The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1899-04-29
CITY is the home of communl"

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4 CITY is the home of a communi"
n ty, and the real reason for its
( y existence is the protection,com-
fort and convenience of it's Inhabitants.
The community is greater and more
complex human unit, and the city
serves the same end for the larger unit
as are served by the houses and homes
Of the individual memebers of the
community.
Most of the defects of our municipal
life can be directly traced to causes
growing out of this complexity. While
it was possible to manage town affairs
by town meetings, all the people could
keep in touch with each other and with
the affairs of the community, but rs
soon as we had to resort to city life
with its election of an executive to
appoint other officers we began to lose
touch with each other, and in the
clumsy complexity Of the method
much of the purpose Of the functions
.gof the city has been lost sight OF, and
all sorts of mal-administrations have
crept in. ~....
The thing for civic reformers to do
is 10 find the most direct and simple
methods.
A city is not business corporation.
We. do not run our affairs for the pur-
nose Of making money as city, but
for the well being and comfort OF our
citizens. Nor is it a boarding-house
city, run to make profit from the peo-
ple who live here. The city OF Pull
man, Ill, is a clearinghouse city, and
to live there is the quintessence Of the
misery Of clearinghouse life.
8 A city is cooperative housekeeping
When L say that a city is not busi-
ness orporation do not mean, nor
doe Iiht follow, that we have no busl-
ness me thods in our management. Ev-
cry good housekeeper must have busi-
ness method or all sorts of trouble
will ensue.
As community we have been find
ing, lately, that our house needs some
Iemodeling and extensions. We need
a new city charter, and the question
we are here to discuss is: What lines
shall we build upon?'
I would suggest that one of the first
needs is a method Of direct legisla-
tio,l, SO that all citizens shall once
more he in direct touch with their own
affairs. It would alAb have the effect
Of killing partisan politics in city af-
fairs, and would take away much of
the temptation to bribery and corrup-
tion. IE
We also need complete system of
civil service which would still further
break the sway of those who live in
corruption, and more than all, would
insure, to the city, servants fully COM
petent to do their duty. With these
we can, I think, justly insist upon hav-
ing complete home rule in all matters
relating to our own affairs.
The public ownership of all utilities
is also a necessity of these days. We
cannot afford to keep on paying eN-
cessive toll to Eastern capitalists for
the use Of the well they claim to own.
1t is much more economical and better
in every way that we dig well of our
own, and have our own water supply.
The street transportation ought also
to be city business. Think how absurd
it would be in house to give to one
member of the family franchise to
lay down a carpet OH the stairway and
the right to collect a toll from each
member Of the family every time they
step upon it.
Public ownership of utilities would
greatly conduce to honest public serv-
ice. We all know that. the induce
ments offered by these quasi-public
corporations to facilitate the granting
of public favors and privileges are very
potent incentives to dishonesty among
public servants.
As still further means of economy
and efficient service we should abolish
the letting out of work to be done by
contract, as far as possible. All tho
larger work of the city should be done
by direct employment.
None of these propositions are i'll the
clouds. Each has been adopted by
large cities and is working eNcellently
by direct employment in doing city
work London saves millions of dollars
yearly. BY public ownership of stree
cars Glasgow was able to earn revenue
enough to pay the expenses OF the cit!