El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-08-27

solution OF their governmental prob-
llems-national, state and municipai.
On abstract political questions the two
great parties still are in opposition, but
the thought devoted to social and eco
nomic problems is now dividing both
republican and Democratic parties into
radical and conservative factions
In municipal government in the
United States the flood of September g.
1900, which destroyed the city of Gal
weston, marked the beginning of the
end OF the long series OF unsuccessful
attempts to solve municipal problems
by political methods. Galveston was
destroyed. Galveston had to be re-
built, Galveston had to be protected
from the waters of the gulf, and to
that end Galveston did what the Ger
! mans always have done-it made the
city a business corporation instead OF a
political corporation. The Galveston
plan, in its original form and as modi-
fed by Des Moines and other cities, in
being adopted in American cities all
over the country, and in every instance
where it has been al all successful po-
litical quarrels have been subordinated
to economic problems. But it is diff
cult TO change in a decade the thought.
habits Of a century No doubt it was
the presence of a large number of Ger
man voters, possessing German habits
of thought, that resulted in the cleo
ton of the Socialist mayor Seidel in
Milwaukee a few months ago.
Germany's Business Government.
The German theory of a municipality
as a business concern in which every
citizen is an equal partner, is to some
extent unsuccessful in practice because
of the political backwardness of the
general government which denies the
principle of equality in political af-
fairs. For the same reason the Ger
! man theory if attempted in America
would to some extent fail in practice
because of the fact that American po-
litical thought cannot yet tolerate the
principle of collective ownership, even
in a municipality.
In the German municipality the
voters stand in the relation to the gov
eminent as stockholders in a corpora
+ion. Every vote they are asked to
give is an expression upon some phase
of an economic question. They are
asked to decide whether this invest
ment is wise. or whether that enter
prise should be abandoned; whether
this Improvement is needed, or Wheth-
er that expenditure should be post
poned They are not asked to express
their preference as among personal as
All of the municipalities are CORE
lated in the general government just
as all of the coal mines of Germany
are correlated in the German coal
syndicate. The coal syndicate sends TO
each mine manager with a technical
training, who has been proved TO be
hest fitted for the proper development
and conservation Of that particular
mine. The government furnishes TO
each municipality a general manager,
or mayor, who is best fitted by ex-
nerience and training to deal with the
problems pressing in that particular
city.
Mayors Are Trained.
A German mayor is trained for his
profession just as is a railroad man.
He takes a course in a government
school which devotes itself to the edu-
cation and technical training of jurls-
tic officers. Upon leaving school he
is assigned to govern some small VII
lage, there to try his skill If he fans
he is dropped from the service II he
succeeds he is in time promoted TO
small town Then. if he shows dpti-