The record-union., 1896-04-17
Weather Forecast.
Northern California-Fair; slightly
warmer; fresh to brisk northerly winds.
DIVIDED RESPONSIBILITY IN
CITIES.

CITIES.
President Jordan in his lecture before
the San Francisco Civic Federation on
Saturday said of municipal govern
ment.
The fight for liberty made by our
forefathers involved a great principle,
which was that the governing power
resided of right in the people.
The result Of this principle was that
we tried to weaken tyranny by weak
ening government, to make officials
harmless by making them powerless
We succeeded in displacing individual
tyranny by organized tyranny, official
tyranny by non official tyranny.
The authority conferred must be COM
mensurate with the service required
There must be strict accountability for
its proper exercise. To this end, the
authority for specific acts must be at
tributable to specific individuals. 1t
follows that one individual should be
responsible for the whole of one trans
action. If the responsibility for integral
operations is divided between several
persons they may prevent efficient ac-
ton on the one hand, or, If they agree
on wrong action, they may avoid per-
sonal responsibility.
Villages can be ruled by the people,
but large cities require a governmental
regime which will force and oblige pub
lie servants to do their duty. If we are
to have a Mayor. let him be something
more than figurehead at meetings and
banquets.
Let US hold him responsible for the
right exercise of the ruling power which
the people confide in him. This man,
thus kept before the public eye, would
be better than the mysterious political
boss
The Young Mems Club of Civics of
this city is now wrestling with the
problem that President Jordan thus
touched upon. 1t has thus far decided
thrice that in the case Of a Mayor it Is
safer and better for the people that he
be held directly responsible to them
for his appointments, without the in
tervention OF the legislative body Of the
city. Ex-President Harrison in re-
cent essay declared that his examina-
ton Of the question convinced him that
the general drift in all municipal gov
ernment is towards this fixing OF re-
sponsibiNty in the municipal executive,
and the keeping of the judicial, legis-
lative and executive sharply, distinctly
and relentlessly apart
It may be said to be an esta ablished
fact in municipal governmental his
tory to this date that the mingling of
the three functions, judicial. executive
and legislative. is bad and always re-
suits badly for the people Of a city
Hence 1t Is that 1t is the trend Of mod
ern thought and practice to vest in the
Mayor the sole appointing power. and
to hold him responsible for the re-
suits. and that this gives the largest
measure of good.
The division of responsibility between
the legislative and the executive In the
selection Of subordinate officials for a
city has always worked badly, as in
deed does all division of authority in a
city, since divided responsibility 1t is
difficult or impossible to fix, and in
deed 1t is quite impossible to insti-
TUE TSloIIuS. we nave udu some 6uS-
gestive exempllhcations of that truth
In this city
But It is said that such a system is un-
american. That Is not capable of proof.
Just why division Of responsibility is
American, 1t would be difficult to show.
In fact, this division is not American
cut alien. That there is such division In
National and State Governments cuts
no ngure In the case, as municipal gov
eminent is distinct and apart from all
other forms. The laws, rules and rea-
sons which apply in State and National
administration have no necessary appli-
cation in municipal government and it
Is not possible to show that they have
CT should have
The administration of the affairs OF a
city should move upon much the same
plane as those Of large business. In
each cage 1t ID a question of economic
government and OF fixed responsibility
and In neither case should there be any
possible evasion OF responsibility by the
declaration Of one that another shared