Advantages of Party Responsibility. 
238 . 
opinions on public questions, but to a far greater degree an or¬ 
ganization of men who are bound together by common traditions,, 
prejudices, sentiments; by mutual friendships and obligations; 
by the habit of working together, and finally by common inter¬ 
ests. Under such circumstances it would be utterly imprac¬ 
ticable for two sets of party organizations to exist side by side 
— one for national or state, the other for local purposes, in 
such a manner that men who fought shoulder to shoulder in na¬ 
tional campaigns might be found on opposite sides in the inter¬ 
vening local elections. It is clear, therefore, that we must 
adapt the existing national parties, as best we may, to the pur¬ 
poses of municipal government if we wish so avail ourselves of 
party at all. 
Now let us consider a little more closely the advantage of 
party government in municipal affairs. If the party is respon¬ 
sible for the administration, it will naturally exert its influence 
upon each individual official or department to do nothing which 
might involve the party in difficulties. Furthermore its influ¬ 
ence will tend to bring the various branches of government into 
harmony. This is one of the most important conditions of a 
successful administration, for nothing can prevent efficiency so 
much as to have the various departments working at cross-pur¬ 
poses, through petty jealousies and personal dislikes. But such 
a condition of things is much less apt to arise when the vari¬ 
ous officials have been long connected through association in 
their party, than when they are for the first time brought to¬ 
gether for a common purpose on the day they enter upon their 
respective duties. 
Another advantage of party responsibility, and perhaps the 
most important of all, is that it tends to protect a faithful offi¬ 
cer against the attacks of selfish interests and ignorant preju¬ 
dices. In the course of his duties a public official cannot help 
incurring enmities of a more or less virulent character. It may 
become necessary for him to defeat the plans of some schemer to 
rob the public, or he may have to suppress some practice in¬ 
jurious to the public welfare but dear to the heart of its per¬ 
petrator. In such cases the public rarely 
For it is ignorant of the facts, or indifferent, or it may shar 
