Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-22
DIR. LEWIS BACKS
CIVIC HOME RULE
Favors Charter Providing
Self Government for
Metropolitan District
WOULD ANNEX SUBURBS
Greater Philadelphia Plan
Held More Important Than
Mere Patchwork
WOULD ANNEX SUBURBS

Home rule for the whole metropoli-
tan district Of which Philadelphia is
the centre, was advocated today by
| Dr. William Draper Lewis, of the Uni
Versity of Pennsylvania Law School,
IN discussing the proposal to revise
the city charter
A constitutional convention at
which could be worked out the details
of giving tion to the city
and its suburbs is far more import
ant in his opinion, than mere patch
ing up of the Bullitt bill.
Visions of a greater Philadelphia.
vastly increased in area, population
and wealth. and possessed Of infinite
possibilities for progress and public
improvements, have resulted from DR..
Lewis's suggestion.
He pointed out that large semi.ur.
ban population is virtually deprived of
self.government under present condi-
tions. Most of persons who have
their homes in suburban communities
perform their daily tasks in the city
under conditions imposed by the city
W ME lnelT MONIES are
outside the city limits. their main in
terests in life are bound up with
affairs over which the city exercises
! jurisdiction.
Semiurban Annexation
Dr. Lewis was unwilling to assert spe-
| cifcally that nearby communities should
| be annexed or that the county line
should be obliterated. He said the whole
| ,fe eytt. yl,a 49, tfa
city and the suburbs as we'll control of
| the things which most vtally concern
| their daily existence must be threshed
! out at the constitutional convention
should 1t be held.
DR.. Lewis made it clear. however. that
he favors the reforms contemplated by
| the Legislation proposed two years ago
by the charter revision committee. Many
| Of the bills introduced in the 1917 ses.
| sior of the Legislature at the instigatior
Of the committee were drafted by DR.
Lewis.
"All the measures drafted two years
ago by the Committee on Revision of
! the Philadelphia Charter. If passed,
would improve existing cond%ons," said
DR., Lewis today. "Perhaps the most
important of these are the bills provid-
ing for the budget system for correc-
ton of the mandamus evil, and Tor a
! small council.
"rhe difficulty before the Legislature
two years ago was that the Penrose
! faction looked with favor on the small
council bill, while the Ware faction
looked with favor on the budget and
mandamus bills, for obvious reasons.
Self-Rule Most vital Issue
"Personally while I believe passage
of any or all of these bills. especially
the three mentioned. vfu'd be desirable,
I believe the important thing Is for citi-
zens Of Philadelphia to obtain control
over the determination of the character
of their local government. We ought
not to have to go to Harrisburg for a
new charter. We ought to have the
power to adopt ours"tes the kind OF
governmental machinery which our
citizens wapt.
Therefore. frankly. while I am in
terested in each and all of the bills pre-,
pared two years ago, l am more in
terested in n constitutional convention IT
which the whole problem of local self.
government for the metropolitan distric
of which Philadelphia Is the center. cal
be thoroughly investigated with view
of giving to Philadelphia full control o
our local affairsI
Advocates of revision of Philadelphia! ;!
charter will exchange their views mex
Tuesday at a meeting called by Cit!
Solicitor John j. Connolly. Meanwhile
the Committee of Seventy, continuing
the work of the charter revision com
mittee Is preparing to have introduced
in the coming session of the Legislature
bills substantially the same as thos
submitted in 1917.