Arizona republican., 1916-05-03
Municipal Government

Muncipal Government
 We have before us the report to the chamber of commerce of Pittsburg of delegate to the annual conference of the National Municipal League the subjects of municipal home rule the commission manager form of government and Dayton Ohio an example of both. As the conference held at Dayton the report relates almost entirely to that city the circumstances in which the commission manager form was established there, the operation of it during the past years, the success of it and the causes of it's success.
 With all these matters the readers of The Repub Hcan less familiar for the Dayton gov ernment was a subject of frequent discourse in the columns of this paper during both the campaign for the adoption of the present charter of Phoenix and the campaign the proposed amendments to the charter year ago.
 Tftsburg is interested in the Dayton ernment for much the same reasons that Phoenix Pittsburg is in the bondage of political sys- tenn; not merely in bondage to a system controlled by local politicians but political system trolling the whole of Pennsylvania. It is here that matter of home rule into the report Our case was somewhat different only in form how We had permitted the city fall into the hands of ring politicians whom could have busted whenever majority of us decided to do but did decide. might well have been in the position of Pitsburg, under the rule of a rupt state legislature, or that matter of some foreign government, exercising control whatever own affairs.
 And in passing may say that the mere form of a charter containing the advanced provisions home rule does give home rule; it only offers it. We may satisfied be ruled by ring politicians and they are even powerful. if we permit them be, under just such a form of government $ have. They are also more difficult to disodge for the reason that they have made machinery in- tended for business-like form of government; we have put the best instruments for their pur- poses into their hands.
 The matter in the report in which espee- ialy interested is the observation the delegate the necessity of active by the people or majority of the people in good municipal govern if they have that kind of government In Germany and European countries there may be good municipal government without the cooperation of the people living under it. The peo- pe there protected against their apathy Good government is forced upon them
 But says the report, "In democracy good city government does not by chance nor by the fiat of legislative enactment by the gift of an over lord It is the result, rather of slow growth from religious and educational processes which develop n- fo what may call the genius of the people whose instinct is to love righteousness, do justly to work out their political destiny untrammeled by outside interference"
 Good government in American cities depends on he alertness intelligence and honesty of more peo- ple than not alert, intelligent not nonest, Notice the of the words and" and "or" in the foregoing All the qualities we have men toned must be combined in the majority for good If the majority in any one of these qualities link is broken and the chain is broken But if any of the bad qualities apathy uninteI- lsence dishonesty prevail in the majority we shal have bad government
 All the good qualities necessary to efficiency in democracy. There may be a preponderance o honesty and intelligence in any body of Arericar citizens but we have not always found q preponder ance of aertness. So it is not yet settsd whether democracy can be reliably efficient Considerab. charming doubt has been raised on that point within inc last year
 We believe that the circumstances that raise, it will contribute to the removal in favor of tn democracy. We have been somewhat stirred out O inc self -complacency of the blind the "vao of ignorance" and will perhaps be rendered nor alert. As d result will have better government 0 The nation, of the state and of the city