1!)14] on Some Aspects of the American Democracy 2lL 



Our democracy does not proceed logically — perhaps no j^^re.it 

 social organism does. Its forces do not march forward in an 

 ordered column. They advance in a zigzag way. This year public 

 opinion concerns itself with one large problem, and next ye.ir with 

 another. All the while there may be a third more importiiiit 

 problem that cries out in vain for attention. In the course of time 

 it, too, will be taken up. But there is often a lack of logic in the 

 succession of tasks to which the people address themselves. Thus 

 some abuses get time to fix themselves quite firmly on society, being 

 forgotten for a long period ; and some insistent tasks have to wait 

 while the people concern themselves with lesser tasks. For a large 

 public opinion will not often concern itself with more than one 

 problem at a time. 



Consider, for example, the problem of municipal government. 

 There was a period within easy memory when American city govern- 

 ment was at a low ebb. Mismanagement occurred, not by any 

 means in most of our cities, but in enough conspicuous cities to 

 provoke the comment that American city government had broken 

 down, and even that a democracy could probably never solve this prol)- 

 lem. The immediate reasons for this long neglect of an important 

 duty are now pretty obvious, but it would take too long a time to recite 

 them here. The point of my present discourse is, that as soon as any 

 considerable number of people woke up to the real state of things and 

 began in earnest to address themselves to the task, immediate and 

 remarkable improvement set in. There are instances of such com- 

 plete house-cleaning, of such veritable revolutions, as to inspire con- 

 fidence in a democracy's successfully undertaking almost any task 

 whatsoever. 



Since this municipal house-cleaning was begun, voluntary 

 organizations of mayors and of other special students of municipal 

 management l-ave held regular meetings, have discussed all conceiv- 

 able aspects of the suljject, and have put many new plans into 

 operation. They have studied municipal government in all success- 

 fully governed cities in the world. Especially noteworthy is the 

 development of what is called the commission form of city govern- 

 ment. The usual habit had been to elect the mayor and other city 

 officers and the council along with State and Federal officers, and the 

 political parties each put up a ticket. A Democrat mayor, there- 

 fore, was usually elected in a Democratic city, and a Repnblican 

 mayor in a Republican city ; and thus city administration became a 

 part of State and National politics. To prevent the abuses that this 

 system bred, the commission form of government has been adopted 

 by many towns and cities of secondary size. Citizens put forward 

 five or more men, one to be the head of each of the great depart- 

 ments, such as Finance, Police, Fire, Schools, and vote for them, 

 witii this understanding — that the head of each department shall be 

 wholly responsible for his department, and nobody else is responsible 



