Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-11-10
FAILURE IN AMERICA.
Municipal Government, So Described by Joseph
Chamberlain.
HE PUTS THE CASE RATHER STRONGLY,


New York. Nov 10.-The World
prints in cable dispatch from Lon
don the fun text of Joseph Chamber
lain's criticism OF American politics at
the banquet OF the Glasgow corpora
ton. Speaking of the possibility of
Municipal institutions in Great Britain
dtterioratinE. Mr.. Chamberlain said;
81 am sometimes inclined to put
question of that sort when we think Of
the result of an election for local util-
GERS on the other side of the water.
There, in the metropolitan all events,
the greatest city In the United states
Of America. full OF educated. cultivat-
ed, patriotic people. we find, according
TO American evidence, that the gov
eminent of nearly three millions of
people has been handed over for four
years to an institution whose object is
avowedly to get the greatest amount
OF spoils.
THAT is a most terrible result. and
It is worth inquiring whether such
possibility exists in regard to our In
stitutions, and what are the principles
we must hold If we desire to avoid such
result.
Now the explanations given do not
seem to me altogether satisfactory. 1t
Is said that in New York there Is Il
mixed population, but that is not sur
fioient to account for the state of
things we are considering. Many of
those are strangers to whom the Unit
ed States is opening its arms with SO
much generosity, welcoming them to
the franchise, perhaps n little before
they are prepared for it, and are not at
all likely to lend themselves to any
thing in the nature Of corrupt admins
tration-the Germans especially. In
many of our large towns we have
mixed populations; therefore there is
nothing sufficiently distinctive in that
to Justify us in coming to the con-
cluslon. that 1t is the cause OF that
great difficulty.
"Then 1t Is said that politics is in
troduced into American corporate life
That Is true; but 1t requires some eX-
PLANTATION. In the ordinary sense of the
word. that would not in the least ac-
count for what we are discussing, be-
cause politics does not enter In the
usual sense into municipal elections in
any Of the American cities. This last
election was conducted by an indie
pendent political organization existing
outside of the regular parties in the
state.
at is believed the whole source of
weakness lies in the system Of admins
tration rather than in anything called
with it Outside of political eOnsidera-
tions. and also In the public opinion
which tOlerates that system of admin
istratlon.
81 believe that the causes OF success
of our system here and the failure of
the American system are TO be found
in the different ways in which we treat
officials. Now by officials | mean every
body employed by the corporation.
There are, In the first place, the higher
offices. when corporations undertake
| such business as Is conducted by the
great municipalities of England and
Scotland, their higher officials are the
men intrusted with the management
| of the departments, with the control of
| great manufacturing concerns, or COM
| plirated systems of finance. They
| must he men of special capacity and
ability else there will be inefficient ad-
ministrntion and great waste of pub
! lie money. You must have, you can
| afford to have. the very best men In
| their respective capacities.
"But to have such men, three things
are necessary. They must be irremov-
able, except for some gross and proved
offense; they must be selected for
merit without regard to their political
opinions. They must be paid the mar
| ket price for their eervices.
"There is another danger which l
| think even more serious than any
want of fair consideration for the
higher officials. That is. II the higher
| officials may occasionally be paid less
| than the market wages there Ia great
| fear lest the lower otlicipls should he
paid more than the market value. Now
| that is a real danger.
ct agree that n corporation should
behave as well as the most liberal prl-
vate employers, but not one whit bet
| ter. because II II does behave bet
| ter, what II Is doing Is to create n
| privileged class of workmen to whom
| public office Is itself n distinct ad-
vantage The Inevitable temptation to
which certain American municipalities
have fallen victim Is to make these
privileged posts reward for political
service. What happens then? A man
who gets n post of this kind thinks he
| has done MI that which ought to be
| expected of him, and the last thing he
expects to do Is to give fair value for
| the money he receives. When you
have observed posts Of this kind going
| Mt the will OF the people OF n
| political party there naturally arises
n demand for them, and Us the
| number Of political posts will
never equal the demand, the next
thing is to put two men to do the work
| of one.
Now, II vow consider for moment
the effect OF this. you will find, firm
ly believe, the whole secret of the fail
ura of American local institutions,
| You will see that II we are ever SO
| foolish rs 10 abandon the business like.
honorable system upon which our pub
| lie work is now conducted, we may fail
| Mt last as our cousins have unfortu-
nately done"