The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-17

The paper herewith was read few days ago before 'The Thirtcen, q social and literary club of this city. by Mfr. F. P. Glass. one of It's mem bers. Mir Glass in presenting 1t to the club disclaimed any originality for the paper. insisting that it was mere ly a sort of summary or compend of facts gathered from several sources. .-The Thirteen" however, was so im- pressed with what seemed to be the value of the paper as to request unan- imously it's reproduction in the col umns of The Advertiser and also of The Birmingham Age-Herald and The Mobile Register. The paper was enti- tied Municipal Government by Com mission" and Is given in full;
 In an article on municipal govern ment, Hon. Seth Low, student and scholar, who has had abundant expe- rience as a municipal executive, has
 sAttention is asked to the form of organization under which cities In the United States may hope to realize the best results in the conduct Of the affairs committed to them. is pro- pOB@Q ing the financial and executive sides. All efforts to secure common coun- ell composed of men who by charac- Ter and experience are competent for the duties which ought to be commit ted to them thus far have been sim gularly unsuccessful. Aldermen nave been elected on general tickets, on district tickets, and on ward tickets They have been elected to serve with out pay and with pay, but under no system have satisfactory results been permanently achieved. Honorable ex- ceptions there always are, but speak of the bodies as a whole. IL IS easy Co say that better results might De achieved if the representative were not compelled to reside in the district lie represents, but 1t Is not easy to point out an effectual remedy for the restrictions which this demand impos- es in the presence of American poliu- cal habits."
 There can be no successful denial of Mfr. Lows assertions. American municipal government is notoriously bad. It Is true of small cities; IL IS true of larger cities, 1t is conspicuous lv true of the largest cities. And It has been generally true of the bulk or our cities for three quarters of cen 4ury. Occasionally there Is spasm of good government somewhere but 1t soon passes off. and the normal condition of inefficiency or srottenness reasserts itself.
 surely there Is a cause for this extra ordinary failure of popular govern ment. May not the cause be funda- mental? Is our familiar municipal system radically wrong? Why does le not uniformly attract to it's offices Che highest class of men? Why is 1t freduently remarked that when nrst- class man gets into city council ne is apt to become incompetent or dis honestf why is it that the same voters who elect able and clean men to the highest offices in the State and In the nation will frequently put grafters in to citv positions? There must be some adequate answer to all these questions.
 MT. Low. scholar and student and experienced executive, does not seem 4o have hit upon a practical solution. But nevertheless the solution seems fo have been found in that Nazareth or ali that is supposed to be tough in citixenship and of disregard of govern unent--Texas. Possibly this has been because extreme situations demand radical remedies. It may De tne olo story of necessity being the mother or
 Texas cities have turned to govern roent by commission as the solution or s.II municipal Ills. and though their ex- perience does not go back over SIX years. an abundance of evidence Is at hand to warrant their enthusiasm over their discovery
 Government by commission is not a new thing by any means. New Eng lands system of town government by aelectman Is the same Idea 4n the germ. The United gtates Government more than thirty years ago, in it's dilemma over Ehe wretchedness of Washington under negro rule, and the political danger of eonfessing the failure of the negro as a voter, adopted the expedient to turning Wver the affairs of the District of Col Nmbia to a commission.
 To us here in Alabama, government Ny commission is entirely familiar. The Nisastrous effects of negro rule long ago taught us the necessity of putting Ehe affairs of many of our Black Belt rounties into the hands of commissions appointed by the States chief execu- dive. Here in Montgomery County. we etiil have this method of administering our financial affairs. And our State has even gone into the province of municip-