings before Congress.
| With regard to his recommendation for
the creation of a new municipal depart
| ment Of housing and labor Mr. Reynolds
| said he had found the necessity for such
a department very urgent. The poor need
| protection, he declared, and such a de-
partment, having supervision over tene-
ments, labor, pawn shops. employment
| agencies and loan agencies, would exer-
| else a most beneficial and helpful power
Gives Historic Review.
Mr.. Davis. before taking UP present
conditions, gave a historical review of the
| development of the District government
| from the time when there were three
| separate municipalities within it's limits,
Georgetown, Washington and Washing
ton county. which was part, of the Dis
trict, but under the jurisdiction of the
levy council.
Il am one Of those who, in the opinion
Of certain persons, are unfortunate enough
to have been born in the District of
| Columbia Mr.. Davis said. 1 have
passed the half-century mark and re-
member when there were no pavements
in the city. My whole life has been
lived here and l have observed events
closely. l am the original democrat. In
fact, am the matrix democrat, and the
matrix has been broken. l believe that
the government should be the servant Of
the people and not their master. l say
| all this because the present form of gov
| ernment in the District is contrary to all
my natural opinions and feelings. 1t took
| me long time to arrive at the point
where l could approve of the present
| form Of government in the District, but
do approve of 1t now Not only that. |
think Washington the best governed city
| IN the country.
| "Of course we all have causes for COM
plant at times. The Commissioners don't
/ do what we want and we cuSs them. 1
| have cussed them often myself, but when
you come to consider their semi-executive
semi-legislative functions. the manner in
| which they have run this. government
since. in 1874, the board of Commiss oners
| was created as a temporary institution
until something better in the way of a
system for the District could be found,
it is little short of remarkable.
The Commissioners Powers.
| Il regard it as one of the greatest ex-
hibitions of the capacity of the American
people for self-government that two ci-
! william Commissioners and an army officer
have carried on this government as they
| have done, with so little just cause of
complaint, and with SO little real friction.
You will observe that this body of Com
missioners, upon whom in the beginning
there was no legislative power conferred,
has now these very large powers:
| ITO make and enforce regulations re-
specting buildings, in accordance with
which it has been held by our courts. and
| held properly, that a regulation Lor.id-
| ing the erection of a livery stable too
near the houses of citizens can be en-
| lorced; that a theater cannot be put in
a square without consent. and So on down
| the line. Regulations re pecting the hanu-
ling and dealing in coal and the erection
and management of elevators.
| The Commissioners have power to adopt
| regulations respecting public safety on
bridges and in theaters; to regulate the
location and the depth of gas mains; to
regulate the medical and dental colleges
| in this community by regulation, which
| Is to say legislation to determine the
conditions under which sidewalks and
occupied. They have the right by regula-
| ton, which is to say legislation. to de-
| termine the planning of subdivisions of
lots: and, what is more, these Commits
| sioners have the power. and they have
exercised 1t. to enact and enforce regu
lations governing the plumbing in your
| houses and the manner of its connec-
ton. Above all, they have the power to
which Is not one whit short of the power
to pass local ordinances for the public
order, which belongs to municipalities at
large.
It venture to say that there have not
| been dozen just causes of complaint
against the manner in which the Com
missioners have exercised these very
| large powers and those powers of legis-
lation under this act under which we are
living. And 1, for one say that not
withstanding l have time and again been
disappointed in my expectations at the
action of the Commissioners here and
there. taking it by and large, / would
rather have il so than to have to run
| the gantlet of the two congressional COM