Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-11-10
GREEN DISCUSSES
CITY GOVERNMENT
Outline Of New Municipal Law
Given by Deputy Attorney
General Before Churchmcn.

lhe present form ~ municipal govern
ment in Wilmington, Deputy Attorney
General l.. Warren Grccn. IA an address
l.fore the Westminster Club of Hanover
Presbyterian Church last night, suggested
an outline of new form oi government
frum which the following IL quoted:
Any proposed scheme of government Tor
Wilmington must recognize the iunda-
mrntals uf good government. Whining
ten dOes not differ from that ot corpora
ton. "A larr. business and should hc man
aged with efficiency and economy IN the
lut.rrst uf It's stock holders its citizens.
There are three requisites to good govern
neWt which must I've included IN any
proposed schomc
prmncracy No structure Is sound
hat docs not give the night 10 the cleo
tornts 90 say how and 10y whom they are
- b. governed. and n scheme OF govern
ment that will weld to the popular VIII.
Anv prupcaed scheme must he rcsponslble
~ the people This means that control
-hotld not end on election day but that
the puhllc officers should he daily ac-
co,,ntahle o. the pcoplr for the work and
methods .mploycd by them IN transactlng
puhhc huriness To use homcly Illus
,rat,on Will. Won and ! may he able To
watch q two or thrrc-rng circus, we CAN
no, watch a ib-rng ono without missing
rnc-t of the tricks Applying this Illus
trntion o. cur present CITY gov6Tnncnt II Is
,,bvioua that W.. largely engrossod IN our
daily occupations, cannot keep watch
uvrr 40 ~ 30 ageucIes As hoy ! was
,aught that "a. man who had many bosses
lid not hsv. any NJ all and it follows that
here many are 90 he held responsible. no
me lu fact 10 r-sponslhlc
rne rssenae 81 democracy - rcspnnsihIl-
A, AMI therefore u implies system Oi
Government that can he held Responsible, n
concentration ~ control over admnistra-
tian IN the hands ot mavOr or chict ot-
6eer a. whom the heads ot the depart
msnta of government are directly nc
esalntahle
Fcnnomv Government must not hc
-~sponsihle only 20 popular demands hut
n must he carrled IN st the lowest cost
consistent with the proper discharge ct
ruhle functions, and proper wage and
AIR conditions uf employment for these
Who serve the city
Efficiency The work undertaken hN
ne v,vernment .hnuld he we'll done ~ nc
.nrdanee with the best standards ~ good
sosI That III work done snould 10 not
az thp immediate present but peri ormcd
stth Thought ~ tho tomorrow lhc nc oi
eitv v not split into penois Elections
and oi'iee holders como AMI - hut tho CITY
work sroes on rne eiucatlon ncaltn.
auhl~ w,,rks. pubic safety and water sup
aly scrvicas " the CITY are continuous
Plans for suoh scrvlces snouid be laNed
ons anead important and expensive
Enterprises snould not he undertaken and
eft uncnmpleted To link tne future with
~ present and past, the responsible c1-
lcers must plan ahead
study ~ the governments az the oitIeS
-. s., eaf IN, a.
ears there has been = marked tendency TO
~sahliSh foam of city government that
..~osu ires and y based on the three funda-
p.nV.ls " government Tins tendency
,as taken Enc form ~ = commission form ~
government and st the present time nearly
tnn cities have doVted thIs particular
eheme The reasons therefore, as pointed
,it IN the work " Dr T. : Bradford IN
a. work on the commission form Of
Government are SLY rs follows.
Capitalization ~ power IN the hands
ia small hodV II men. usually I'VE, some
tunes three and N ono instance nine. The
plar i that only those Oft Gers should he
clcctcd which ARE Important enough e
attract and deserve attention and second
+, cha, very feu Offices should he filled by
elcrtlon - one tlrnc - As 20 permit public
examination az the qualifications o. the
candidates
Abandonment ~ the old representa-
slv,, ldea 81 electing couacIlmen from wards
- districts and tho adoption 81 election AZ
lsrCe On general ticket
( Concentration 81 legislative end
,xcnitivc powers in the hands Of the same
hodv
4 Distribution of admir- istratIon
among the members of the commissions
IVmNllng each commiSs .oncr the head Of a
81 .Ars4gr ef-.a
tlon ii u hich hr ~ directly responsible
Evolution oi oil Offices boards, com
u,,ssioncrs and other agencies and the
concentration Of all municlpel functions IN
ibur ar fivc. main departments. each OF
which = headed hV respn nslhle officer
q Svstcm of inItistlve. referendum sno
recall
CITY MANAGER PLAN.
Tho commission government plan wa'
found bV experience 10 bc open 10 severa
objections because
II confused legislative and executive
powers
II did not make any Single office
chiefly responsible for daily control anC
performance IA administrative matters
4 movement set IN about 1912 To de
vrlbp more responsibility ~ city govern
ment by vesting authority IN single
afhcer. chosen by ia, City Council o.
COMMISSION and known rs the city man
aeef
II 10 March - 1920, III clties in tn
tnted States were governed 10y the cit,
manager plan.
RECOMMENDATIONS or EXPERT.
After a study of the government OF tn
city 81 NIlnni gtou made bv the Bureau o
Municipal Research the following ad
muistTAtlve structure was recommended
Tor thc CITY Of Wilmington
y That single executive. whateve
NAV IT, ms title shall be the responsible
head oi all branches % administration, an,
that b. be gwen tul authority 70 appolu
md remove the heads oi the great de