Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-30
THE CHARTER MUST FIT
A NEW PHILADELPHIA
Not the Old City Of Separate Communities,
but a City Physically and Spiritually
Consolidated BY Improved Transit

Consolidated by Improved Transit
MORE than sixty years have passed
AVA since the Philadelphia County COM
munities outside the original limits Of
the city were consolidated into one city
coterminous with the county, yet we
find even today that men interested in
charter revision talk as if they believed
that some plan should be devised which
will permit the old communities to be
represented as distinct entities in City
Councils.
They tell US that the municipality is
merely a congregation of small commu-
mites, each one Of which has in meas
ure retained its local individuality"
This is substantially true, but it is con-
dition to be regretted and to be changed
as fast as may be. Until Philadelphia
becomes distinct political entity in
stead of q federation of more than fifty
independent communities, each jealous of
the others, it will be impossible for the
city to develop as it should. That there
is jealousy was proved no longer ago
than when it was proposed to bond the
whole city for building a north and south
rapid transit line in Broad street. West
Philadelphia, or the group of old COM
nunities comprised in the part Of the
city west Of the Schuylkill, was opposed
to the bond issue because it had suitable
transit facilities and objected to being
taxed for transit lines that would benefit
North and South Philadelphia. This
sort of parochalism should be frowned
upon every time it manifests itself.
Sixty years ought to have been long
enough for the creation Of a city spirit as
comprehensive as the limits of the city
itself.
A reformed Council based on the rep
resentation Of the formerly independent
communities would preserve the sepa-
ratist interests of those communities and
delay that unifcation Of interest and
spirit for the lack of which we have
suffered for years. But. of course, we
must have a Council representative of
the whole city, and the most feasible
way for getting that is to elect part of
the members at least from suitable dis
tricts. Those districts should be based,
not on the lines of Germantown or
Frankford or Paschalville or Overlook
or on the lines Of any of the other old
communities as such, but on group lines,
which will give large areas a suitable
voice in local legislation. 1t has been
suggested that eight Councilmen should
be elected, one from each of the eight
senatorial districts, while seven should
be chosen from the city at large. Such
a compromise with the present utterly
bad system Of ward representation COM
mends itself to the judgment. 1t would
provide for group of men whose man
date from the people to consider the in
terests of the city as whole would
enable them to counteract and Illustrate
the parochialism of district represent
atves interested primarily in getting all
they could for their districts. We hope
that some such plan will be adopted.
But such a plan will not accomplish
the desired results unless it is entered
upon with the deliberate purpose of put
ting an end to parochialism in every
form and with the intent of creating
homogeneous community, all parts of
which are primarily loyal to the whole
city. The survival of the separatist
community spirit has been due largely
to the failure of the builders Of rapid
transit lines to make it easy for people
to get from one part of the city to an
other. 1t takes almost as long to travel
n,1- 30, tsath H.
streets as to go from the Broad Street
Station to New York, and the trip is
much more inconvenient and uncomfort-
able. There is no direct car line from
| Germantown to Roxborough and it is
almost impossible to get from Tacony
to Angora without spending a whole day
at it. The residents north and south of
Market street have had little dealing
with one another because for years
there were few street-car lines crossing
Market street. The lines ran to Market
street and turned at right angles into
that thoroughfare, which thus became
a wall of separation between two great
districts which ought to have been in
innate with each other. The rapid
transit system has forced the communi
ties to center upon themselves and to
live their own separate social and insti-
| tutional life.
An improvement has been begun with
the construction Of the Frankford ele-
waited line. When that line Is completed
and connected with the Market street
elevated liGe II win be possible for peo-