The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-23
MUNICIPAL LEAGUE
NINTH ANNUAL SESSION BE-
 GINS IN DETROIT.
Clinton Rogers Woodruff of Phila. delphia, the Secretary, Reads on Exhaustive Report of
 the Years Work.

ninth annual meeting Of the National Mu- nicipal League was somewhat disappoint-
 ing. About seventy delegates were ex-
 pected but only thirty-fye were present
 when Vice-President Charles Richardson
 Of Philadlphia called the convention to
 order. Alter welcoming speeches by Mayor William c. Maybury of Detroit,
 ana President John David of the Detroit
 Municfpal League. and { brief reply by
 aar. richardson. an exhaustive report of
 tne years work was read by Clinton Rog-
 ITS Woodruff of Philadelphia. Secretary
 of the National League.
 MT Woodruff. in reviewing the admin
 lstrations of 2 number of cities. cxtolled saayor Lows administration and charac- terixed the work of Police Commissioner
 ssreene or New York as remarkable and brilliant The recent election in Chicago
 and Cleveland were pointed to as teaching the lesson that theer must be an end to tampering with city governments by the Legislature and that national parties must cease from placing national issues to the front Tn local campaigns. the frequent e,ection of Mayor Samuel M. Jones of Toledo, o., teaching the same lesson Philadeiphia and Pittsburg were referred
 to by Mir. Woodruff as presenting a some what less favorable aspect but he added that notwithstanding doleful tales of mis- management and corruption there were numerous signs of Improvement Philadel- phia now having Mayor who received the endorsement of>the Municipal Leazue
 and Pittsburg voters having defeated the dominant Republican machine In three successive campaigns
 After touching upon the recent munic-
 ipal scanials of Minneapolis. St. Louis
 and Kansas City, MT. Woodruff took up the question of municipal ownership, de- ciartng that movement in its favor had | taken a deep hold on the urban popula- ton of the country.
 J. Horace Mcfarland of Harrisburg, Pa, President of the American Lsaxue | for Civic Improvements read a paper on The Federation of Civic Forces. City, I State and Nafional."
 He presented proposed constitution for civic alliance embracing a number of present organizations. Vice-President Charles Richardson read a paper.
 II. Willard Palmer of Grand Rapids, Mich, and c. c. Brown of Indianapolis submitted papers to be printed in the
 records without being read. Mir. Browns paper was Tn part:
 ''The city Is purely modern develop
 ment. The city is so modern that the city government is very largely an American development and American cities in most respects are the best gov erned and are in the best condition of any cities in the world. This develop ment has been very rapid and, in spite of many serious defects in methods. show ing that the public conscience on the whole can be depended upon and that the average of citizenship is compara- lively high. much higher than the widely advertised deficiencies of many individ- .41 &al-
 believe Economy of operation is yearly becoming a great necessity.
 It is hardly a dozen years since the objectionable methods and the expense or the unscientific operation of municipal
 nepartments received recognition suffi- cient to lead to organized effort to im-
 prove the existing conditions Within
 Tour or five years several different socie- ties were started by persons who saw different conditions which needed im- provement. It is evident that the felds or these societies overlap. The possible waste of effort in duplication of work ard the desire to secure the benefit of ha
 discussion of municipal problems from
 all sides have probably led to the present enort to make some, combination of so. cieties which will enable any ne who
 oesires to attend the metings of all md
 which Will correlate these discussjons- giVing the conclusions greater unity
 through the diversity of treatment.
 This leads to the suggestion of the
 Federation of Civic Societies. which shaii De an organization of Organizations.
 it must be the loosest kind of a bond.
 simply an executive secretary to arrange
 oetaiis or local meeting places and pos
 sibiy president to represent the inter. ests Of the combination in such formal manner as may seem desirable
 One question for the future to settle is that of the classes cf societies which
 Will become members. Such orGaniza
 lions as the National Municipal League ana the American League of Civic I'm
 provements, the American Park and Out
 door Association, the League of Ameri
 can Municipalities, the American Society Of Municipal Improvements, the Interna
 tional Society of Municipal Electrieians and the like are made up almost entireIv of municipal officials and public spirited citizens. They consider civic problems only.
 Societies of the nature of the first TOUT mentioned will undoubtedly benefit Dy coordination of their work. They would also benefit by the addition of inc other two societies and their like"
 A discussion of the subject of a civic alliance led to the adoption of the fol- lowing resolution by MT. Burnham:
 Resolved, That the National Municin., League approves the suggestion of a civic alliance and that the Executive Commit tee be authorized to take such stems as may in its Judgment be desirable and necessary to carry it into execution.''
 Ihere was no session of the convention tonight, the papers that were scheduled .Deing oe1erred until tomorrow evening.