The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-28
CITY GOVERNMENT,

The work of the National Municipal
League at its meeting at Cleveland on the
10Th, 30th and 31st of this month ought to
make interesting reading for San Fran
ciscans, for methods of city government
will be very fully discussed. AS yet but
very few American cities have felt the
pressure of the great municipal reform
wave that has swept over Europe. London
is one of the last great European cities to
grasp the vital idea that has transformed
Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and
Bradford into comfortable cities, and is
preparing to reform its own condition. 1t
was Mr.. Chamberlain himself who recently
declared: 1.-THE people are beginning to
appreciate the fact that municipal govern
ment is the most potent agent OF social
reform, and that it is the best instrument
by which the wealth and the influence and
the ability of the whole community can be
concentrated and brought to bear in order
to relieve the pressing wants of its least
fortunate members, and in order to raise
the general level and standard of the
whole population"
Glasgow now claims to be the best gov
erned city in the world. 1t has acquired
the ownership of the water, light and
tramway service, and operates them at
an amazingly low cost. 1t has curiously
organized government, the principal
feature of which is an elective Corporation
composed of seventy members, who are
selected from the body of business men.
Not only do they look after all the sani-
tary conditions of the city, including pure
water, perfect sewers, the destruction of
-, 81 lido
cleanliness in every nook and corner of
the town, but they encourage domestic
cleanliness and decency, require that each
house shall have abundant sunshine and
ventilation, establish picture galleries and
libraries on a scale that no millionaire
could afford, and private baths, parks, con-
certs and recreation grounds for the free
enjoyment of the. people. The whole
plan, in short, is to make the lives of the
citizens as healthy and happy as possible.
AS one writer puts it: The Corpora
ton recognize three duties as being laid
upon them: To fulfill their trust by
economical administration of the city
finances; to improve public health, both
physical and moral; and to give bright
ness and the possibility of happiness to
civic life. There are few residents in Glas-
cow to-day who are unwilling to admit
that this rather ambitious programme has
been carried out to the full"
To contrast this condition Of things with
that prevalent in San Francisco is to in
vite blush to the cheeks of every citizen
who cherishes the smallest civic pride. It
is discouraging to reflect that the old
vicious system is much more deeply
rooted in the large cities than in the small.
The government of Bradford is immeas-
urably superior to that of London, and
Santa Cruz is vastly better managed than
San Francisco. In attacking the problem
of municipal reform three great obstacles
must be conquered: First, firmly in
trenehed political machinery that makes
of municipal mismanagement profitable
business; second, lack of organization and
energy among the better classes who
understand the value of good government;
third, strong body of non-progressiye
men of means, scientifically classed as
silurians, whose native meanness and made
quate perception of broad and sound bust
ness principles causes them to regard i'm
provements as waste of money and a
temptation to municipal roguery.