Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-27
THE
GERMAN
ADVANCE

IsSHzSu1SH 6Sl61 SE7SH2 ~
BERLIN. August '19.-The Germans,
particularly the Russians. have more
nearly approached a satisfactory solu.
ton of the problem of municipal gov
eminent under modern conditions than
have any other people. Their solution
is a remarkably simple one II is that
municipal government is not a politi-
cal. but a business enterprise. and that
as a business enterprise In which every
citizen is a partner IL should be run
not as private commercial enterprise,
out as a huge Industrial undertaking
to which must be applied the most
modern methods OF high organization
and complete cooperation. To this
end II is administered for the purpose
or obtaining for each citizen partner
the maximum of profit In matters or
saIetl. health and convenience. mere
money profits being a negligible con-
sideration.
Simple as is this theory, il is much
easier to put il into practice in Ger.
States. for the reason that there are
Fundamentally different habits OF
thought regarding governmental prob
iems IN the TWO countries. The ad-
santage is not altogether on either
side Those Germans who are working
Tor reform in their federal and state
government deplore the fact that the
German gives greater weight TO eco
nomic and social questions almost 70
the utter neglect Of political problems.
In the United States the municipal gov
eminent reformers have found their
chief obstacle in the fact that the
American people think first OF politics.
and are very often entirely unwilling
n L.
economic matters. Great Britain. for
tunately for its peace and security in
Its present crisis, occupies a position
midway between Germany and Amer
lea. since II gives politics the place OF
nrst Importance. in national matters.
but subordinates political considera-
tons TO those OF sociology and eco
nomics In local government affairs.
Therefore Germany has solved its mu-
nicipal problem and has failed to settle
its national issues
Solves One Problem, because it has ap-
Fails in Another. piled economic
success attending the application In a
town where economics must necessarily
be most important and failure resulting
from, the attempt to substitute economics
for politics in the national government,
where politics always must be first. In
Great Britain the compromise between
the two extremes enables such a man az
Joseph Chamberlain TO be a practical So
cialist in his muniti atty of Birmingham,
where economics alone Is concerned. and
at the same time be tory on national
issues affecting the vital principles OF
politics.
In the United States the concentration
of public thought upon political affairs
has resulted practically In solving ell
purely political problems In America
there is no longer any dispute as to the
political equality of men, the church and
state are separated, the land laws pre-
vent the formation of se!f-perpetuating
property class. there Is no dispute as to
the form of government. free education IS
an accepted fact and the old quarrel be-
tween the natiolalists and the states
rights party is now nothing more than an
academic controversy. There Is not now
before the people OF the United States
single live issue purely political In char-
acter, with the possible exception or the
agitation for a reform of the rules OF the
national House of Representatives and
the demand for popular election OF sena-
tors
Rut even these two political questions
grew out of much more important eco
nomic prob
Tor;6 Ie Not lens, which un-
:. derlie and en-
the present era Of agitation in the United
States every question before the public Is
an economic or a social question. This
is true in nation. state and city. That 1t
is true is due to the fact that the Ameri-
can people have persisted always In
thinking politically rather than economi-
caIly. OF course, great economic ques-
lions have arisen from time TO time In
the career of the American republic and
have been settled, but in every fmpor-
tant instance the issues were given a po-
iitical cast, and in their determination pol
tics and not economics was considered
The tariff question always has been In
politics In America. as II has In Eng
land, and In neither has politics oeen
able to solve the problem. In Germany
the tariff is not in politics. but has been
adjusted on an elastic basis by economic
thought.
Americans are beginning to devote eco
nomic and social thought to the solution
OF their governmental problems-nation-
al, state and municipal On abstract po-
litical questions the two great parties
still are in opposition, but the thought
devoted to social and economic problems
ocratic parties into radical and conserva-
tive factions.
in municipal government in the United
States the flood Of September 8. 1900.
which destroyed
Galveston Flood the city Of Gal
Marked New Era. the h.r,cninr Of
the end OF the long series OF unsuccess-
full attempts to solve municipal prob
lens 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 Germans always
have done-it made the city business
instead OF a political cor
poration. The Galveston plan, in it's
original form. and az modified by Dies
Moines and other cities. In being adopted
i'm American cities all over the country,
and i'm every instance where II has been
at all successful political quarrels have |
been subordinated to economic problems. |
But il is difficult to change in a decade |
the thought habits Of century. No |
doubt IL was the presence Of large |
number of German voters. possessing |
German habits Of thought, that resulted /
in the election of the socialist mayor, |