"What satire on government can equal
the severity of censure conveyed
in the word politic, which now for ages
has signified cunning, intimating that
the state is a trick?" Adam Smith
somewhere refers to the politician as
"that crafty animal." Socrates in the
Republic says that the disciples of
philosophy "know that no politician is
honest" and suggests that the guardi-
ans of the state should be chosen from
among those who have other honors
and "another and better life than that
of politics."
It is unnecessary to multiply quota-
tions to show that the breed has
changed very little from the "moral"
point of view. In any case a "good"
473
474
NATIONAL MUNICIPAL REVIEW
[October
politician must, I think, be defined in
terms other than moral, and teachers
would do well to leave this part of
education to other agencies which so-
ciety provides in great profusion. If
any of these agencies is "bad" from
the point of view of any of us, all I
can suggest is that we be patient and
hope that the general tone of private
morals will in time rise to the point
where the politician will take note of
the fact and govern his conduct, ac-
cordingly. There is plenty of evidence
that he will meet a higher standard
with alacrity when this is the condition
of his success.
"Improve the Mind"
In the classroom, I think, little can
be done to moralize politics. But a
good deal may be done to improve
the minds of those who presumably
will become politicians. And it seems
to me that only by improving their
minds can the teacher do his part in
producing a higher type of politician.
It avails little to deplore the fact
that politicians "are not interested in
progressive policies and competent
management of public affairs." This is
not their business. That business is
rather to stay in power. This they do
if they are successful in assessing ac-
curately the interest of the voters in
"progressive policies" and "competent
management of public affairs." It is
not the business of politicians to reform
the state or to moralize it. Their task
is a much more mundane one. It is
their business, in a society where there
is agreement on only the vaguest of
general aims to keep the peace, to
find solutions within this area of agree-
ment. In other words, they deal with
what is possible in an imperfect world.
This means, I think, that a "good"
politician is simply a man of good
judgment. Therefore, the real question
is, What can formal instruction do to
improve the judgment of our budding
politicians ?
The usual answer to this question
though only rarely is the question put
this way is disappointing, for it has
taken the form of multiplying
"courses" in such subjects as social
problems, contemporary civilization,
problems of democracy, citizenship or
political science. It may be that these
titles are harmless enough, but such
courses seem usually to rest on the as-
sumption that if the student is given
enough information he is likely to act
on it in such a way as to further
"progressive policies" and "competent
management." This assumption, I
think, is false, for even if the student
could know the entire current scene in
all its bewildering detail, how he acts
has nothing to do with the amount
of his information. His "conditioning"
with respect to this is for only a small
part of his time under the control of
his teachers who, even if they were
themselves models of political virtue,
would meet stiff competition from
the market-place.
Information Not Enough
And even the appeal to information
is, I fear, doomed to failure for we
shall always be in arrears. If this is
the sort of thing which Dr. Mosher
means by "a revolution in educational
methods and content," I am afraid
he will be disappointed. For the teach-
er cannot control the conduct of his
students when in their turn they be-
come politically active. They cannot
alter the rules of the game. These rules
are at any moment a consensus con-
cerning what the rank and file regard
as permissible public conduct. Appar-
ently they have changed little since
Socrates deplored the low state of
politicians' morals.
If this is true what can the teacher
do? I think he might profitably share
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
475
with his students the adventure of
thinking about politics in the grand
manner. The usual textbook in
"courses" in "modern problems" and so
on is a dreary compilation of facts
ranging from lateral sewers to the
League of Nations, interlarded with
homilies about the citizen's duties and
responsibilities. It is little wonder that
students leave high school with no
notions about the content of such con-
cepts as "democracy" or that the
products of such a system are apa-
thetic at election time. Those of us
who are professionally interested in
the raw materials of politics do not
find these concepts easy to define or
our allegiance to a party clear-cut or
unequivocal. Why should we expect it
of callow youngsters reared on such
fare?
