The Washington herald., 1909-08-08

THE GOVERNMENT or THE DISTRICT OF
/ COLUMBIA A study in Fedefal and Aiuniciral
! Administration. BY Walter Farleish DoId
Washington; John Byrues 4 Co.
/ The government Of the National CAPITAL
( presents many features worthy the
study OF those interested in local admin
/ istraton. II has no precise counterpart
/ among American cities. yet its main
problems are in no wise different from
/ those Of other municipalities. II is
unique because It combines the runc-
/ lions Of city. county. and state. and has
/ jurisdiction as an arm OF the Federal
| government over a Federal district. Alr.
( Dodd has occupied himself. in the vol
/ ume before US. with an analysis OF The
/ adaptation OF Federal organs 10 the con
troll OF municipal affairs. combined with
n detailed description OF municipal ac-
! tivitles, which are conducted much as
| they are IN other localities. The author
INDUCES IN comparatively little criticism
/ or theorizlng His aim has been 10 give
brief history of our local government
from its organization, 10 portray the
method by which Congress cooperares
with the local authorities IN managing
the affairs Of the District, and TO sketch
! the form and function OF existing gov
ernmental MECHANISM. His book Is a
! compendium OF our local seIf-government
/ that should prove of great value TO pub
lic-spirited citizens Of the District, as
well as TO students OF municipal ad-
/ ministration generally. Those who go to
! IL for theoretical discussion OF municipal
Affairs may be disappointed: not so those
who want to post themselves on local
/ governmental history and administration.
/ The District OF Columbia has had var
led governmental experience. It has been
under the laws Of the States which ceded
| the territory 70 the general govern
ment: II has been governed bv common
7 councils and boards OF aldermen. with
elective and appointed mayors: IL has
/ had governor and territorial assembly.
/ the former appointed by the President
and the latter chosen by universal male
suffrage; and now, by accident more than
/ by design. II is administered by three
/ Commissioners. and all trace Of suffrage
has disappeared. The people have no
( legal share in the government. yet II IS
Mr.. Dodd's opinion that, although the
form Of government IS autocratic. its
operation Is to a large extent democratic
because Of the influence exerted by citi-
zens' associations and other popular bod
les upon the acts OF Congress and the
Commissioners. The autocratic element
In our local government is the one fea-
ture that IS likely TO be permanent; II
grows out OF the plenary power OF Con-
gress over the Federal district, which,
I with the vast development Of Federal
] fr.Ne =
! becomes more and more unwilling TO
delegate 10 n subordinate body. Mr.
Dodd does not believe there is any prob
ability that Congress will adopt a scheme
Of limited suffrage There now seems 10
be little prospect" he remarks. "of a re-
turn 20 a system Of local self-govcrn-
ment,' no single plan 20 that end com
manding sufficient popular support How
over. he thinks the establishment Of IN
advisory referendum among the posi-
biities- More important than self-govern-
ment schemes, In his judgment. are the
proposals for the substitution Of n single
executive head for three Commissioners.
He considers at some length the various
suggestions 70 this end, finding little 10
commend In any OF them The Rey-
nolds plan he considers especially defect
I've as distributing authority among
practically eight executives, as furnish
ing mechanism for "log-rolling." and as
diminishing executive responsibility 10
the citizens by permitting appointment
OF local officials from outside the DIS
trict. Although he does not expressly
commit himself we gather from the
tenor Of his comment that Mr.. Dodd's
conclusion IS that the chief defects
charged up to a triple-headed executive
I grrfnr hn
liking the duties and the responsibilities
of each Commissioner. and by granting
70 the Commissioners collectively \
larger power OF local legislation. thus
relieving Congress Of many legislative
details OF purely local consequence.
There Is room for improvement In the
mode Of Congressional control Of District
affairs, particularly on the financial side.
and also in the relations OF the District
government 90 other branches of the
public service. which are sometimes
rather inconsistency and curlously min
gled. as. for example. regulation OF street
railways in some matters by the Com
missionCrs and in others by the Interstate
Commerce Commission. Congressional
machinery for handling the District
( budget Mr. Dodd describes as not al
together satisfactory. appropriations be-
ing determined by other committees than
those which have District matters in
charge. so that District needs do not
always have the careful consideration
they should get He suggests that the
appropriations should be gone over by n
board Of estimates before they are sent
to Congress. Little consideration" he
observes. is given TO the development
OF a well-balanced system Of local
finance" Some fault IS found with the
local system OF taxation. the assessment
Of property being regarded as inequitable
and the corporate taxation scheme a
patchwork. No effort has been made.
SAYS the author. to create a uniform sys-
ten Of taxation, though the District by
reason OF having but one taxing body.
has every opportunity 60 put in force a
model system Of raising revenue
A CERTAIN RICH MAN. By William Allen
White. New York: The Macmillan Company
What prOnteth IL a nan n he gain the whole
world yet lose his own Soulg
Verify ! say unto you, Whosoevcr shall not reccire
the Kingdom Of God as a little child shall in no
wise enter therein
And when Jesus saw that he uhc rich mani vas
very sCrTowfu he said: How hardly shau they
that have riches enter into the KinFdom az Cod
'F0 1t - easier fcT eams 70 80 through a