Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-12-07

Start ofthe State Constitutional
Convention
| was present at the opening session of the
Nebraska constitutional convention, the first
body of the kind to meet in this state in As
years, and the proceedings started off most aus
piciously The membership of the convention
is far above the average in character, standing
and experience i'll public lfe,a large majority
having served previously in the legislature or
held executive or judicial office. In response to
a question as to what | thought of the makeup
of the convention, said it was far better than
we deserved under the conditions of general IN
difference and neglect manifested by the people
to the importance of choosing able men for this
exceptional duty. The remarks of Temporary
President Mcdonald on taking the gavel pre-
scented clearly and thoughtfuy the purpose
its task and the problems with which it would
have to deal The still briefer address of\Presi-
dent Weaver was also well to the point and
happily phrased and delivered
Though the ausion may appear captious.
the convention in one or two respects dropped
back to where its predecessor was when it was
formulating the constitution of 1875. After hav-
ing the oath of Office administered by Chief
Justice Morrissey about half an hour was con-
sumed in having the delegates come one at a
time to the desk and individually subscribe to
the oath again by affixing his signature to it.
What do you think of that prairie schooner
method in this automobile and airplane age"
was one of the queries suggested by this tedious
proceeding. =
Again in the election of officers instead of
| answering to roll call with the name of the
preferred candidate in each case, tellers were
appointed to distribute slips of paper and COL
lect them, and then count them out loud by the
ancient system of tallying, and on announce
ment of the result the informal ballot was by
motion made formal ballot and the ajority
this the delegates completely lost sight of the
essential difference between a vote cast in a
sovereign capacity and vote cast as repre-
sentative of a constituency. Many state const-
tutions contain provision that all elections
must be by ballot and they should also require
tutio making body. Not that anyone has any
disposition to question the result of the conven-
tons election of officers, which was the un-
doubted free choice and would have been un-
changed by an open vote, but a constitutional
convention ought itself to set the highest ex-
ample by application of the true principle of
democratic government
The coming meeting of the National
week in Cleveland, is to mark the retirement of
Clinton Rogers Woodruff as its secretary after
Is years of service. One Of the features of this
years gathering of the league is to be mock
constitutional convention, taking up our Ne
braska constitution for revision, one of Mr..
Woodruf's novel ideas. Each year the secre-
tary embodies in his report review of note
worthy changes and developments in the mu-
nicipal government of the country, based on in
formation drawn from personal friends in touch
with Municipal progress and l believe I have
been caNed upon nearly every year to answer
his inquiry as to what has been doing in Omaha
Looking back over a quarter of century,
we can scarcely measure the improvement in
the standards of city government, and of course
Omaha has kept the pace. Twenty-Five years
ago George P. Bemis was mayor of Omaha
supported by city council of 10 members, half
of them elected by wards. He had just emerged
from big fight over the renewal of the gas
franchise and the water works was in the hands
of receivers; We're also in the throes of
controversy over a governor-appointed police
commission. Dating from that time there has
been steadily increasing demand for municipal
home rule. The merger of city and county
treasures and city and county tax assessment
and collection agencies, and the Resumption
OF control OF our parks, came later. as did also
the elimination of the ward councilmen, reduc-
ing the council first to II members elected at
large, and finally substitution of the commission
10TH OF CITY government as promise or some
thing still better For report of the past
years progress all could give is this:
We have had nothing of Importance in
our local municipal government affecting its
structure or policy, only a great scramble for
increased salaries TO catch up with increases
i'll other fields, and stmuatve activity for
public improvements on an unprecedented
scale but still for the most part in contempla-
ton. Our commission form of government
has been subjected to still more severe tests,
and believe has disappointed its friends, due
to the incompetency of commissioners head
ing important departments without previous
practical experience TO fit them for their work
There is talk of putting the municipal
home rule section of our state constitution,
now optional, ia effect at once with all cities
OF larger size, so to make their own peo-
pie responsible for their city government and
at the same time relieve the legislature of
the task of charter making"
The National Municipal league is an EXAM
pie OF what the persistent driving power of one
man do. Scarcely out of law school, Mr.
| Woodruff became identified with a Municipal
Voters league organized to carry out specific
program for Philadelphia, and from this evolved
| the idea of league of American cities with
the members enlisted officially for discus
sion and cooperative action for progressive
| hetternent based on their needs and expert
| enceS. The very fact that the league has rs
year record to point to is the proof of success.
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