The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-08-27
PE0PLES' CONTROL
 SHOULD NOT END
 ON ELECTION DAY


 has stated the principles of good gov ernment to be as follows:
 The recognized principles of good government are very easily stated. 1 bate them. The first requisite is democracy. No political structure IS sound which is not so constructed as to respond quickly and precisely qulsite is economy. Government must not only respond to popular demands 1 but it must be carried on at the low est cost insistent with the proper dis charge of public functions and fair l conditions of employment for those who serve the city. The third prin- i clple is efficiency which simply means 1 that the work undertaken by the government should be we'll done in accordance with the best standards ! Of good work to be found in other cit ies and in corporate enterprises. j Responsible Government Essential to
 Democracy.
 Tn order to realize the ideal of i popular control the city government must be responsible to the people. This means that such control should not end on election day but that pub lie officers should be held daily ac- countable to the people for the meth ods employed by them in transa cting public business. Now, the citizen can watch a two or three ring circus and miss none of the important tricks, but if he attempts to watch ten or one hundred ring circus he will miss all of the tricks. Apply ing this homely fact to city govern rnent, it is obvious that the citizens j engrossed largely in their daily occu- pations cannot keep watch on forty or fifty separate agencies. Where many are to be held responsible no one can in fact be held responsible The famous cartoon of the old ring of political gangsters in New York city, each pointing his finger to the other fellow and saying "Twant me-" conuins a profound truth. Respon- sibility, the essence of democracy, therefore implies a system of govern nent that can be held responsible, "a concentration of control over ad- ministration in the hands of a mayor or chief official to whom the heads rare directly accountable for work tdone.''
 Provision for Leadership.
 Leadership held accountable to tpopular control The people, as EJames Madison said long ago, cannot Hnove Spontaneously and universally This is especially true in modern involves so many difficult and tech fnioal enterprises. For example, in the field of public health. it is the lspecia1ists and students who work out new and valuable plans for the improvement of living and working conditions. This may be in response ito public sentiment or in advance of it. Usually both- But the point the aspirations of the people are without avail. Anybody may plan land offer his plans to the public for approval, rejection or modification. Thus the initiative and the inventive Eness of individuals are fostered and invited, and the sovereignty of the ivoters is maintained. Leadership that lis Irresponsible is dangerous; leader Iship that is responsible brings to the Iservice of the whole the abilities of Ethe individual. Thus individual in itiative, the handspring ofe a pro- sgressive inventive civiliza tion. is knourished, and the popular control .the fundamental principle of democ- racy, is reconciled with it. Govern ;ments so constituted as to leave out of account this principle cannot meet the new and trying problem of this epoch"
 Continuous Municipal Work Calls for
 Planning.
 'fThe life of city is not split into .QuadrenniaI or biennial periods. A fbusiness corporation or a trade union ior religious congregation, or any association for philanthropic pur- sposes is not conducted on an annual, Ebiennial, or quadrenniaI principle; it tplans for the indefinite future. One iof the main differences between man and a lower animal lies in the power fof man to plan ahead and prepare
  IA large and important part-indeed, fthe most important part of municipal fwork-goeS on from year to year ir- respective of changes in parties and results of elections. The educational rhealth, recreational public work pub Elic safety and water supply services tof the city are continuous. Plans kfor them should be laid long ahead; Ishould not be taken and left uncom- s1,le'ted. Therefore. the burden ot Blinking up future work with the pas land present - responsibility fol planning ahead-should be imposed F71pon the responsible leaders in the scity government. This means . budget system correctly conceived and widely understood by the peo Iple.''
 Correct Information and Accounting
 Control are Necessary to Rc-
 sponsibIe Government.
 The executive officers of the cit! and the municipal council must havt correct information about what ha been done what is being done anc what is proposed to be done if the! lhre to act wisely Likewise thu concerning work of the governmen if they are to hold it responsible This involves the establishment Q standards for the reports of city oth Cers on the work they have done ant standards for the records, books ant accounts showing who has been em pIoyed and what has been purchaset and what has been accomplished even to the n1inutest detail. The ap Dlication of such standardization forces the subordinate officers to b careful in transacting the bushes committed to their care and enable the mayor and the council and tn 1seople to pass upon the vatlue am eficiency of their services. Wlthou Nrn thoroushly organized system of ac counting and control over the trans
 of lio h11SI ha hest sn+entions are without avail. Tn wisest man in the world cannot serv the city effectively as mayor or coun xriln,an eif he does not have correC information on which to act
 The conclusions of the Bureau ( Municipal Research regarding tn correct type of administrative ol Eanization for a city were as fo lows:
 "Our conclusion from study ( fine actual tendencies in America