The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-08-01
VILLAGE GOVERNMENT FOR
CITIES

government is needed is truth that
has lately been dawning upon the
people of the cities. Comparative ju-
is the perfected development OF
the village government; and we come
to the logical conclusion that, as a
rule, the village is the less progress
i've of the two forms of government.
In other words. as between the city
and the state, the city is not so we'll
organized and is more closely related
TO the crude and inadequate form of
government of the past, because 1t is
SO closely akin to the village.
The Roanoke Times and the Lynch
burg Advance have recently enpha-
sized this fact by stating that we
have village methods in city govern,
ment here in Virginia. That Is quite
true, so far as the usual method of
municipal rule is concerned There is
much complaint against our present
methods in Richmond, in Petersburg
in Roanoke and in Lynchburg, and
change must come. and will come.
however slowly, and little by little.
Hear the testimony from some OF
these cities The Roanoke Times says:
The truth is we are trying all over
this country to run our towns and
cities with governments ana organi-
cations intended for villages. The ma
chinery of place of 500 people is
more complicated ana requires more
time and thought than that of city
OF $4,000 did sixty years ago. Now
electric lights, paving, waterworks,
sewers, improved fire and police ser
vice, railroads. telephones, modern
sanitary requirements and public
school questions make new problems
and puzzles Everywhere people are
demanding and needing more i'm
provements and changes every three
months than they used to require in
ten years. And the councils and COM
nlittees have not the time. Most of
them struggle bravely and do the
best they can; but they are business
men and working men and cannot
give all these new things and needs
and demands the attention and labor
they require. We are trying every
where TO do the complicated work of
modern city with the machinery OF
an ancient village in which the re-
pair of the town pump or new door
for the lookup might be the most i'm
portant matter and talked over peace
fully through months We have not
time for that now We must have
action and have 1t quick. So confus-
ion. delay, loss and inefllcency result,
I'VE must come to it. We must
come to simpler and better paid and
more efficient forms of municipal gov
eminent. The longer we put it off
the more we will lag and the more
we will lose. City councils love pow
er and dislike to surrender 1T; but the
most obstinate of them Will learn pres
emily that they are standing In the way
and making trouble. trying to do what
they can not do. They are as much
out OF place as an old-time volunteer
fire department with leathern buckets
and a hand pump would be trying Ia
handle q fire in a ten-story sky
scraper."
What is SAID by our Roanoke con-
temporary. is so. seff-evident. so obvi-
Gus. that comment upon it is unneces-
sary. Attention should be paid how
ever. to It's statement that CITY Coun-
ellis love power and dislike to surren-
der it" That is strikingly applicable
TO Richmond, where there has been a
tendency in the City Council not to
delegate power TO body better adapted
to handling difficult situation than
the Council itself. That any body
should delegate its power until it has
none itself is not TO be expected, SO
long as the deiegating body has the
power of Legislation, but there are
many cases. such, for instance, as the
changing conditions demand that au-
thority be given to some body or com
mission, rather than the enactment of
an ordinance which could not, in the
nature of things, meet the situation.
Approving all that was said by the
Roanoke Times. the Lynchburg Ad-
vance adds:
Opinions will differ as to the best
methods of remedying the situation.
There Will be many who will doubt
the wisdom of taking away powers
from the City Councils, as there will
be those who Will fight against any
readjustment that might endanger the
jobs held by their friends But what
ever method may be employed. there
can be no doubt, we believe OF the ur-
gent necessity of bringing about
changes--we avoid the term REFORM
upon cardinal principle which this
paper has urged frequently and 81,
length. 1t is this
That city, or town, or village
or even county, for that matter mus
be run with strict eye upon the COST
sheet in relation to service rendered
In other words, with more business
like methods than at present"
Our contemporaries have stated IN.
case. Just what form of governmen,
we are going TO substitute for the
present cumbersome, slow, an,iouated
administration of the affairs of cities
no one can say now, hut there can be
no doubt that the day is not far dis.
tant when we shall adopt sometime
much different from that which 70,
have. Inspection or the acts Of Tn,
last General Assembly viii reyea
substantial proof or the fact that tn,
people are becoming Interested in thu
newer forms Of town and city govern
ment. and that there Is GROWN,
demand for such changes. Witness tn