Omaha daily bee., 1907-09-20
Foreign municipalities.

nicipal Government by Board Commits
sion VS.. Mayor and City Council"
Foreign municipalities.
Rear Admiral French L. Chadwick, L. S.
N, spoke in explanation and advocacy OF
the Newport R. l., system of municipal
government, and also devoted portion OF
his address to a comparison of American
and European forms of city administration.
declaring that the American people had
much to- learn in this respect. He said in
part:
The first need In an understanding of
this subject of municipal administration Is
a realization of the immensity Of our back
wardness in nearly all things which go to
town. Though we are all agreed that our
municipal conditions are in general bad,
Understood how very bad they are in com
parison with those of well-ordered cities
/ In other countries have lately been
abroad and tried to keep my eyes open as
! to what is doing in Europe and must
! say that the resulting feeling one. Of
/ objection of some of our own conditions.
! Germany in particular does for the public,
other means of enjoyment for the mass,
attempt.
American towns as a rule have simply
/ been the subject of exploitation through
| long series of years for the benefit OF
seekers after political power or for what
we have come to call graft. We have sat
in grumbing humor throughout this era
without sufficient energy or public spirit to
! free ourselves,
! Lack of Backbone.
The situation which we are attacking is
one of unparalleled national disgrace.
Praise of our supposed intelligence and
energy is wholly misplaced until We shall
produce a change. Character is the first
of products, and until we shall, as a peo-
ple stand on plane Of honesty and
earnestness for the public good, our self
satisfaction is but as Dead sea fruit The
| living fact is that our backwardness in
city administration is due to our want of
national backbone, and to a want OF that
| widespread intelligence which we are too
wont to boast as being ours in very high
degree.
after such study as / have been able to
give the subject have become convinced
that. the main cause { our failure is In
placing city administration, a profession
which demands thorough knowledge and
experience, in the hands of haphazard,
! short-term men. Aamayor with us is the
! accident of day; the same may be said
OF All the rest Of our officials. Their only
1i,, real ,knowledge as a rule is the game OF
politics and they naturally play to keep in
! power change to greater permanency
OF 9ffse among our technical officers par
necessity is everywhere else recocniznd
Taking English procedure we find the ac
technlGal experts, who, l would also add.
are called from any part of the country.
but II Is Germany which recognized in
me greatest decree the business aspect of
municipal administration, and il is 10 Ger
many that we must go to find it's highest
and best development. The mayor in Ger
many Is mayor by profession, a biebiv
framed and experienced city adminisfrSt
ne ne may be called, IL he acquires a repu-
employe. III iact an
GOVernment by Commission.
william II. Allen, secretary OF the Buresu
or Municipal Research, New York Citv de-
clared that the cities of the United states
owe debt of gratitude to Galveston and
Des Moines for having caused the country
to consider seriously the defects of existine
city charters. But it should not be forget
ten that the advocates of government bv
commission have heretofore failed to recog-
nize three fundamental facts:
First-Misgovernment in a democracv t
due primarily to ignorance on the mart q,
the general public as to official acts ana
community needs
acknowledgements by commission is
possible because the commission plan of
itself does not insure intelligence on the
part OF the general public as to government
results and community needs.
Third-Hundreds OF communities - A..
united states including New York CITY
are now being misgoverned by commiss,ons
He said in part:
The goal OF American dernocrac, .h.,,,,
pe government by the public and NOT nv u
rev or many officers. Government r. y; a
PUBLIC Is impossible and always win ~ i hIIe
possible wherever. government is Snin
formed or misinformed Unless tho cnn,-
mission plan provides for an inteItsan.
electorate II will misgovern. An uninfor1oa.SS
electorate gives autocracy, bossism corrmp
ton. Equal rights can extend no fsrtbpar
man man equal intelligence. Special privilege
Always mas existed and always will eyist
Where intelligence about government is
monopoized by the few. No mater bots
lntellgent a commission, II will miseoIern
unless those governed have the essentiai
Iacts possessed by II regarding what ~
does and what II leave undone. ~
Small Body f. Better,
While the commission idea OF itself si,os
sreater opportunity for clever graft and for
cohcealed wastefulness and inef1ciency,
ana while OF itself IL affords no giarsntSSs,
OF an Intelligent public, Il is my belief ~ :
an informed electorate can accompiish ,,ore
win a small commission than with q lsr0,
unMieldy commission. The cOmmiSsior 49,
viii prove heplessly ineficient unless si1
eltes adopting IL add to their program as
mas Des Moines, a system OF accouptina
ana recording and publishing the facts nS
government that viii enable the geSsyoi
public 10 decide upon the effciencv of IT,
, commission and to choose between poiicias
that II may propose poi0ieS
Omaha, Los Angeles and Duluth sro
leading candidates for next years con.
vention.