The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-09-30
Commission GOVERNMENT
Advantages Of the Modern Form Of
Municipal Administration-People
Rule by Majority. and Not the
offieiaIs--Latter Must Carry Out
Public viii.

.
| OfficiaIs--Latter Must Carry Out
Public VIII.
Throughout the country the uues-
tion Of municipal government is now
being considered and studied from
La higher and broader point of view
than heretofore, not as matter OF
political parties or factions, but
with reference to the great princi-
| pies of ent-eeonomic finan-
cial and legislative; where the re-
sponsibility shall lie, how the ac-
| counts shall be audited and econo-
mics practiced, how the people shall
| be consulted and the government
kept always democratic and respon-
siVe to the will Of the voters.
A significant contribution to the
literature bearing upon the discus
sion of this important topic are the
following editorials from the Shreve-
port Caucasian and Times of recent
date, which are reproduced herewith:
Shreveport Caucasian: ct Is con-
lceded that every individual in his
personal or in his official capacity
if he be an official or an officer OF
1 the laws free to express his views
o1 IA Nv cGS@olg pub1lS @IuCSIiOHS
the limits of legitimate criticism.
In the exercise of this preroga-
ative the official or the Officials
lshould be more conservative than
the citizen. Indeed, the official
should be more reserved excent In
cases. when he may have been in
jured or is being criticised without
warrant
i His recourse in such instance is
lplain.
From the Caucasians view, it is
not becoming to any official to fight,
or criticise publicly and on the
street corners or anywhere in public.
the acts or measures which may be
favored and advocated by citizens
of the community.
After all, the officials are simply
the creatures Of the people TO Whem
a they must be accountable
This is the very essence OF Dem
ocracy.
1T is the people who rule by ma
!. jority, and not the officials.
ii tWhenever any official may reach
! the point when he assumes to eriti-
Icise without warrant. and to object
) strenuously to any measure being adj
: voeated by the people which IS not
d strictly to his liking or his notion,
d such official has nn " u tin ps ria
q 4 come to the paTtlng s of the VA So
q He may resign
tThis Is what ii STYLED official
+ partisanship. which Elay become of
d fensive to a large number Of the pee
pie, who, under the system of goy-
ernment BY commission, may recall
the officials. who may not be IN full
accord with the people, their policies
or the measures they adFccate and
( favor for the good Of all tire people.
Shreveport Times: 4Fhe Cauca-
SLAMS reference here Is pointed and
timely. II Is the business Of the
l Dublic official to carry ont the pub
lie viii. This is peculiarly true l1,-
: der the form of government which
has been adopted in Shreveport. Our
y officials may propose measures, but II
: the last analysis 1t Is the people and
not those officials who must dispose
Of them. It would seem that two ref.
erenlun petitions on the lighting
question would give pause to the ac
tiyities Of some Of the commission
ers who seem to fear that the peo
Il ple are roi. sufficiently Informed tt
! vote intelsigently in the premises
- Certainly there are enough people
opposed 10 The proposed action OF tn
commission ia entering into TN
Iiehting. zeoa traet to afford the mem
bers of tho commission good reaso1
to doubt the wisdom of their cours'
. from the popular standpoint. Let tn
people decide.
The New Orleans Times Democrat
4l,rf aaitnT1al lY
says:
ID, "The old political idea that the q
fices are created for the benefit 9
the politicians, that city government
ut, is established for their profit an
advantage, to get as much out OF
as they can and give as little IN x
turn, that salaries are TO be boosIee
as high as the people will stand. ta1
os alton raised to the limit, bonds
sued until the public credit can stan
lu, ~ no more, still survives, as we
N N New Orleans realize; but 1t is Weai
~ err than ever and facing here as els
~ where, its downfall. In New 4or
~ ll. Tammany is safely muzzled; the Pc
IL IL Dle Of Philadelphia are about TO 9
.an :l the same by their organization. NC
IN Orleans remains the last of two
10 - three cities where the view SIN pF
~ II walls that the scores Of delicate que
~ tiens affecting administration, finahS
~ political economy. can be pc
iso handled By ward politicians.
ha sAs we nave noted elsewhere, u
a. people are studying the question :.
~ municipal government from the hlgs
II est point OF view In ST. Louis, 4
sds instance. thirty-four civic organE
L Il y. LA1Ix.x