MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT IN GERMANY. 77 



stead of abolishing the common council and adopting the 

 one-board idea which just now appears to be the popular 

 panacea for municipal ills, make the common council the 

 basis of the whole city government. Then incorporate 

 the splendid principle of permanency into our system, by 

 giving the members long terms and thus obtaining men of 

 experience, and provide that but a third of the members 

 shall retire at each election. In this way, while preserv- 

 ing the principle of sectional representation, we should be 

 rid of its baneful effects. Let the common council elect 

 the mayor and the aldermen for long terms and make the 

 heads of departments members of the board of aldermen. 

 Give the mayor unrestricted executive powers. It is wise 

 to have the executive officers elected by a representative 

 assembly instead of by direct popular vote, for experience 

 has taught us that, in the nature of things, masses of peo- 

 ple are incompetent to decide upon the real qualifications of 

 men for positions of responsibility. When elections hinge 

 upon persons instead of principles, personal considera- 

 tions are liable to prevail in deciding the issue ; measures 

 being simply used as expedients for placing certain per- 

 sons in power, instead of persons being advocated for the 

 sake of measures. 



Berlin sets us a grand and highly important example in 

 another respect which it would be well to follow and, in- 

 deed, improve upon. It may be laid down as a broad 

 principle, that whatever men can do better by combined 

 action than by working as individuals, that thing they 

 should do, through the instrumentality of their govern- 

 mental organizations both for considerations of economy 

 and for the greater good resulting in broadening and im- 

 proving individual character through working in unison 

 with others for the good of all, than alone, simply, for the 

 good of self. This principle holds good both in national 



ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XXI 6 



