The morning call., 1891-05-26
life TENURE OF OFFICE.

President Elliot Of Harvard University
has suggested a life tenure of Office as a
remedy for the admitted low condition Of
municipal government in the United States.
" Before municipal government can be set
right" President Elliot says, municipal
service must be made a life career for III
teligeut and self-Tespecting young Ameri-
cans" Good municipal government be
holds 20 be Impossible without the employ
ment Oh permanent tenure Of experts. The
lie tenure system seems to be attractive to
a certain class of minds. The life tenure
principle appeared in the early stages of the
government of men Not only life tenures,
but hereditary teuUTes. A feudaI chief who
lad overcome and overawed smaller chiefs
left the keys of his stronghold and the COM
mand Of his retainers to his son. The right
of government was handed down ike an es-
tate, from one generation to another. In
time the right to govern became the su-
preme right Estates were held at the
pleasure Of the lord and master. Heads
were chopped off without accounta blity to
any other person than the power to enforce
its mandates. COurtieTs who had incurred
the displeasure Of their sovereign went to
the block without a murmuT, and before
going beheld their property in the hands of
the kings faYOriteS. There even came a
time when the right to strike heads off and
COnhscate estates was declared by those
holding it to be possessed "by the grace Of
God" There was no well-grounded protest
against the life tenure Of Office until 1776
when tie American Declaration Of hide
pendence was issued. There had been re-
volts against individual despots before this
but this was a protest against that form of
government. It was asserted that no one
mad a right TO rule but the one chosen by
the people to be ruled. A little later, when
the same men put their ideas into form, the
principle Of limited tenure Of Office was
asserted. When the foremost Of these men
was made President be emphasized this lin
tied term by returning the power he held to
the people after eight years service. In
PROJECTIONS have attended this form Of gov
eminent. Incapable and corrupt men some
times push their way to responsible places.
1t has been held that the necessity Of get
ting the peoples consent to a policy is a
source Of weakness. It is a source of weak
ness IN a bad cause. But the people have
generally given the Government power
when the Government has deserved it
1t is not clear why principle of govern
ment that has worked in national affairs
should fail in municipal affairs. Is it more
difficult to govern a city than to govern a
nation? Are the temptations to go wrong
greater in local service than in national? Is
The restraint that public opinion can bring
to bear less effective in the preservation of
integrity in the narrow than in the broader
field Of action? Can President Elliot give
a good reason why the local government
should be intrusted TO experts with life
tenure Of Office, while the head CT the nation
and the chiefs of all national departments
Of government are sGbject to change every
four years? Most of these fe-tenure men
would have been Tories IN 1776 They have
no faith in the capacity of the people to
govern themselves. They magnify defects
in popular government, forgetting the afro
cities that have generally accompanied the
continued exercise Of power. Americans
Will in time solve the problem Of municipal
government They will solve it too without
throwing discredt upon the principle Of
government that has served US so well dur
ing the hundred years of our national ex-
Fafa