Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-25
MAKE MODEL CITY
Of j. S. CAPITAL
Plan for Improvement of
Washington Placed Before
President Wilson.
SURVEY OF CONDITIONS
NAMED AS PRELIMINARY
Committee Representing Municipal
Reforms Outlines an Exhaus-
tive Program.

tive Program.
complete plan for making Washing
| ton the best city in every detail in the
United States in order that other cities
may copy after it was laid before Presi-
| dent Wilson today by John Purroy
Mitchell, president of the New York
| board of aldermen, and Henry Bruere
of the municipal research bureau of
New York. Mr.. Mitchell and Mr.. Bruere
were accompanied to the White House
by Lieut.. Gov. David I. Walsh of Massa-
chusetts, who expressed his approval of
the proposed plan.
| Declaring that cities and towns
| throughout the United States are striv-
| ing for better government and better
conditions generally, Mr.. Mitchell and
| Mr.. Bruere, who are among the best
known municipal experts in the country,
told the President that the time has
| come when a model city is needed on
which others can base their reforms.
| Washington is the logical place to have
this model city, they said.
| A survey or investigation of present
conditions in the District under the super
NISlOu OIL the TT0SiUCHl WAS QIOpOStO II
was suggested that by means of such a
survey it can be discovered in what par
| ticulars the government of Washington
comes up to the best standards and in
| what ways it falls short of these stand
ards. Mr.. Mitchell and Mr.. Bruere said
| that such a survey would cost about
$500
The President listened attentively while
Mr.. Mitchell and Mr.. Bruere outlined
their plan in a general way. They told
h i'm bo fyY1o uyoc
for the adoption of their suggestion be-
cause of the Presidents pronounced in
terest in efficient city government and
because of the great demand all over the
country for an example OF eff1cfent admin
istration which they can follow. '
President Expresses Interest.
President Wilson expressed deep inter-
est in the proposal, and said that he
would consider it very carefully. The en-
tire plan in printed form was left with
him, and he said he would give it deep
study.
report that they had come to try to end
vice in the District. Their plan, they told
the President, did not refer specifically to
vice here except in the particular that it
They denied that their visit had any
thing to do with the recent visit OF the
Illinois vice commission.
The plan presented to the President
stated that "the achievement of efficiency
in city government in the United States
been the prey to partisan politics, and
have not been properly organized" They
said that efficient city government is be-
ing achieved in the United States by the
elimination of partisan political control
and the institution of popular rule. by the
adoption of more efficient forms Of or
ganiZatiOn and by the working out of
scientific methods of municipal organiza-
tion."
" Outline of Proposed Plan.
The brief for the plan left with the
President is as follows:
"Government and public business in
America has heretofore been conducted
with complete disregard of efficiency or
in accordance with improvised or tradi-
tional rules of thumb. One result of this
condition is that there is wasted In the
operation of American cities from Is to
25 per cent Of available funds. Another
result is that there is no special body
Of technfc developed for the performance
of municipal functions. Germany has
been pre-eminent in municipal ad-
ernfng the operation of German
cities have enabled administrators
to work out and transmit q method of
government. In American city govern
ment method has been a matter of op-
portunism. Recent improvement in
| municipal methods in American cities
has resulted chiefly from taking over into
the municipal field practices worked out
in private enterprise. But only in a
very limited degree are the practices of
private business applicable to municipal
or other government activities. Thus, In
such cities as New York and Philadel-
I,:o
by efficiency engineers and others In the
technic of public business.
There are now in the United States no
more conspicuous social phenomena than
in the rise Of new standards for city gov
ernment. Throughout the United States
cities are striving for and citizens are de-
manding efficiency. Confronted with the
problem of how to obtain it. American
communities are discovering that efficient
government Is more than desires of citi-
zens and good intentions OF officials AS
one indication of the spreading demand
for information of efficient methods and
help In applying them, requests submitted
| to the New York bureau of municipal re-
| search may be recited
Demand for Expert Service.
"Over the country civic clubs. business
mems organizations city officials and pri-
vate citizens are continually asking for
L
ways. Since January l citizens in Port
land. Ore; Denver. Milwaukee, Atlanta,
| indianapolis, Springfield, Mass, and Wa
terbury, Conn.,, have provided funds to
| obtain the services of the bureau in re-
organizing the methods of their govern
| ment.
There is no city in the United States
whose organization, program and meth
DDS may be pointed to as model of ad-
| ministration for others to copv. For
many of the activities of government no
model practices have anywhere been
| worked out In the United States. There
4 is a demand for practical examples of
| method, and results are shown by the
/ fact that In three years a score of cities
| have copied, in part or in its entirety
New York's recently modernized account
/ ing system.
| I'm view of the spreading demand for
efficient government, 1t is proposed that
the President and Congress undertake to
make the government of Washington
serve as a model for every American CITY
in scope of activity. organization and
method of operation. 1t Is as important
to the people Of the United States that
the government help localities In work
| ing out unsolved administrative problems
of public cooperation as 1t Is that 1t aid
commerce or agriculture The conspicu-
Gus position of Washington will make
practical demonstrations in that city of
especial value in influencing local gov
ernments throughout the country. The
vast technical resources of the federal
government should provide for the de-
yelopment OF administrative practice in
Continued on Tenth Pags.)
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