Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-09-23
pes Moines, Sept. ss.--At the annual

| was SINSIl ~
There was much discussion. which
showed that the men present were
thinking Of the subjects and are aple
r. talk about them. There was much
valuable exchange of ideas on a grea'
variety of topics.
The fact is that these men are
working on subjects of vital import
ance to the welfare Of the state anu
are devoting themselves to study proo-
lens that affect the destiny OF tins
commonwealth. 1t would be better II
a very much larger number OF the
people of the state understood some
thing Of the work. being done by the
municipalities for the good OF the
people.
II is also true that among the men
concerned in city n town govern
ment in Iowa there are many very aple
persons. There are men who have
| devoted wears to the study OF the sub
iects that come to their attention. the
problems that arise in connection WITH
urban life are far more varied than
any others Of the state and men snoulo
be trained to handle these problems
| Just as it is necessary that men should
be trained for consideration OF the
large problems Of statecraft. But III
many Of the municipalities OF Iowa
they are training men for this WORK.
| and there is today more appreciation
| Of ability in municipal
| than ever before. Out of this has
grown the fact that in three fine little
cities of Iowa they have employed city
managers who are devoting their en-
| tire time to making these cities what
! they ought to be. Reports at Dubuque
indicated that this plan is meeting
with marked success. But anyway it
| shows appreciation of the fact that for
any public service men must have
training and a~daptability.
The big work of the league, for the
present. is pushing the movement tor
what is called home rule for the
municipalities. Briefly this is a plan
to AXE the strait-jacket off the cities
and towns and to give them reason
able freedom of action in handing
their own finances an dregulating al
fairs purely local. 1t grows out of the
| fact which has been driven home many
| times in these cities that conditions
are vastly different. according TO loca-
ton and natural environment, and that
no hard and fast rules can be iald
| down that will not injuriously afect
some of the cities of the state. Inc
effort of the legislature to regulate the
business of the cities in detail has re-
| suited in many sections of the code
made to apply to only one or a fe"
cities. The idea is to follow the nod
ern plan of giving cities the right TO
| attend to their own business in their
own way. then holding them respor-
| sible for their conduct, leaving TO the
people the responsibility for seeing to
il that the right is done. A ieaflet has
been prepared. which is to be generally
circulated. giving in brief, an eXplana-
ton of the home rule idea. 1t IS as fol-
lows:
MUNICIPAL HOME RULE.
What II Is.
BY municipal home rule is meant
simply the right of the city to perform
all those functions of government that
concern its people and nobody else. IL
lis local self-government. like the power
of the state TO govern itself in affairs
that concern only its own people. eX-
| cept that it is applied to affairs OF a
CITY instead. Why should the state
legislature undertake to legislate for
all the cities of the state except IN
matters of statewide concern?
What It Is Not.
II does not mean the right of the city
to do as il pleases in all matters. but
only in things that concern its own
people alone. IF a given city wishes TO
build or maintain a market house, or
a public hall or a water plant, or a
rest room. it should be entirely a ques-
ton for the people Of that city to de-
eide for themselves. On the other
hand. LIQUOR. gambling or prostitution
are moral questions of statewide i'm
p~ortance, affecting all who visit the
| city and permeating the atmosphere OF
the entire community.
The city has no right TO do as II
pleases on such questions, and NUM-
| cipal home rule leaves them to the
state legislature to decide just as it is
| done in Iowa now.
No New Thing.
Local self government is no new
thing even in America. Both our SIS
ter states to the north and south OF
us have long had home rule for their
cities. Missouri granted her cities this
privilege forty-one years ago, and
Minnesota granted the same right to
her cities in 1896. Oregon, Washing
ton. California, Michigan, Ohio, Colo
RADIO and Oklahoma all have home rule
for their cities. German cities have
enioyed this simple and natural right
for centuries.
Why We Need II.
The legislature does not have the
time to consider all the local affairs oil
the cities and towns of the state. All
and much more han all OF their time
Is needed for proper consideration OIL
measures Of broad, e-wide I'm
portance.
The great majority Of Iowa legis-
Iators come from rural districts with
ont any large cities or towns. They
do not live under city conditions, and
therefore, do not feel or understand
the weight and Importance Of theil
problems.
Finally, their districts are mo-
affected by any legislation pertaining
to local municipal problems elsewhere
hence they naturally have little or nc
interest in such legislation.
The people of the cities and towns
know better than anyone else can
their own local needs and problems;
they are the only ones s%eriousl!
affected by them: have to stand the
consequences and pay the bills; arr
best fitted and should be permitted t.
settle them for themselves.