Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1911-05-29
American Thin'is Europeans
Have Much B .tter System
Than This Country
FRENCH ILLUSTRATION
United Respon ;ibility Sue
cessful. Cities Managed like
Private Corporations

Medill Mccormick, of Chicago, Is
making a tour of European cities,
studying municipal conditions as
compared with those existing in the
United States. Before leaving Paris
for London, Mr. Mccormick spoke
of his observations, in an interview,
in which he said:
"The thing which strikes the Amer
ican traveller about the English, Ger
man and French cities is that they are
better kept up than cities of the
United States. They are better paw
ed; the streets are better cleaned
and watered; traffic in them is bet
ter regulated, and, specifically, at
least, the police appear to be more
businesslike than ours.
mo American will like to think
that the genius of his countrymen is
unable to effect as good city govern
ment as he finds in the great Euro
pean countries. If he looks below the
surface, however, he will find that
many students of the problem be-
lieve in the superiority of city gov
ernmenr in Europe. Broadly speak
ing, city governments in England,
Germany, and France are alike in
form, but they differ from the city
Governments in America
No Division Of Authority.
There is considerable American lit
erature on the subject of English
md German city government, but
lave not been able to find any on
french municipalities. In Europe the
elector votes only for the city cOun-
Ill, which selects the executive of.
'icers. There is thus no division of
authority. The European city coun-
Gil is like the board of directors
OF an American corporation, chosen
by the stockholders to look after their
business, and charged with the cleo
tion of officers.
| I'm France, for example, the CITY
council is chosen for four years. 1t
selects from among it's number man
who appoints practically all the city
officials, subject to the nominal ap-
proval of the national government.
While his executive authority is large,
he is the creature of the council
its agent-and therefore responsible
to it in carrying out its policies.
There is nothing analogous to this
system with us, except in the new
governments by commission, which
have spread up the Mississippi val.
ley from Galveston.
THE founders of the republic were
taught by Montesquian that the un-
ion of executive with legislature auth.
ority was dangerous. Therefore, We
have been very loath to abandon the
theory of balances
In French City.
Let us see how it works in France.
For instance, in Compiegne, a city Of
little fewer than 10000 inhabitants,
/ hn nj ;e,
600 year. This does not include
the elementary schools. which are
supported by the national govern
ment; but it includes the police, fire
and health departm ents, and social
services, such as day nurseries, hos
pitals and municipal festvities-un-
known to the budget of American
cities.
"Compegne is a paved city with
what We would consider large and
expensive public buildings. 1t owns
its own water works, is we'll drained
and carries out any number of public
improvements. Nevertheless the
citys debt is only S75O,000. Although
many of the city employees are un.
protected by civil service, practical.
ly no jobs change hands after an
election. The city government it.
self, since it is like board Of direc-
tors. makes for natural civil ser.
vice, and not an artificial one; it's
unity makes for cooperation and
economy.
"In the United States, in the en-.
deavor to divide responsibility in the
interests of liberty, we have produc.
ed friction and expense The result
of this great division of powers has
been the inevitable growth of a poll
tical machine in order that we may
have government which will work.
Those whom the law divides in auth.
Ority the boss unites.
I'VE have not been afraid to look
abroad for naval ideas. or for schemes
of military reorganization, or for
guidance in currency reform. We shall
lose nothing and we are likely to gain
by study of the economical and eff.
ficient government of cities in three
great European countries"