The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1907-04-07
JAMES BRYCE TALKS
BRITISH AMBASSADOR SPEAKS ON
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.
Discusses In Address Before CONNER
ciai Club OF Chicago The Rela-
lions Between The State And
The Municipality.

Chicago, April 6.--Ambassador
James ]. Bryce was the guest of honor
and the only speaker tonight at the
banquet of the Commercial Club in this
city. His subject was The modern
city In relation to the tate" The
speaker said in part:
Municipal work seems to fall into
tnree classes. There are certain func-
tons which are vital and indispensa-
BILE, because the individual citizens liv-
ing In very large community cannot
do them for himself or herself They
must be done by an organization
which covers the whole city.f One OF
these is the maintenance OF public
safety, that Is to say tie police
street sanitary regulations and gener-
al building regulations and protection
from fire.
"A second class of municipal func-
tons covers these which might posi-
bly, be left either to individuals or TO
large corporations-what we call In
England public companies such are the
provisions of water. the provisions of
light. whether of gas or electricity;
street railways. the telephone and the
provision and regulation of markets.
There Is also the car eof the poor and
public education.
"A third class of municipal activi-
ties covers matters which may or may
not be given TO a public local author
lily and which In Great Britain are In
few places only undertaken by such
authorities. One of these is the pro-
vision of public lodging houses. the
public baths and wash houses and of
dwellings for the laborinE classes.
what has been done in t,lis direction
lis still In the stage of experiment, and
the opinion is not yet fixed as to the
1Nr It'll IL. -. =
municipal work.
Much depends on whether the par
ticular work to be done is in the ma
ture of a monopoly. For instance, the
supply of water is almost of necessity
monopoly. You cannot have a num-
Der of water companies undertaking
to supply each citizen by their own
pipes Still less can you have rival
street railway companies laying down
their rails in the same streets because
there would not be room. This must
be a matter either taken over by the
city or handed over to one corporation
which would become a monopoly at
least for one particular part of the
city. And the same thing is true of
lighting.
Now, where there is a monopoly, 1t
Is strongly urged in England that the
profits which monopoly may earn and
the Increased value which the growth
of city gives to such a monopoly as
that of street transportation, ought to
belong to the public.
THE financial results of some
branches of municipal work are much
disputed and the present general con-
illusions on the subject would be at
this moment premature. This much,
however, may be said:
1T is a pre-condition to the giving
to municipal authority of any control
over public work and public utilities
which are not necessarily involved In
the varying existence OF that munich
pal authority, that the authority itself
should be honest and capable; that is
to say, that the administrators should
be upright and Intelligent men.
Whether they are, will depend on
the conditions of the particular city.
1t will depend mainly, on the public
spirit of the citizens-and the sense
of civic duty which animates them. II
there Is a lively sense of public duty
and of the responsibility of each indi-
vidual citizen for the good government
of the community; II he gives an hon
est vote based on his judgment of the
character of the candidates.; IL he
| watches the conduct of those who adj
| minister on it's behalf, and calls them
| to strict account for any misdoings, 1t
will be obviously safe to intrust to the
municipality functions which other
wise might be desired to withhold