Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-06-09
SOME THINGS TO BE DONE

CONSTITUTIONAL revision is nearer
~ than it has been for generation. The
Governor has signed the bill directing
him to appoint commission of twenty
five to consider the whole subject and. to
recommend either radical rewriting of
the whole document or its amendment.
The law carries an appropriation of $780,
900 to pay the expenses of the investiga-
tion to be made by the commissioners.
As Governor Sproul is in sympathy
with the project, it is morally certain
that he will appoint to the commission
men who believe that the constitution
should be modernized, that it's contradic-
tions and uncertainties should be removed
and that it should be in essence body of
principles and grant of power. The
present constitution is numbered with
mass of provisions to meet temporary
conditions the treatment of which should
have been left to the discretion of the
General Assembly. If the commission
can hold fast to the policy of laying down
general principles and delegating to the
General Assembly the application of
those principles within well-defined lin
its the fixing of radicalism upon the state
which the opponents of revision have
professed to fear can be avoided. The
way will be clear for the Legislature to
pass as radical laws as it sees fit and
succeeding Legislatures will be free to
modify such laws when the sentiment of
the people changes.
The experience of the Governor and the
Legislature with the efforts to modify
the charter of this city points directly to-
ward one important change which should
be made Under the present constitution
city charters must be passed by the
Legislature. Good lawyers say that they
may not be submitted for approval to
the people of the cities affected, as the
Legislature may not delegate any of its
powers.
The Governor favors home rule for
cities. A dozen states have constitu-
tional provisions which grant real home
rule. We assume that the commission
will study the constitutions of these
states in order to discover the best way
to introduce the reform into Pennsyl-
vania.
Inc prOVlSlOHS VI Tile hlCHlSdn consul
tuition are typical. They direct the Legis-
lature to provide by a general law for
the incorporation of cities and villages.
Section 81 of the eighth article of the
document reads:
Under such general laws the electors of
each city and village shall have power and
authority to frame, adopt and amend its
charter and to amend existing charter
of the city or village heretofore granted
or passed by the Legislature for the gov
ernment of the city or village, and through
it's regularly constituted authority TO pass
all laws and ordinances relating K. to it's
municipal concerns subject to the con-
stitution and general laws of the state.
The necessary general laws have been
passed by the Michigan Legislature and
under them Detroit has recently drafted
and adopted a new charter without
troubling any one outside of the city, and
| the Legislature was permitted to devote
its attention to general legislation affect
| ing the whole state. The work of our
own Legislature has been held up for
weeks because of the squabbles in Har-
risburg over few amendments to the
charter of this city. The superiority of
the Michigan plan is so great that nc
| argument is needed to prove it.