New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-24
COOD GOTERNUENT EOR CITIES.

The right government Of cities has in late
wears become. it is no cxaggcraton TO say. one
Of the most important of all our social and
politlcal problems. For this the reason is not
hard 20 find. There has been, for one thing,
an unfailins tendency toward an increase OF
urban population In proportion to the entire
population Of the country. And this tendency
has been vastly accelerated during the last ten
or twelve years In 1900, for example, only
$50 in each hundred OF our population dwelt
I'm cities. The proportion increased steadily ut
an even pace nh 10 1850 when it reached Dbl
10 the hundred. After that date there seemed
To- he Il regular stampede clty-ward, part OF
which, Of course * to be charged 10 mmgrh-
ton: SO that 10y 1890 the proportion of urban
population To tie whole WAS rs 29.2O TO 100.
Roughly speaking it las decreased tcnfold In
ten decades. from onc-thrticth in 1870 10 one
third I'm 1850. The government Of cities means,
therefore. government Of onethlrd of the whole
miss Of our population. AMI. doubtless a much
larger proportion ~ the property interests, III
du,iry and wealth Of the Nation. 1t means. for
another thing, government ~ precisely that
norton Of tie country that most stands in ncci
~ government The more highly organized SO
ccty is. the more nicely balanced must be the
the population. the more exactly must the rcla-
lions II man to man and Of the individual to
the community he defined. Things that are
ri .ht and proper in the country are intolcrably
offensive in the city. The urban population.
therefore. needs proporiionatcy much more
government than the rural These and other
equally important considerations are purely
sociological. II can scarcely be necessary to
at n.liiir11 Interests In
volycd. seeing that in many States the urban
vote invariably decides the result Of general
elections. and that the determination of Il Ma
,onal contest las depended upon the counting
of the ballots ia single city. There Is moth
ing of greater moment to every honest political
marty than To insure the integrity OF elections
in cities. where, for obvious reasons, opportuni-
ties for and Indictments to fraud are greatest.
II Is encouraging to observe that the attention
Of Thoughtful men Is being everywhere brought
practically To bear upon this important topic.
Organizations. political, educational, moral. for
municipal reform. are springing up. There are
publications specially devoted to the theme
while the general periodical press literally teens
with discussions of 1t. and tile lecture platform
owns no topic more acceptable. And now
comes the latest manifestation of energy in this
for Good City Government. This Is 20 be held
In Philadelphia tomorrow and Friday, under
the direction Of the Municipal League of that
city, and with the cooperation of the city Club
of Ncw-York The sgncrs and indorsers Of the
call for it include great number OF those men
In all our large cities who are confidently regard
ed by the general public rs leaders Of sound
thought and right action. many Of them being
conspcuously Identified with whatever Of real
reform has actually been achieved IN this dircc-
ton From such Il conference much good ought
TO be gained The various cities represented
have their Individual needs, but the general re-
qurcmcnis for good government are identical
in them all and the experience of each can
scarcely fail to he instructive ana helpful to
ALL No action of technically binding force can.
of course be taken by the conference. 1t will
be purely n voluntary and dcliberativc gather
Ing But Il ought 10 have great educational
value for every urban community in the United
| States, and 10 yield some potent inspiration
toward general and wholesome reform OF
municipal administrations.