The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-09-12

The oh3erts of this association are
truthfuliy and terseiv sci out in It's /
mcu7 hershlr card That card an |
upunces that the objects Of the assoc !
f5atton. Rre t. secure the best gov |
,run}ant for the city Of Richmond, |
ard a. improve The conditions in or
affecting The life II this community
These objects will appeal TO every
sittxen from the humhlest to the
highest. hethec Ae - member OF
this association or not but the
ash5evement IF THE best government
fer the city ~ purpose more easily
proclaimed than accomplished. No
man wilt he found bold enough To say
that he does not wish a city Of beau
t-fui homes. clean streets attractive
t4blfc buildings and parks. Each and
ALI want the best governed city. The
hamhler his position and The less he
possesses % tins worlds goods the
mere important are such objects TO
he citizen
Based on Business.
Nor will anyone he found 10 deny
that IN order 80 secure this deal city
government II must be based on hust-
uess lines and not on political CON
siderafions. The ordinary man in the
street Is not at all. or at least very
Atta%. interested III @NttiiGt Htte VI
the other Of his fellow citizens secures
political prefermcnt or IL the recipient
Ia ~ ;tl.l1 4aat-h he is deetly Interested
tn seeing that men Of the highest or
Of as high executive ability as snch
DEPART ents demand are put In charge
thereof SO that they may he admins
te-Haa- with pTnueF- ecnunmy@ and the
greatest efficiency In other words.
the ideal government is one marked
by a minimum Of expenditure with
maximum of effectiveness. Whilst
all admit that the government of the
city IS a business proposition whose
aims can only he attained by business
methods II will he idle for ms to shut
our eyes to the fact that II IN n most
difficult task to exclude political and
personal motives and TO operate and
control il 80 as 10 accomplish the
greatest good for the greatest number.
such unseltish and patriotic motives
cali for a high character of citizenship.
and, above all. demand that he tndif-
: fFrEUra 1fyTtayed by such farge p6F-
tion If the community should he elm
mated.
Measures Not Mem"
Every school boy learns from his
copy book to put faith in the maxim
measures not men" Biit the man of
affairs soon learns To reverse the
maxim ard finds success TN any enter
prse more dependent upon securing
tho righf man than upon mere form
or method Yet your committee would
not he understood as adopting the
view often expressed regarding city
administration. that if We had the hest
men Iii control OF our city II would not
matter what form of municipal gov
eminent they had Ia work under. II
rather seems tn the committee than
the problem OF city management in
wolves the correct solution Of two re-
lated problems The first IN how to
secure for the city the best method OF
administering It's affairs and then how
10 secure the best men ia carry out
such administration, II VIII prob
ably he found also that the solution
! Of each problem witt hefp In the SO
luton of the other,
As preliminary To the solution al
the first Of these two problems. your
committee thinks 1t wise to give a
brief outline of the three forms OF
municipal control that now prevail In
different places and 10 conclude with
n recommendation of that plan. which
Ia their view. would meet the peculiar
conditions existing in this city and at
1.-The same time overcome the short
Hcemings Of our present system
Forms of Municipal Rule,
All American CITY administration Is
modelled upon one al three methods
ot municipal control The first is call,
"a the coun -i1maric or Federal form
the second, the commission form aud
the third. the commission manager
f"rm.
A fourth form is sometimes spoken
@f q government by commissions ar
uniradistnguished from a commits
sion form Of government II is really
an off-shont of the first Federal plan
IljustrnttonS are afforded Of th',
latter form In our own city govern
ment where We have a number of such
boards as for Instance, the police
hoard, the fire board, the health board
, The school board the employment
board. etc All cities Of this country
are administered under one Of the
three groups first above enumerated
The details OF surh administration OF
course, vary IN the different com
mnuitles. bur these three classes cover
the whole field Of municipal govern
snent
The Existing system.
In Virginia the eounciimanIc
or Federal form has always been
the established WAY In which cities
have been governed Under this
form The chief executive officer is
the Mayor elected Tor term ot
four years. The Council il also
elected by the qualified voters Of
such city. but the, are elected by
wards and NOT from the city at
large. In the past the Council
has consisted of n much larger
number OF countilmen than the
cities really needed and. there
fore, has had la do its work
through committees Thus. re-
~ponsibiiity. especially for adj
mini~tIati,c and executive func-
lions does mol rest upon any one
person.
Speaking generally the Mayor ex-
~s~esses-.a isase' s@a. s.f these sxe~utfss,
functions. t-ctri.fiiitc~> vi tTle Council
another portion. various boa ds elect
: ed ~ the Council still other portions.
and. in this city, there n a fourth
! body having large administrative
powers. Hence the voters have found
il difficult, If not lmpossbl to place
responsibility for the failures and
shortcomings ~ their government