The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-20
IMPROVEMENT OF
 CITY GOVERNMENT
Business sMen Discuss City
 Affairs at Jamestown
MANY DETECTS ARE FOUND
William H. Allen of New York Com. mends Galveston and Des Moines for Model Government, and
 Jas. M. Head Speaks.

Norfolk September 19-Today's ses- sions of the eleventh annual convention of the American League of Municipan- lies were devoted almost exclusively to
 he discussion of Municipal Government by the Commission Versus Mayor and Council"
 An address was made by Rear Admiral Francis E. Chadwick, U. s. N, of New port R. l., who took a decided stand against municipal government by com- mission.
 James M. Head of Boston, formerly Mayor of Nashville, Tenn, heartily ap- proved of the new Des Moines, Iowa, charter for commission government.
 William H. Allen, secretary of the bu- reau of municipal research, New York City, declared that the cities of the Uni ted States owe debt of gratitude to Gal veston and Des Moines for having caused the country to consider seriously the de- fleets of existing city charters. But 1t should not. be forgotten that the advo- cates of government by commission have heretofore failed to recognize three funda- mental facts: l. Misgovernment in de- mocracy is due primarily ot ignorance on the part of the general public as to or flcial acts and community needs. ?. Mis- government by commission is possible be- cause the commission plan of itself does not insure intelligence on the part of the general public as to government results and community needs. 3. Hundreds of ..4.z nI ing New York City, are now being mis- governed by commissions.
 Tn the absence of Commissioner West of the District of Columbia, his address favoring commission government was pre- sented to the convention by the secretary
 Addresses were also made by Mayors w. D. Harris, Fort Worth Tex, and Emerson Coatesworth of Toronto, can ada, who advocated government by com- mission Mayor R. G. Rhett of Charles ton, s. C., who opposed 1t; John k. Davies, chairman of the finance commit tee, Board of Aldermen New York, and Hugo S. Crosse city statistician, Chi cago
 Tking for his subject Municipal Gov ernment by Board or Commission vs. Mayor and City Council" former Mayor J. M Head of Nashville, Tenn, said in part:
 "We may as well enter. into this dis cusson with the distinct understanding that there is and can be no such thing as a perfect form of city government, so long as it has to be administered by imperfect men.
 ''The highest ideal ever yet expressed Of any form of government Is that It should be "a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, and vii ia tbat " proach nearest to our ideals of a perfect form of government, 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 government, con sisting of a legislative, executive and Ju- diciaI department with the legislative department divided into two branches, corresponding to the English House of Lords and Commons.
 ''The absurdity of attempting to apply these ideas of government to our cities seems never to have occurred to our sturdy ancestors, though I venture the prediction that there is not a city official present here today where such system still prevails, who does not appreciate it's inefficiency, and who would not abol- ish it if he could. In many cities, how ever, the two branches of the city coun- cil have been abolished.
 
 our city governments have labored is the idea that our cities are mere branches or arms of the state government and have, and can exercise no powers ex- cept as the state legislature may from time to time permit. This idea entirely ignores the cardinal doctrine upon which all our governments are based-the doc urine of local self -government-and places our city governments practically under the control of men who do not reside in the cities, and who know absolutely nothing of their local needs and require ments. These are radical defects in the present organization of our city govern ments, which should be corrected as soon as possible.
 "The real cause, however, which has made our city governments such a sig nal failure has arisen within the past fifty years, long after our present forms of city governments were established. 1 refer, of course, to the duty which has devolved upon our city govern ments of granting franchises to public service corporations. There is not an instance where city government has finally broken down, where city of flcials have betrayed their trust, where this rottenness, incompetency and in efficiency in the administration of city affairs cannot be traced directly or in directly to the pernicious influence of the public service corporation. l know this is a broad statement l know that whisky, gambling and other evils have contributed their full share to the cor ruption of city politics, but not an in- stance can be found where these in- huences alone, and unaided by the so- called respectable backing of the public service corporation boss have ever for any length of time successfully pre- vailed against the better element of the community, or succeeded in de- bauching an entire city government, as public service corporations have done, when united, as they always are, with these other corrupt and demoralizing influences.
 "A few extreme western states have within the past few years done more to advance the cause of better city government than has been accom- plished by all the other states put to-