The Lake Charles echo., 1894-08-10
4 PROBLEM SOLVED.
PROGRESS MADE BY GERMANY IN Mu-
NlClPAL GOVERNMENT.

Councillors Are Excellent GItiEena and Serve
without Observation-Disclosures Put Into
tho Hands of Experts, Who are Often
Chosen For Life,
Municipal housekeeping rs asGience
and All art evolved out of tho conditions
of life prevailing in the last half of |
this century can bo observed to better |
advantage in Germany than in any 9TH
o. country. II Is true that the German |
cities have been somewhat tardy in pro- |
Viding themselves with modern conven-
ionoes and improvements, but now nav
ing fairly entered upon the task they
arc accomplishing it in more system-
attic, thorough and businesslike way
than any other cities. whether in Eu-
rope, America or Australia,
10 this work of modern improve
ment, especially in public appoint
monts, the Germans seem to have /
brought more of the scientific spirit and |
method than any other people Their |
habits of thOroughness in research and |
of patient, exhaustive treatment of any |
subject in hand have fully characterized |
their progress i'll the arts of civilized |
life Above all, the Germans had already |
developed u system of public admins
tration moro economical and more ih-
fallibly effective than could have been
found elsewhere, and they We're propar-
ed when tho growth of their cities and
the new demand for modern improve
menta made necessary a great increase
In the number and variety of public
functions to do in the best possible way
whatever it was decided to undertake.
So confident were they indeed in tho
efficiency of their administrative organ
izution that they daTed TO assign to the
municipalities spheres of action which
elsewhere have been loft to private Of
fort and control,
Municipal councillors III Germany are,
rs q rule, worry excellent citizens 1t is
considered Il high honor to be elected to
tho council Membership is a title of
dignity that merchants, professional
men and scholars are usually eager to
hold. No salaries are paid to the Ooun-
otlors, and penalty is attached to re-
fusal to serve if elected. Tho sentiment
toward these positions is much the same
in Germany as in Great Britain, though
stronger with men of high education
in German than in British towns The
| reelection Of good councillors term after
term is common in both countries. 1t
would bG difficult to estimate fairly the
influence of tho class system in Prussia
upon the character of city councils as
regards their conservatism, intelligence
4 ,I,f btgAl lvv In
recent growth of the social democracy
would have sharper inuhenCe upon
the city councils if the class system
were abolished and If the municipal
| franchise worO made identical with the
simple manhood suffrage that exists for
purposes of representation i'll the i'm
perial legislatuTe-tho reichstag.
In addition to the magistraCy and the
council, there Is in Berlin body of
about rs SO called "citi2en deputies, "
who are selected by the council for their
general fitness to servo as associates Oh
committees charged with tho oversight
of various municipal interests, such as
parks, schools, the care Of the poor and
the sanitary services. They have no
authority to vote in tho council, but
| they illustrate, ut the center OF admin
istration, the excellent practice which
| Is followed throughout the entire rami-
Gcation of German city government, Of
onlisting tho cooperation of unofficial
citizens in managing tho ordinary coli
Germs of the community.
Tho burgOmaster and magistrates are
the most highly trained experts that a
German city can secure The burgomas-
ter is an expert in the general art OF
municipal administration, Associated
with him in tho magistorial council are
experts in law, experts in finance OK
perts in education to administer tho
schools, experts in engineering to over
sec public works Of every character, ex-
perts in sanitary science, experts in pub
lie charity, experts in forestry and park
management, experts in the technical
and business management of water aud
gas supplies, and SO on.
The analogy would not be perfect,
hut it would answer roughly to compare
the governmental structure Of German
city with that of railway corporation,
in which tho board of directors, chosen
by the Stockholders, appoint general
superintendent OF manager, a general
passenger agent o general freight agent,
a chief legal officer, chief engineer, q
superintendent Of motive power and
other general officers and leave to these
high salaried experts, drawn from the
service Of various other transportation
companies, almost the entire manage
ment aud operation Of the road The
shareholders represent the voters Of Bar-
lin, let us say, the board Of directors
are the municipal council, the general
superintendent Is the chief burgomaster,
and the general officers at the head Of
departments are the magistrates
The magistratsTath, oF stadtrath, Of
German city is, then, body Of dis
tinguishad and honored, highly paid,
professional, expert employees and not
! d body Of citizen representatives, al
though experienced members OF the body
Of citizen representatives may be- and
not 'infrequently are, promoted 70 mem.
borship Ia the magistTatsrath Tho pro
fessional civil service Is vastly greater
and better established Aeld Of employ,
ment III Germany than III England q
America and Il is particularly difficult
for an American to appreciate its posi-
tion and significance The mayor of an
: American city Is usually some well
! known citizen who Is called telnporari
: " from private life 70 oecnpy the mosl
authoritative place ia the corporation.
} The bnrgomasteF q a German city Is 1
: civil seIyant- the permanent head Of Z
} permanent body of trained officials.
3 the difference between the two y some
. What like that betYeen onr secretary 81
. ti5a5. and fita oanpfal eOni4naAdiua 6he