St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-06
GOOD CITY GOVERNMENT.

Ine current number OF the Forum
contains an article by SETH Low, in
which the obstacles to good city govern
ment are discussed. The first obstacle
to perfection in municipal government
that is discussed by Mr.. Low is the mis-
takes candidates are in the habit of
making Of weighing themselves down
with pledges in advance of their cleo
ton. Thus the official commences his
public career in hampered condition,
and perhaps during his entire term is
unable to remove the restrictions he has
placed upon his freedom while IN office
by the obligations incurred while can
didate. Another difficulty that Mr.. Low
sees in the way of good city
government is the unnatural relation
great parties to purely local affairs.
Party lines are drawn upon questions
upon which, according to his judgment,
local matters have no bearing. In this
connection he suggests that here should
be genuine municipal parties, distinct
from all political organizations, repre-
senting divisions between citizen on
questions of municipal concern only.
In this way he imagines the party
leaders would be made to realize that
the man serves his party best who
serves the city best. But the great
est obstacle of all, as it presents itself
to his mind is the tendency toward ere
ating division of power and of diffus-
ing too much the responsibility
of government. His idea of good munic-
ipal government is one where power is
concentrated in the executive head.
Where there is concentration Of power
there is likewise concentration of re-
sponsibility. Where there are so many
departments with an equal division of
power, it is hard to fix the responsibility
for wrong doing on any one. Where
the city government is called to account
on charge of maladminiStration the
various departments are inclined to
shift the responsibility backward and
forward from one to another until it is
lost in the deal. "The average
city charter" says Mr.. Low, ''pro-
yides scheme of administration
which is seriously at war with
all the teachings of experience.
If any one point of business admins
tration is well settled, it is that execu-
tive work must be committed to one
man. Every successful business de-
ponds upon this principle, in connec-
ton with its companion thought of
Individual responsibility, running
through every department from the
head down."
Mr.. Low then proceeds to point out
that with but few exceptions the char
tiers of our cities run counter to this
well-settled principle with a complete
ness which leaves nothing to be i'm
agined. Brooklyn, Philadelphia and
Chicago are cited as cities which, in
recent years, have made important
steps in the direction of concentrated
responsibility upon the executive side
of city government. He says that
in Brooklyn, where the police depart
ment, the fire department, the health
bureau, the water works and the build
ing department have each been placed
under the charge of single head, not
| single voice has been heard in the
city, since the change has been made,
demanding a return to the old method
of governing these departments though
| boards or commissioners. The one I'M
/ solved problem in Mr.. Lows mind is
what to do with the city council. He
suggests that its duties should be purely
| of legislative character, and it should
not be empowered to interfere in any
way with the current administration of
! the executive departments.
AS to the relation of the state to cities
within its borders, he is of the opinion
that the legislature should not pass
mandatory bills calling for expenditure
10y the city, but shall, as far as possible,
make all such legislation permissive in
form, placing the responsibility for the
added expenditure distinctly upon some
officer or officers, who can be called to
account by the people.