New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-01-22
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.
THEY ORDER THIS MATTER BETTER IN
FRANCE"
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT IN CONTINENTAL
EUROPE. BY Albert Shaw. Svo, PIP. ooo Inc
Century Company.
FIRST notice.

Mr. Bryce was right There is no denying
that the government Of cities is the one con-
spicuous faiiur, Of the United States. We are
at las, coming to realize that fact. distastefu
though II be- Perhaps in doubtful charity we
should for failure read omission or neglect IL
IS more tolerable to think we have mercy iei'
undone the things we ought to have done, than
that we have tried 10 do them ana nave uone
them ILL., Our failure TO govern cites does "o'
mean that we have tried 10 do IL ana SHOW"
ourselves unable. II means we nave never 'r'eu
al all; which is. generally speaking inc eNaV'
truth We created a National CONSTRUCTOR"
which N spite OF all the adulation bestowed
unon 4, we must regard as a singularly perfect
piece Of wise AMI patriotic statecraft But there
We stopped We left 1t for each OF the thirteen
or three times thirteen--States to determine
its own municipal system. and each state lett
that determination largely to each indi'ldual
community Each community, In turn, lnS'eau
of dey,s!ng a scheme suited to urban require
mcnts which are radically different from those OF
a rural neighborhood. was content to chng 10 us
old methods inadequate and incongruous 'houen
they were The backwoods or CROSSROADS village
charter was pulled and hauled and stretched TO
cover the modern metropolis Of state or Nation
The result is a system Of municipal govern
ment which is systematic only in Its made
Quacy.
Having. however. by virtue OF vast tribulat'ons
attained something like a realizing sense t our
shortcomings there Is for us a hope OF better
things. Of which the fruition is haply to be
found in the example Of other nations. Let us
not disda.n such aid. If it be more agreeable
TO our National pride. let consider that we
are taking 1t as an awful example, 10 warn
nc from the faults Of those "effete monar ches.
or course. they have their faults; which we may
be forgiven for gloating over II meantime we
emulate their virtues We began. so far as this
special matter is concerned, with country govern
ment. and have not yet become sufficiently
specialized to deal successfully with cities. In
Europe they began with cities-of which, indeed,
tho feu5aI castle was a nucleus and epitomc-
and their WAYS are somewhat too much special
tied for rural districts Let us magnify this lat
ter fact and raise our most exultant shouts over
tho greater freedom Of the American farmer
from the petty exactions of red-tape and the
awful menace of leze-majesty. and then. under
such voclferous cover, turn to the urban ad-
yantages which those same old-fogy LANDS I'M
oucstonably possess. Is not that the generous
and self-respecting way Of learning by example?
In the volume before us--which We may as
well say at the beginning is of unique value.
and Is as essential to the student of social ana
municipal economy as Is the dictionary 10 the
scholar or the cookbook to the housekeeper-Mr
Shaw makes comparison of European municl-
pal governments with ours He enters into no
controversy regarding their respective merits
He simply tells what has been and is being done
In Continental cities. In no other way could MS
work have been more suggestive. instructive
and profitable