The Prime Qualification
It is true, of course, that judgment
must have facts to which to apply itself
but it need not be smothered in facts
to the point where it abdicates. It
seems to me that the good judgment
which I have suggested as the prime
qualification of a "good" politician
might be inculcated if we and our stu-
dents were required to read the first-
rate books on politics. I do not say
this because of any belief that Plato
can help us to decide whether North
Elm Street should be paved or only
gravelled, or that Locke can advise us
how to vote on a municipal pension
plan, for this sort of direct, "prac-
tical" wisdom is scarcely to be expect-
ed. But why we should prefer one of
the modern compendiums of facts to
the solid thinking of an acknowledged
master is hard to understand.
A handful of thinkers in the world's
history have applied their minds to
problems which, under changed forms,
still perplex us. The student in the
twentieth century could not but profit
if he wrestled with these problems in
company with the best minds, sharing
the rigorous labors of their quest, their
discoveries, their perplexities, their
tentative conclusions. If it be said that
only the best students are fit for such a
regimen, the only answer must be that
in every age only a few are capable of
the only sort of instruction which can
hope to do something for the faculty of
judgment. If by any chance this num-
ber can be increased, then beyond
doubt we shall get a higher type of
politician because we shall get more
peojjle who will delimit the moral area
within which he will be compelled to
practice his arts.
LANE W. LANCASTER
University of Nebraska
News in Review
City, State and Nation
Edited by H. M. Olmsted
Subdivision Planning
Urged for Regulation
of Postwar Expansion
Housing, Finance Experts
Seek Development Control
YEARNING of the dangers of inade-
quately controlled real estate de-
velopments after the end of the war,
two national organizations have re-
cently issued reports resulting from
studies of the effects of unplanned or
poorly planned subdivisions in and
around American cities.
Following an extensive survey of
methods to avoid the evils that have
come in the wake of past real estate
booms, the National Committee on
Housing points oxit the vital need of
large-scale urban and suburban plan-
ning to restrain land speculation and
forestall incongruous and uncoordinate
residential subdivisions. Without %uch
planning these are doomed to deteriora-
tion or at the least will impede sound
community development as a whole.
The results of the survey, made pos-
sible by the Field Foundation, Inc., are
set forth in a report on neighborhood
design and control prepared for the
committee by Henry S. Churchill. It
stresses the great waste in the use of
land from ill-considered residential de-
velopments; the surplus of subdivided
lots has been estimated as high as 15,-
000,000 for the nation as a whole. Great
financial waste has also occurred, in
losses to purchasers and the forced as-
sumption by municipalities of unpaid
assessments. Besides emphasizing the
need of control by planning, the report
outlines the features of a well designed
neighborhood.
The Municipal Finance Officers' As-
sociation has also made a recent study
of this problem, which points out that
excessive subdividing of land and mu-
nicipal expenditures on improvements
for subdivisions, particularly from 1920
to 1929, were primary causes of finan-
cial difficulties of large and small mu-
nicipalities and suburban areas in 1929-
1935 and earlier. The report states
that cities in general have a sufficient
number of satisfactory building lots,
with all or some public improvements,
available within city limits, and that
construction on the outside will tend
to decrease city population and prop-
erty values. Many examples of exces-
sive numbers of vacant lots, and of
defaults, delinquencies and waste of
public money, are cited.
Finance Officers' Report
The Association makes the following
recommendations to preserve municipal
credit, to prevent the spending of pub-
lic funds on unnecessary improvements,
and to protect the builders and owners
of small homes:
1. Municipalities and rural areas as
well should foreclose now all properties
with accumulated tax delinquencies,
such properties to be held by the state
or community to guide the direction
of growth and prevent unnecessary
public investment in improvements.
2. Broadest control would be exer-
cised if all subdividers were required
to record plats and install all necessary
public improvements required before
the plats are accepted and the lots of-
fered for sale.
3. All plats should be approved by
legally constituted planning authorities
which, with the necessary power to
protect the public interest, should exist
not only in incorporated communities
but in unincorporated areas as well,
perhaps on a county basis.
4. The authority of municipalities to
476
1944]
NEWS IN REVIEW
477
control subdivision and building within
a reasonable distance outside the city
limits should be subject to state zoning
or subdivision laws.
