two to six. In some cases' only one councilman is chosen from a ward, and other councilmen equal in number to those representing Council particular wards are chosen by the whole city without reference to districts. Those not representing wards are called councilmen at large to distinguish them from the others. All classes of cities agree in electing mayor, clerk, treasurer, and police judge. Further Officers than this the classes do not agree. Elective 2 In a large city the number of minor executive officers is very great. Some are appointed by the mayor directly, others are appointed by the mayor and 1 In metropolitan cities and smaller cities of the first class. 2 Metropolitan cities. 1.-Area: Not over 25 square miles. 2.-Wards: Number, nine; each divided into election districts if. containing over 400 legal voters; each election district is a precinct of the county. 3.-General city elections: (a) Held on the first Tuesday in March, 1900, and every three years after that, at the same place as general state and county election last preceding. (b) Officers to be elected, mayor, police judge, city clerk, treasurer, comptroller, tax commissioner, and nine councilmen. (b) Term of office, three years. 4.-Council: (a) Membership: one from each ward, chosen by the entire city. Bond, $5,000. (b) Powers and duties, more numerous as the city becomes larger. Council and mayor levy taxes. Sits as a board of equalization to adjust the taxes of the city. Special taxes may be levied for sewers, paving, or any authorized public improvements. Among other purposes are fire, light, and police. Appointments made by mayor and council together: engineer, attorney, city prosecutor, inspector of buildings, boiler inspector, health commissioner, plumbing inspector, and city electrician. 5.-Executive officers (a) Mayor: appointing power in connection with the council; has superintending control of all officers and affairs of the city; enforces the laws of the city recommends measures for "improvement of finances, police, health, security, ornament, comfort, and general prosperity of the city." b) City Clerk: term, three years. (c) Treasurer receives and pays out money for city and keeps account of it; term, three years; must give bond for $200,000; is collector of the city taxes. (d) Comptroller: general financial officer of the city. 6.-Boards: (a) Council as a board of equalization. (b) Board of public works. (c) Fire and police board: mayor, and four members appointed by the governor, with term of four years. (d) Park commissioners: five members appointed by the judges of the judicial district in which the city is. Terms, five years. Other the council together, and still others are elected by the people. There is much difference Officers of opinion about the amount of power that should be given to the mayor. Usually his Should power and responsibility are small, and the Power of the Mayor be Great? many things which he might look after are done by committees or "boards". In cities of the first class, there are several of these committees, such as the board of public works, board of health, and excise board. It is now strongly urged that a mayor be given control of city government more completely, and made more responsible for the manner in which the business of the city is done. The reasons for this are many, one being that a single officer acts more promptly and systematically than a committee. A still stronger ground is a belief that the chances for corruption are less when the power and responsibility of the mayor are great.' But very much depends upon the character of the men elected. If they are not honest, no laws will make them good officers. The police judge is the judicial part of the municipality. There are justices of the peace in cities, it is true. In metropolitan cities six are elected. Yet the justice's court is a county institution, while the police court is of the city. In the case of an offense or crime for which the penalty is a fine of more than $100, or an imprisonment of more than three months, neither the po 1. See John Fiske, Civil Govt., Chap. V., Sec. 3, especially pp. 124136. lice judge nor the justice of the peace can try the offender. He may, however, examine into the case, and have the offender held over until the district court can try him. Police court trials are without a jury, but there is always an appeal to a higher court. REVIEW. Is a community of people compelled by law to form a village or city, just because the numbers are greater than at other places where there is no village? What classes of cities and villages are there in Nebraska? Who makes the laws of a village? Name the officers elected for a village. Who tries the wrong-doers in a village? What are wards? Name some officers of a large city that are not needed in a village. Should the power of a mayor be great or small? Give reasons. Who tries small crimes and offenses in a city? What officer is always present in county, village, or city, to try offenses that may be committed? How great must a crime be, before it is too important to be tried by a justice of the peace or by the police judge? Who decides whether a crime should be tried before a police judge or justice? Should a police judge be elected or appointed? Should saloon license money be used for school purposes? If the government delivers mail in a city, why not in the country? Derivation of words municipal, ward, city, village, and mayor. May a city be a county? Look up the character of the city of London. Why does a city need more rules and regulations than a country district? If you live in a city or village, make a complete diagram of its government as it actually exists. CHAPTER IV. THE COUNTY. REASON COUN TIES The question "Why do we have counties?" probably would be most frequently answered by saying that they are merely districts taken for convenience. But, in truth, counties exist in Nebraska because older states had this form. FOR The officers of the Territory so divided it for a similar reason. It appears that originally in England a county, or shire, was not one of the divisions of a state, as now, but it existed under another name before the kingdom was formed. It was an "isolated tribal state" of the old Saxons. Small kingdoms were first formed by the union of these tribal units. A long period of conflict and growth resulted in larger groups, until at last all the small states were banded together under one name. "Scholars are now agreed that the first English shires were merely the old tribal states, each bearing a new and common name. As if in recognition of their nationality, of their equal rank and power, each of the latter was called a shire or share of the new commonwealth." Officers and assemblies belonging to the several districts before their union, have been changed little by little, until now there are left only a few UITY. traces of their original character. The course of this development has been long, commenc ANTIQ 1 G. E. Howard, Introd. to Local Const. Hist. of U. S., I., 299. ing far back in the time of early England. A careful study on this subject must be made elsewhere.1 There is also another very important district besides the county, and very closely connected with it, that has come down to us from very early times. This is the township, and corresponds to the district called by the Germans the Mark. Many thousands of years ago, in Europe, the only kind of government that existed was that of the father over his family. The family included all married sons and their families, but not the married daughters, who were counted a part of the family into which they were married. In the course of time, the numerous descendants of one family became associated together within a certain district of land. This did not happen until the families ceased to migrate from one place to another, and settled down to an agricultural life. Out of the necessities of a settled neighborhood, related by blood, grew the name and government of a township. Growth in numbers and relations to neighboring people caused families to unite into clans. Clans combined to make a larger group, until finally there resulted a state. But the small townships kept some of their rights, sending men to represent them in the meetings of the county, which embraced several townships. This idea of representation came only from the 1 G. E. Howard, Local Const. Hist., I., 289-473. |