66 BERLIN: A STUDY OF 



sentative form. The broad basis of the government is to 

 be found in the Municipal Assembly, a body composed of 

 one hundred and twenty-six members, representing the 

 three hundred and twenty-six wards of the city. One-half 

 at least must be house-owners ; and two brothers, or father 

 and son, are not allowed to be members at the same time. 

 The members of this body are chosen for six years, one- 

 third retiring every two years, so that there is a municipal 

 election once in two years. This gives the great desid- 

 eratum of permanency, a principle which is embodied firmly 

 throughout the entire municipal structure. As with a phys- 

 ical organism in its process of growth, the changes in a 

 German city government are gradual, not violent. The ex- 

 ample set by nature is wisely followed. The long terms of 

 members give them experience, and the remaining in of- 

 fice of a large majority of old members assures the man- 

 agement of affairs by persons thoroughly conversant with 

 municipal business. This Assembly directly represents the 

 people, and out of it proceed all the other features of the 

 municipal government. It has the entire financial control 

 of affairs, being supreme in drawing up the budget for the 

 year, and in authorizing extraordinary expenditures. It has 

 no executive functions as a body, but its members exercise 

 them individually in association with other branches ol the 

 government. 



This Assembly chooses the upper branch of the city gov- 

 ernment, known as the Magistracy, and composed of the 

 Board of Mayor and Aldermen, the latter thirty-two in 

 number, fifteen of whom are salaried, while seventeen are 

 honorary members with no salaries whatever. The Mayor 

 is chosen for a period of twelve years, nominally subject 

 to the approval of the king. His salary is thirty thousand 

 marks, equal to about seve.ity-five hundred dollars, which, 

 in its purchasing value in Germany, would probably be 



