The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-11-28
Thursday, November 2s, 1907.
srmpIrF1ED CITY GOVERNMENT.

GLlHKLlTIGD OA41 0VI ASAb<' <h A11N A. The experiment upon which the town of Manchester in this State has entered as a more hopeful means of securing additional advantage from To- cal government may yet become as well known as the Texas commission plan. As has been explained in these columns before, 1t is in spirit the old New England town government, brought up to date in such way as to permit to give the service needed of 1t without keeping alive the practices which have been found to be inappi- cable to large centers of population. A hopeful thing about the experiment is that the more 1t is calmly studied by experts in the science of government the more conviction grows that Con- necticut has bred race of political pioneers to whose credit may be laid in saTge part the solution of the vexa- tious problem of local self-govern- ment.
 The latest and in some respects the most distinguished convert to. the town theory of government, as Man chester may be developing it, or, in case of its failure, as some other town may succeed in developing 1t, is Pres ident Eliot of Harvard University, one of the least experimental of the many philosophers who are forever trying to draw from experience the lessons which may the better guide us. Tn a recent address he dwelt upon the good results already attained from the Tex as and Iowa plans and then proceeded to deal with the subject more in detail as it might relate to the welfare of the city of Boston. He said: "Now suppose we hadfa government of seven men in Boston, instead of our present cumber- some system, which was based upon an unreasonable analogy to the State and national government, Would we have a chance to get seven men who would govern the city with foresight and wisdom? What reason is there to suppose that we should get seven men better than eighty men? There is this reason for it: Americans of abili- ty and character don't like to get themselves into places where they have no power and where the responsibil- fly is so divided that acts cannot be traced to the right sources It is just so in our industries. In order to get men of ability we have to put them in such 8 position that they can use their own methods and then be responsible for their own acts. I believe absolutely that if you offer such positions in mu- nicipal government good citizens of ability will be found to fill them. They do not take them now, as has been proved recently"
 It is of very little consequence that pr. Eliot prefers the term selectmer to that of commissioner. Every man o, New England birth and breeding vii agree with him. It is however, of tn, largest consequence that the realiza tion is growing upon men who are il a position to influence public opinion that the system of local governmen which has been developed with such tremendous misuse of energy is no out of date, because it has never beel actually in date, but that it represent an abominable waste of additional en ergy and efficiency. That is more tha half the distance to be covered in tn consideration of the right method which must take its cue from tn method originally adopted by tn founders. We admit that we neve thought before of the objection raise by pr, Eliot to our over offlcered loc; government, that it drives capable me from participating in it officially bt cause of the division of responsibilit but 1t Is an impressve reason nevertht less. When it is placed alongside of u
 objection which has been raised in u
 columns of The Journal and Courie that the greatest source of the failu
 of local government to perform u
 task set it is the multiplicity of offic
 the people are asked to know abo
 and i'll, an indictment is made O
 against the municipal system whit
 ought to be sufficient to fell it. Al
 system of government which is
 complicated on the one hand that
 discourages men of capacity to ent
 its employ, because it offers no col
 pensation outside of the money col
 pensation for expert service, and whi
 on the other hand confuses the ele
 torate in its sincere desire to live
 to it's obligations, may have somethi
 to defend it beyond it's benefciar