The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-09-08
UlTY MANAGER PLAN.

There is an evident growth in this
country in favor of the city manager
plan for municipalities, The commits
sion plan is now considered by the best
| thinkers on municipal government to
be merely step toward the final solu-
tiou which will give TO American cities
a general business manager. Who will
| be the administrative and executive
effort aud applying the public money
where it is most needed, without ref
| crence to divisions among the several
| departments aud holding to such di-
vision irrespective OF where 1T may be
most servicoahle To say that no one
man is competent to handle the large
and involved affairs of a great city is
nonsense, for all the great affairs Of
the world are in the ultimate decision
settled by some one man. The late j..
p Morgan had interests so much great
or than those involved in the manage
mcut of any city's affairs that there is
no comparison between them.
As applied TO Salt Lake City. we have
among us number Of men who are
every day conducting affairs more in
volyed and on a larger scale than the
public affairs of this city embrace, Mr..
Jackling. Mr. Bancroft, Mr., Nc.
Cornick. Mr.. Kearns, Colonel Webber,
Mr. NJ. H. Walker. and others who might
L.
farious businesses that are more wide
embracing and of greater magnitude
daily than the affairs Of this city. And
so in any city Of the Union, doubtless
q number of men could be found who
are in fact conducting larger and more
extensive business operations than those
involved in the government of the city.
To say, therefore. that the public af-
fairs Of city are beyond the grasp Of
one individual is to deny the plain, en-
phatic facts that individuals arc all
the time conducting more extensive bus.
ineSses on their own account than The
public business of the city in which
they live amounts to.
The adoption by the City Of Dayton,
Ohio, of the city manager plan mas
attracted general attention throughout
the United States Tn Chicago the
proposition rs being seriously consid
cred, and in support of it we note tho
following editorial in the Chicago News.
which is based upon the report of
gentleman of Chicago who has recently
returned from visit of observation in
Germany where he made inquiry Of this
kind speciality. The editorial referred |
to is as follows
Having observed the SYSTEM in Ger
many, Fred w. Cpham of Chicago is inn |
pressed with the advantages OF appoint |
ing business managers for cities instead !
OF clccting mayors. Since il has proved |
a good thing for German cities TO en-
ploy chief executives solely on their buSi-
.ness qualifications and their scientific
knowledge Of how municipal affairs
should be administered. Mr.. Upham is
unable TO see why the same policy would !
not prove advantageous in American
cities
That rhe plan has benefited tic Ger
mans does not seem open 10 question.
Under the German system government
and especially municipal government. Is a
distinct profession, for which men under
go long and rigorous training. Thus they
|
eagerly sought and are well rewarded
The system corresponds To that employed |
by American railroads and other great
tons seeking executive heads.
The German system of employing eX-
pert general ma nagcrs for cities involves
large measure OF permanency in their
tenure OF office, After a German city
has competed successfully i'm the omen
market for the services of "A man OF hi.h
repute II usually ties him up with Ufc
contract. in order 70 prevent some other
city from taking him away with an offer
OF larger salary as one investigator
leportS.
When this plan is contrasted with the
ridiculous political practice in American
cities. which commonly elect their mayors
at short intervals terms OF ma ati0DaI- |
partisan politics with little CT no regard
for the qualiIica lions OF The mcn thus |
pitchiorked into nigh of6ce-a system |
that absolutely requires waste and bols-
terousy invites misma na gement-it is
not surprising that persons Of discern
neut who have studied the German
method urge It's adoption in this country