| Show MUNICIPAL MITIIOIIS lOVTHAHTI Mention has Previously been made In these columns ot the efforts which Home of the leading journals and citizens citi-zens of New York lire putting forth tour to-ur n nOnpartisan government for I that city when Its name shall have re eelvcd the prefix of Greater These efforts lire I being Incieased rather than otherwise nnd show In themselves the confidence which their promoters feel In their success Strange as It may PDor to some 01 the more unthinKIng unthink-Ing partisans at home and abroad the best and most voluminous work In the direction of a good government through nonlortlonl01 conies from one of the straightest and mot uncompromising Democratic papers In the countrs the New York World In a recent Issue of that paper appears n long doublelead lcd l-cd editorial headed Fruits ot good lovenimentMiat Ilrltls I cities I have I j doneAti 7 amazing and Instructhe contrast con-trast In this nrtklo 1 Is I shown by reforencotliattlerjol means ot reference to Dr Albert Shaws I books onlhe government of European cities the superiority of the municipal plan contended for as contrasted w till I u government ot spoilsmen for spoils Three of the principal Ililtlsh municipalities Glasgow Manchester t und Birmingham selected as the i xemplars for tho theme hugh mhat is J Fulfil 1 of course applies to mans others In the same class utnsgow contains DI < > lIt VEOOOO people Man ehesters population Is I 620 Mm but Its municipal government olrectly bene I tits 3000000 Klunltiiham has about 410000 within Its corporate limits All it these cities are newer than any of theft the-ft creat American cllltr All have had I their real growth In the last twenty flve sears All their plans for good government began about the time of JC I the close of our civil warexactls the II period the aillcle says when New 11 York and the other American cities l fell Into the t hands of bosses and rings of corruptlonlstru We are further shown that the British Brit-ish cities named tire governed bs an electorate that In no essential respect differs from ours Th misses of the people vote arid hao absolute power over their public servants the officials They select n municipal council that administers the city uffalis bs dividing divid-ing Itself Into cxecutlvo comirlttees one committee at the head of each de pDrltnnt 01 the public service Theme t councilors serve without pay and It hough elections I are treiuent b changernbc the council from causes other than death are comparatively rare National affairs In their mu I t ntcljal campaigns are never discussed the utmost independence prevails In the selection of candidates n till 4 voting for them nna till clillcor mho I lKibarges his duty faithfully null efficiently Is I pnutlcally unopposed I shen he presents himself for leelec I lon This Is I priinounced < and the pronouncement Is I trlltho result 01 the tompletu diva cement of state i1 politics fiom purely local affairs and I jt the Iull are something that Ie 11 smand 01 oil 01 tin on i this side of tile water the m08t careful isldorntlon which has seldom In Nv York as JJ caped partisan rule In ans line the munlrlinl lebtedness 1 has erown t end grows v > llh n steadily I Increasing pace l and the taxes necessarily correspond I respond In the other three cities the l taxers stolidity decrease oil aer u bond ed Indebtedness almost as large as lL that of New York but the Interest charge Is I paid for out of the profits ot municipal ntorJIe by which man i the people receive the direct benefit spoken of It reduced taxes It Is clIt I I terent under to way ot spoilsmen I Here Is I more In the oe line II MoThe most of the municipal depart menls or nlnt or quite eltuIllOrt 11 Ing Many of them 1 > 37 a large prost that goes to decleit the taxes for fi tuch vece arI1V Unilrobtble depart 11 ments As Volite title aoltory nod sewaye In O1gow there ore low Tactically no ventral taxes In Manchester unit Illtmlnir ham the general rates ore small And I I the principal of the debt Is I constantly decree Ing Mary other Intonr are given Muss Irntle 01 the rvnoral fact that Iter Ing and protecting the welfare of the citizen PS I mill return nt by parties u 15 but by the united action ot the best class of people to be obtained I ns lemblfd for administration four uses TartUana ere not ostrarl d or Ignored lint their politics tire and only those things are enrournsnd and recognized that prove tti be productive of the greatest good for the largest numlcr In ollict words the control of cities Is I or should be a strlctlj business busi-ness iropocltlon carried out by business busi-ness men of recognized nblllt hon eMy and publlcsplrltedness who may otheiwlse rcilKionsh tollllcnlly or boclally walk In any avenue they prefer pre-fer |
