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Slouop City Academy of Science and Letters. 



proper carrying out of the policy thus adopted. Under 

 the law as it exists he is charged with no duty what- 

 soever relative to the fiscal policy of the city. Having 

 no duty in that regard, he, of course, assumes none. The 

 fiscal policy of the citj is therefore permitted to shift 

 for itself. It is not to be wondered at that the average 

 Iowa city is on the verge of bankruptcy. Indeed, it is a 

 marvel that it has any financial standing whatsoever. 



With reference to the benefits resulting from vest- 

 ing in the mayor the power of appointment and removal, 

 Hon. Seth Low said, in 1888, with reference to Brooklyn: 

 "The mayor appoints absolutely, without confirmation 

 by the common council, all executive heads of depart- 

 ments. He appoints, for example, the police commis- 

 sioner, the fire commissioner, the commissioner of city 

 works, the corporation counsel, the city treasurer, the 

 tax collector, and in general all the officials who are 

 charged w^ith executive duties. The community, how- 

 ever, is so well satisfied that the charter is a vast im- 

 provement on any system which it has tried before that 

 no voice is raised against it. It has had one notable and 

 especially satisfactory effect. It has made clear to the 

 simplest citizen that the entire character of the city gov- 

 ernment for two 3^ears depends upon the man chosen for 

 the office of mayor. As a consequence more people have 

 voted in Brooklyn on the subject of the mayoralty than 

 have voted there as to who should be governor of the 

 state or who should be president. This is a great and a 

 direct gain for good city government, because it creates 

 and keeps alert a strong public sentiment and tends to 

 increase the interest of all citizens in the affairs of their 

 city." 



III. 



With reference to defects in municipal government 

 in Iowa so far as those defects relate to the city council, 

 I feel that by reason of my experience I can speak with 

 some degree of confidence and authority. I shall indi- 

 cate the defects which I have in mind hj making specific 

 recommendations of methods by which it might be 

 greatly imj)roved. 



