The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-18
Municipal and Civic Associa-
lions Handle Problems
EDUCATION OF IMMIGRANT
Milwaukee Man Declares That Foreign
Born Population Are Socialists
Because No One Else Can
Reach Them.

Cincinnati, November 17.-With the
election of officers by tie National
Municipal league and the American
Civic association today both bodies got
down to discussion of many problems
affecting the civic welfare.
At the afternoon session of the mun>-
cipal league a lively debate was pre-
cipitated by a paper by Arthur II.
Woods of New York in which 1t was
held that civic service had not pro-
NOTED efficiency in the police depart
ment. Richard Henry Dana Of Massa
chusetts dissented that though civil
service rules fo.. promotion might work
badly. the principle was right.
A paper by Miss Grace Abbott of
Chicago dealing with the immigrant,
Miss Abbott expressed the opinion tn at
the immigrant would always vote for
principle were it possible under pres
ent conditions to make him understand
| the difference between principles and
men.
j. McBell of Milwaukee said that the
| foreign born populace of his city were
| largely socialists because no one else
| could reach them.
A. C. Phydell of North Plainfield, N
j., told how an educational campaign
among Italian immigrants had resulted
''in the overthrow of political ring.
An address by Mr.. Dana was a fea-
ture of the afternoon session of the
Municipal league.
a
! on "The Essentials of a Building Code
Robert Treat. Paine, Jr.. of Boston de-
| clared in favor of the elimination oi
party designations in municipal cleo
ltions
sofl5es pgpsrs read before tho league
| were:
"The Operation of the Initiative ant
Referendum In Oregon" Joseph N
Teal of Portland. Ore; THE Operation
| of tn q Recall in Los Angeles" Fielding
/ j. Stison of Los Angeles The Vote
| on Boston's Referendum for One Hun
dred Years." Dr. Edward M. Hartwel
| of Boston.
At the afternoon session of the
| American Civic association an address
was delivered by II. M. Wilson oil
| Washington.
Address by Dana.
Taking Municipal Contracts Out oi
Politics" was the subject of Richard
man of the council of the Nations
! Civil Service league.
Municipal administration said Mr.
| Dana, has become complicated series
| of technical services, requiring experts
| of special education, training and. in
| addition, long experience in municipal
| work.
with us, this expert service is min
| gled with politics. To keep their
| places, the would-be experts have to
| give contracts to political favorites, en-
| force the law or not with reference to
| politics, cannot secure a days work
| for a days pay from voting 1aborers
and hide extravaganza and fraud. all
| of which is bad government. The best
| and highest minded experts refuse mu-
| nicipal service as offensive, of uncer-
| tain tenure and demoralizing.
"In England and Europe the expert
| administration, with permanent tenure
| during good behaSior and efficiency
| offers a career that attracts the best
| cal executive.
Responsibility For Details.
| TT is objected that such separation
| destroys the responsibility of the chief
| executive. 1t is answered that no chief
executive can be held to responsibility
| for details. That should be put on the
| permanent experts.
Again, 1t is objected that the experts
should be cabinet officers of the chief
| executive. There may well be cabinet
| officers to aid the political executive in
| determining policies, fixing the budget,
| and inspecting the expert service and
| holding 1t to account by power to re-
| move for cause; but the political cab
| met officers should be wholly separate
| persons from the experts themselves.
again, it is said that our chief ex-
| ecutive should appoint his own experts
| to carry out his policies. In the great
] railroads, eminent reorganizers keep the
| experts even where altering the former
| policies Municipal experts, If not the
| appointees of the chief executive, will be
| held the more strictly to account.
again, it is objected that the heads
| of business concerns can remove at pleas
| ure, but the pocket nerve and the abb
sence of political pressure In private bus
| mess have to be offest in politics by
requiring publicity of reasons for re-
| moval.
| s.It has been found necessary to sep
| arate the judiciary from politics, to Sc
| cure the best expert administration of
| Justice The great river and harbor
| work and the Panama canal for the
! United States have been done by army
engineers efficiently and honestly, and
| they are free from politics.
! Radical Change Needed.
| "It is believed we must change our
| whole idea of political chief responsible
| for detailed administration. That idea
| was suitable enough in the days of small
| affairs which the public could easily un-
| derstand. But that system has broken
| down In our large cities with compli-
| Gated administration We should adopt
| instead the European Idea of permanent
| trained, expert service OF engineers, law
| vers. physicians, architects, almoners. ed
ucators, etc, responsible for administer
| ing IN detail, within appropriations, the
| policies laid out by the political side of
| the government
.The results of such change would
be municipal careers attractive to high