The San Francisco call., 1896-04-12

ment of cities looks rather to the we'll
being of individual sections and members
OF the body polite.
"The government of California is we'll
said to be beneath the level of its people.
Particularly is this the case in the realm
of municipal government. Perhaps it
would be we'll for Americans to study the
manner in which an English city is ruled.
| am an old Californian in the general
sense, having been here fully five years; !;
but in England there is an element of
permanency which We lack in this country.
There we find successive generations liv-
ing in one city; here we move from city 10
city. Henc', in this country, certain
apathy regarding governmental matters is
more or less noticeable.
''The fight for liberty made by our fore
fathers involved great principle, which
was that the governing power resided of
right in the people.
tThe result of this principle as that we
tried to weaken tyranny by weakening
government, to make officials harmless by
making them powerless We succeeded
in displacing individual tyranny by or
ganized tyranny, official tyranny by non
official tyranny. The season is that our
dependence upon these large co-ordinating
functions inhereS in the situation, not in
our constitutions. The relations are
there with all the subordination and all
the domination which they naturally in
volve. In failing to adequately recognize
them we have not suppressed them but
merely failed to provide for their legiti-
mate exercise.
"Ihe political evolution of the century
has taken a different direction in England
from that noted in the United States.
Little effort has been made to weaken or
scatter administrative authority. The
ideal has been not limited authority, but
conditional authority. Immense power
has been recognized as condition of ef-
ticiency. Complete and immediate re-
sponsipility has been sought as condi-
ton of it's safe exercise. An English
Prime Minister can do anything, always
with this reservation-that if he doesn't
do the right thing he may cease to be
Prime Minister, and that without notice.
There can be no possible doubt as to the
relative satisfactoriness of these two prin-
ciples.
1.-The authority conferred must be COM
mensurate with the service required.
There must be strict accountability for it's
proper exercise. To this end, the author
ity Tor specific acts must be attributable to
specific individuals. 1t follows that one
individual should be responsible for the
whole of one transaction. If the RESPONSE
bility for integral operations is divided be-
tween several persons they may prevent
efficient action on the one hand. or, if they
agree on wrong action, they may avoid
personal sponsibility.
Modern municipalities are closely an
alogous to large business corporations
Their functions are essentially industrial.
Their different industrial interests are
separate on their chronological side and
require specialist surerintendents. But
on their financial side they are parts of an
organic whole. 1t is as impossible to
separate them as it would be to entrust
! =
to the independent control of differen t
members. The management of the budget
/. e., the coordination OF different lines of
receipt and ex penditure-is essentially an
indivisible function and should be trusted
TO an undivided functionary. The manage
ment of great corporations is instructive
on this point. The survival Of the tittest
has put beyond question that the financial
(not the technologicaD management of a
railroad company shall be responsible
autocracy as the only possible provision
for efficiency and safety.
"The collective interests of the CITY
ought to be treated in the same manner as
those of q large corporation. Our law
makers are now looked upon more as
attorneys or agents than as rulers. It
seems to me that this involves a tremen-
dous responsibility on the part of these
lawmakers. They are supposed to be the
faithful exponents and executors of the
popular will, and are bound by solemn
implicit agreement to fulfill this sacred
trust reposed in them by the confidence of
the people. But the American people are
sometimes little superficial in their
understanding OF popular questions. They
often confuse things. But the mass of the
people have level heads and sound hearts.
AS Lincoln said, you may fool some of
people all the time and all of the people
for part of the time. but you can't iool
all the people all the time.
s'The army and navy may be called in q
certain sense up-American. In both these