The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11
BOND men WANT NO
CHANGING CHARTER
Counsel Reed. Of Inyc>tmcn,
Bankers, Tells Evils of
Referendum Plan.
SENDS APPEAL TO Low

Robert r. Reed, counsel for The T..
vestment Bankers Association " AMOR.
lea, in a letter written at the rs,g.. 81.
the legislative committee Il the a.slr,.
ton TO Seth Low. chairman Of ihc ear,.
mittee on cities of the constitutional
convention, makes n vigorous a~.iu.-,
from the viewpoint of the mon who iYv
municipal and state bonds ara.rs,
referendum charters for cities ur ,.r.
State. such as the special charter,
adopted at municipal elections r. ore.
gon. Colorado and Oklahoma.
Though sympathizing trorg ely v,.A
the purposes of nome rule ho saws
land especially with the desire OF The
larger cities of this state to have a
greater freedom of action In their own
~affairs. II Is impossible FOR those who
have had actual experience with thcgs
referendum charters not TO sound a.
strong note of warning against tho
movement for such charters IN This
State. The municipalities themselves
are the chief sufferers from this sys.
tenn. Home rule and local Referendum
charters are by no means The same
thing.
Apart from the fact that lecls,a.
ton by popular election seems wrong
In principle and dangerous in pric.irs
the plainest objection e. thi~ proposal
Is tina 1t simply makes much worse
the existing evil of special charters Jog.
islation. All that IL best and sures'
In municipal progress to-day is moving
toward uniform and general mur'cipa!
laws.
Mention should he made ~ the legal
LANCER involved in having any law de-
pendent on the proper calling and hold.
ing of an election. | remember ono
case, I believe In Oklahoma. whore a
city had. I think, three charters, or
three changes backward and forward
from one charter to another, but sue.
cessive court decisions, in loss than a
year. I recall another case as cm.
phasizing what seems to me the folly
Of having all these details submitted 20
the voters.
"It was n town in Oregon which 10.
sired to Issue bonds, n as its exist.
ing charter provisions woro Ambiguous
and unsafe az a legal authority or tho
bonds a new charter provision had 20
be adopted which specially directed tho
issuance and sale of the bonds Ny ~"
treasurer. A pamphlet was required 20
be submitted to the voters containing
the proposed charter amendment This
pamphlet misstatcd one Of m" wa'ur'cs
Of the serial bonds, They offered ~ prove
to us that only one voter In tho town
read the pamphlet II he didn't 'o't.e
the mistake.
Municipal self-govornment ard o7"-
troll by the voters and taNnty.'- -
municipal activities can be ful'r n''I.
for without raising up an i"l''t
sovereignty in every municipal ''
munlty. This Is tho extreme Of 81
making by municipal 81 lection o. 1
he democracy in It's childhood D'
dotage II is not government. II
eems possible that IL VII comm
self az a principle OF govcrnm'i' Pr.
and TO the other intelligent amt ,N"
enced men-leaders in the cons'.'a-
convention.
zone thing more deserves w9''
and thai is that If the Legislature.
have power by general laws 10 ,.'
the powers granted to the muui..uI
these general laws mrSt ho p,rH '.
TO diTercntiate between cities co.
ferent size and different needs. T
should be relatively few IN the nI.
New York and OF our first and ,.
class cities: some of our thin.
cities are smaller han some OF or- .
lagos"