St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1915-04-02
Would Be Welcome

Portland, Ore, March 10. 1915.
To the citizens of st. Johns
You are about to vote on the
question of consolidating the City
of Portland. That the step you
contemplate taking is regarded
generally as an important one
in the history of municipal ex-
periences needs no argument.
The trouble, you yourselves have
undergone puts that feature of
the question beyond dispute.
The great expense and trouble,
the repeated efforts and the time
consumed by other cities in
taking this same step attests the
fact of its grave Importance for
it touches mutually the municipal
well being of the cities affected.
In considering mutual advant-
age of union | feel that | am
warranted in predicting that,
owing to the high order of your
citizenship, your interest in ed
ucation, in public Libraries, in
churches, in social advancement,
in fraternity spirit-in fine, in
all the things that tend to the
betterment of mankind, so un-
like foreign cities or the foreign
quarters of some of our own
there are few, if any, of the
citizens of the Rose City who
will oppose your admission. The
advantages that will accrue to
us is evident. shall, therefore,
take them for granted. What
then are some of the advantages
for which you may look with
reasonable assurance? 1t is my
sincere conviction that you will
be affected very favorably in
most important civic advantages
as well as in social, commercial,
and even sentimental. AS to
civic advantages, IL is only rea-
sonable that for a given term of
years your water system, your
fire system, your lighting, po-
lie, street cleaning and sprink-
ling will be cheaper and better.
Your school will be enlarged in
their scope and your public IL
braries privileges increased.
In Union their is strength, 4"
and through all the years that
addage stands unimpeached. In
union there is also reduction of
cost Of administration of civic
affairs under well paid, expert
enced and competent manage
ment. especially since all depart.
ments have been taken out Of
politics practically and run on
the modern plan Of commission
form Of government.
Is anyone so foolish as TO con-
tend that. il the City of Port.
land with its $50. 900 population
were subdivided into fifty cit
les. each about the size of yours
and of an entirely separate en-
tity. each operating under its
own charter. and ofiicered by
fifty different sets of men. from
night watch to Mayors any
one so foolish. | repeat, as 10
contend that these fifty sepa-
rate governments could be or
would be run with less expense
and greater satisfaction than at
present? ! deem il a sufficient
answer TO say that of all the re-
form offered. no one has ever
had the temerity 10 propose so |
absurd experiment. so far as |
know. City government how |
TO make il satisfactory TO the
citizens and at the same time not
burdensome-has long been re-
garded by writer on the subject
as the most difficult phase of
modern government presenting
itself constantly TO the Ameri-
can people. and the reforms
thereof. that have been tried
are legion; but 10 cut up a large
City into number of sub-divi-
sions for the purpose of render
ing their several governments
more satisfactorily and less bur-
as you can cut a state
into counties for the convent
ence of the people of the sew
aral sections made remote by
natural barriers as we'll as dis
lance. has never yet. | think, |
been even suggested by the most
visionary. On the contrary,
small cities are constantly and
everywhere merging into larger,
and by a law just as natural as
that which causes drops of wat
er in close proximity TO flow to-
gether. Suburban towns merge
INTO a large city until the city I
soon become the metropolis. Il
Brooklyn tunnelled and bridged
and merged. though she was her. I
self several times the size of
Portland. Other large suburbs J
lid like wise until today there
are over three hundred sixty five {
square miles and some five mil S
ions of souls within the limit of q
he "Greater New York"-the '
most powerful. the most wealthy, /
he most influential city on the a
Continent. Our
on the North of us /
ire cheerfully expending five i
thousand dollars, and i
We more than double that sum, a
II order that we may coma naar z