Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-11-26

state M the present time which have adopt
ed that plan OF government and Others
have the matter under consideration Ac-
cording 10 the hest information available.
there j. no other state IN which n many
~ four cities have adopted this new form.
We may. therefore, assume that interest
IN thls new plan of government i al least
a. far and wide spread ia this state a.
elsewhere and that The subject of this new
form Of city government can not be with
out interest ~ each city official and each
wide awake city Of the state.
Now. Just what l. new about the citv
manager plan! Commission government.
a. We know, substituted one responsible
body for two. reduced the number ~ clcc-
tive officers. liked the responsibility for the
administrator oil various services Of the
city and provided certain checks IN the
way OF public control. The city manager
attempts To interfere with or alter none Of
these legal or political characteristics III
commission government. That J. 10 SAY,
the elective responsibility ~ the body re-
mains and the Instruments of public con
trol are not abolished. 1t j. on the add
mini-trative side that the departure from
commission government takes place.
Onc Of the chief arguments made hv the
advocates ~ commission government was
that the business of a municipal corpora
ton j. much like the business VI a private
corporation and that the form Of oryani-
zatlon which has proved q successful in
the latter might naturally ~ expected Ia
prove successful in the former. And. the
conclusion drawn was hat the board Of
directors Of a private corporation would
correspond To the commission or board of
directors at the city. Now curiou~lv
enough commission government J. unlike
the government of a private corporation
IN one very essential particular. and that
J. that no officer i provided under the or
binary commission form 10 correspond to
the general manager ~ the corporation.
In ether word~. the city commission j. like
a board ~ directors in a private corpora
tion. each one of whom attends "a the -u-
pervi~ion Of some particular branch Of the
activities ~ the corporation but no one
Of whom j. particularly responsible for
the efficient and practical management Of
the concern a. \ whole. ID ~. of course.
we'll known that that = not the way in
which corporate affair are run.
III We would be guided then BY the anal
ogy ui private corporations let "a not stop
al the most important point by failing To
provide an office corresp onding 10 the gen.
cral manager but let a. adopt that feature
OF business corporation management which
=, perhaps, more largely than any other.
responsible for the efficiency with which
private business IL conducted.
Turning now to the operation II a com
mission form a. originally adopted III a.
see why the lack of 4 city manager must
result IN friction. duplication. ur lack III
responsibility m some Of the affairs Of the
city government. II i quite proper 10 di-
VIDE the general affairs Of the city into
five or ~iX groups aud charge q man with
the responsibility Of the administration Of
each one ot these groups but that man
should. IN the first place, be- an expert in
hi~ line and all these men should IN the
next place be responsible 10 some common
superior. For without the expert profcs-
-ional adminI>tratcr the affairs ~ each de-
partment will suffer and without the cen
trail authority the affairs II an the de-
%partmcut> will suffer.
The division of the city into five or ~x
branches can ~ IT, very nature ~ Az ab-
Solutcly inclusive and exclusive division.
The nature Of these affairs D. such that
many - the most important branchc~ "
municipal service will emit into the sphere