Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1907-09-20

Condemns Graft and the influences pf
Corporations in City PoIltIcs-Vs-
lieves in Local self-covernment as
the Underlying Principle.
Associated Press.

t0 ABSOcldtcO tS-7Ss
Norfolk. September 49, Taking for
his subject, Municipal Government
by Board or Commission VS.. Mayor
and city Council" former Mayor J.
M Head, of Nashville, Tenn, said in
part:
1--WE may as well enter into this
discussion with the distinct under
standing that there is and can be no
such thing as perfect form of city
government, SO long as it has to be
administered by imperfect men.
"No matter what the form OF city
government may be, Its efficiency will
be determined very largely by th}se
entrusted with its administration. All
that any of us can hope to do is to
appropriate the ideal as near as pos
sible with the material we have to
deal with.
sThe highest ideal ever yet ex-
pressed of any form of government
is that it should be government Of
the people by the people and for the
people, and as we approximate that
standard we approach nearest to our
ideals of perfect form Of govern
ment, whether it be for the city, the
state or the nation.
Outside Of New England all our
city governments have partaken more
or less of the English ideas Of gov
ernment, consisting Of legislative
and judicial department. with the leg.
islative department divided into two
branches corresponding to the Eng
lish House OF Lords and Commons.
''The absurdity Of attempting to ap'
ply these ideas of government to our
cities seems never to have occurred
ITO our sturdy ancestors, though ven
ture the prediction there Is not a city
official present here today where such
system still prevails who does not
appreciate its inefficiency, and who
would not abolish it II he could In
many cities, however, the two branches
of the city council have been abolish
ed.
Another glaring absurdity undel
~ hfrh >our city governments have
labored ID ea that our cities arr
mere bra br arms Of the STATE
governmei have and can exer
else no pd except as the stat
Legislature l. from time to tin'
permit. This idea entirely ignores tn,
cardinal doctrine upon which all ou
governments are based--the doctrine
of local self-government- -and place
our city governments practically un
der the conrtol Of men who do no
reside in the cities, and who know ah
solutely nothing Of their local need
and requirements. These are radica
defects in the present organization
Of our city governments, which shoul
be corrected as soon as possible.
Z "The real cause. however. whicl
has made our city governments sue
signal failures has arisen within tn
past fifty years. long after our pres
ent form Of city governments wa
established. refer, Of course, to tn
duty which has devolved upon our cit
governments OF granting franchise
to public service corporations. Their
Is not an instance where city govern
ment has finally broken down, wher
city officials have betrayed thei
trust, where this rottenness. incon
retency and inefficiency in the a,
ministration Of city afIairs cannot b
traced to the pernicious influence {
the public service corporation.
know this is broad statement.
know that whisky gambling an
other evils have contributed their fu
share to the corruption Of city pol
tics, but not an instance can be foun
where these Influences alone, and y
aided BY the so-called respectabl
backing Of the public service corpor
tion boss have ever for any lengt
Of time ancosssfnlly prevailed again
the beffef clement Of t6G cozhmunit