Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-01-22
EFFICIENT CITY GOVERNMENT
Col. Mcclure Says Germany Has
the United States Beaten.
Well Known magazine Man Has Lit =
tie Use for the Initiative. Refer
cndum or Rccnll--Thrce Prnc-
ticat Addresses.

P''' al '''
Iausao'e ai'erhooh anu evening III Dui
lington sunday. Beginning In the aft
nrnoon at three ocIock he addressed n
.-o,,.a,a ,,,o,,. ,,,o.,,, T., y, \, =,
Ha'' AS sool' "l'er 'he aodress 10 men
MS he could get to the high school build
ing he gave an imprompt,i talk on the
NTontessori system of child training to an
audience of surprising size. considering
that they were almost all summoned at |
the last moment by telephone At the |
high school Colonel Mcclure spoke until |
considerably after six o'clock He was OIL |
hand again for the evening service at the |
Methodist Church. where a very largel
audience heard him
In his Y. NJ {. A. address. Mr.. Mcclure
was announced to speak on The Five
Greatest Problems of our Civilization"
but four OF the problems got crowded out
in the shuff,o and the afternoon address
was devoted to the primary problem Of
how to obtain good city government. Mr.
Mcclure confessed to have given extend
cd study to the problem OF city govern
mont and other allied problems. The re.
suit of his research was the discovery of
a simple co-ordinating principle which
was the keystone of all good government
He said; "Wherever I found good gov
eminent. if was government proceeding
by the principie similar to that followed
by all corporations in electing a board
of directors who in turn choose the ex.
perts who carry on the work of govern
ment"
/ Colonel Mcclure said that ii was only
by accident that the people ever elected a
good mayor or Judge. because a whole
mass of people could not know about the
details OF the work in these offices and
could not Judge Of tho qualifications de-
manded He said further that for
such positions permancncc Of employ
ment was necessary in order that they
: might afford a profession for men to de-
, vote their lives to. Efficiency comes in
= having men trained for thcir places in
! stead of being chosen FOR them hap
hazard
The people, he said. could choose an un'
permanent board Of directors who In turn
could choose the trained men necessary
to run the government. y board or dlltc-
tors of the kind described could choose
men whom it would be prohtaole to keep
} IN office. just as men WHO make good III
business office are kept there. he theh
went on to describe now thls WAS the
. method employed in England and on the
continent of Europe
lie described the government OF
t Frankfort as representative of Ger
man cities. Fr2nkfort is governed by
a mayor who Is one of the best known
men in Germany. This mayor FIRST
made a reputation for himself as a
Young man when he was mayor hrst
of very diminutive city and later OF
one somewhat more Important
Frankfort hired him away from the
latter city. Like all other German
: city magistrates, he is as thoroughly
trained for the particular duties and
standards OF conduct necessary in his
office as q graduate of Annapolis o,
West Point is trained Tor his peculiar
= duties.
The voter who is resident of the
| German city goes to the votirg place
, of his ward and casts one ballot witt
no ticket and no suggestions as &c
whom he should choose, and the lib
- erty to name any citizen who lives
within fifteen miles Of his ward. The
two highest of the men thus suggested
arc voted on, and the one getting
, majority is declared elected to the cit,
u council with term Of six years Il
= serve. These councilmCn choose tn,
u specialists who carry on the city gov
II eminent They may even go out OF tn
le country to get the best equipped maj
is Tor a given place.
/ Colonel Mcclure said that to sc
'c anything to compare in efficiency Wit
~ the administrative machinery of tina
W city OF Frankfort, lie would nave
O. name the standard OH company. wit
II It's wonderful organization, and tina
IS even IN the lisht OF such compailsol
4 the German city did not suner Frank
H. iort' ne SAID owns Its oWn street rail-
way system gives away fares to Ger
10 tam localities where II Is desirable t
50 nave people dwell and makes Il pc
rn cent per ahnum on the investment
-. me CITY mas pouSht lana am pull
20 apartment houses LOT the especial put
~. pose OF ProFluing iof "'uoWers ch'l
.. "ren' because II Is thought desirabi
~ 10 keep chilureh IN thelr hoihes' IN
-. steao OF having theh sent TO lnstltu
-, uoHs' lhese are only rev OIL IN
-. actiFiues "hich the efficiency OF IN
-, .erhah Guy government makes pos
SIDE
w. referring 10 the lhitiatVe reierendui
"' and recall 'oloheI Mcclure said tht
h''ie VI Pe'''aAeh' value "aS 10 ne e'
ne nccted from these Innovations He r,