110 Sioux City Acadermj of Science and Letters. 



I. 



The subject of municipal home rule is one deserving 

 of serious consideration and one which must receive 

 such consideration, and be given practical effect, if we 

 would further the best interests of the larger Iowa cities. 

 Whether this can be realized to its fullest extent may 

 be doubtful in view of the fact that unfortunately we 

 are furnished our laws by a legislature which is very 

 largely dominated by "granger" iniluences, with the 

 result that we have numerous provisions enacted Avith- 

 out a correct conception of the proper sphere of legisla- 

 tive action in relation to cities having large commercial 

 interests. 



Our present statute classifies municipal corpora- 

 tions into villages, towns and cities of the first and sec- 

 ond class, and every municipal corporation, with the 

 exception of the few special charter cities, are subjected 

 to the particular provisions enacted by the legislature 

 for the whole of the particular class. There are four 

 standards of measurement and four classes of rules of 

 conduct. If a city happens to be too large for the meas- 

 ure, excepting in mere numbers, the legislative foot 

 crowds it into it; if it happens to be too small, otherwise 

 than as to numbers, the void is not regarded as a matter 

 of moment; if the rules of conduct are not suited to the 

 city falling within the particular numerical measure, it 

 must suffer the consequences. It must be apparent to 

 all that to divide all municipal corporations into four 

 classes and to minutely prescribe rules which shall do 

 substantial justice to each individual of each class is 

 practically impossible. Wh^^ for example, should Sioux 

 Git}" be placed in the same class as Des Moines, Ottumwa 

 and Council Bluffs, and compelled by the legislature to 

 submit to the same minute regulations with reference to 

 purely local matters? What does tlie legislature know 

 of the necessities of these cities? Wliy sliould not every 

 city of 25,000 inhabitants be wholly independent of any 

 class? Why should not every such city be permitted to 

 frame its own charter and permitted to govern itself, 

 instead of being governed hj a legislature dominated by 

 influences not in sympathy with its commercial life and 