5. Construction of undesirable homes
in suburban and rural areas might be
prevented by a state building code re-
quiring minimum standards of housing
construction and minimum facilities
in those areas where municipal build-
ing codes are not effective.
6. When any area requests special
improvements, the city should examine
the tax records to determine whether
the property to be assessed has a his-
tory of tax payments which indicates
it is willing and able to pay new spe-
cial assessments.
League of Nevada Cities
Gets under Way
Another state municipal league, re-
ported to be the 43rd active state
league in the United States, has been
formed in Nevada. A preliminary gath-
ering in Las Vegas in June was followed
by an organizational meeting in Reno
on July 19, at which the cities of Reno,
Las Vegas, Caliente, Fallen and Sparks
were represented. Several other cities
sent written statements approving the
movement but were unable to send
representatives to the session, accord-
ing to Western City.
Charles C. McCall, city manager of
Las Vegas, arranged for the meeting
and acted as temporary chairman.
Mayor H. E. Stewart of Reno was
elected president. A board of directors
was also elected which appointed
Emerson Wilson, city attorney of Reno,
temporary secretary until an executive
secretary is employed.
The organization has been incorpo-
rated as a non-profit, non-partisan, co-
operative corporation under Nevada
law, with the name of League of Ne-
vada Cities. Headquarters are at Reno.
The purposes of the League, as set
forth in the articles of incorporation,
are:
(a) To foster periodical conferences
or meetings of public officials for the
discussion of municipal problems and
for the purpose of promoting govern-
mental efficiency.
(b) To foster and disseminate knowl-
edge relating to municipal government
by all appropriate means and to arouse
greater interest and more active civic
consciousness among the people as to
its importance and significance.
(c) To publish and circulate publica-
tions on municipal and/or technical
subjects of interest to cities.
(d) To promote good legislation re-
specting municipal affairs, and to op-
pose such measures as seem to be
inimical to public interest.
(e) To secure harmony of action
among cities in matters that affect the
rights and liabilities of the cities and
of the public.
(f) To render technical, informational
and other services to cities for their
general welfare.
Council-Manager Plan News
The Times-Herald of Huntsville, Mis-
souri, is advocating the manager plan
for that city and has opened its col-
umns to discussion of the idea.
The Post of Hannibal, Missouri, urges
consideration of the manager plan, as
suggested in a report following a com-
prehensive survey of that city's govern-
ment.
Petitions were circulated in August
in Ashtabula, Ohio, in an effort to re-
place the council-manager plan, in ef-
fect since 1916, by a mayor and a
council of seven members, three elected
at large.
A charter which, if adopted, will nul-
lify the council-manager amendment
approved by the voters of Long Beach,
New York, last November, has been
filed with the city clerk and will be
478
NATIONAL MUNICIPAL REVIEW
[October
voted on at the regular election on
November 7. Proportional representa-
tion, likewise approved last year, would
also be rescinded. The proposed char-
ter was drafted by a fifteen-man char-
ter commission, elected last year at the
same time that the manager amend-
ment, advocated by the Long Beach
Citizens Union, was adopted. 1
A charter commission of nine mem-
bers, elected in June in Negaunee,
Michigan, has a new charter in prep-
aration for submission to the voters
early next year. Interest in the coun-
cil-manager plan is being demonstrated.
Petitions are being circulated in
Green Bay, Wisconsin, calling for a
vote on adoption of the council-man-
ager plan for that city at its next elec-
tion.
A vote on the manager plan for
North Vancouver, British Columbia, is
expected to take place some time in
December.
The 31st annual conference of the
International City Managers' Associa-
tion will take place at the Medinah
Club in Chicago, October 12-17. The
program will include discussions on so-
cial and economic factors in local post-
war planning, municipal airport finan-
cing and administration, disposal of
surplus war commodities, administra-
tive personnel, managerial control, and
special municipal problems suggested
by managers and taken up at popu-
lation-group sessions.
may be found necessary, in time for
submission to thet voters next year. It
includes various city officials and repre-
sentatives of the public.
San Francisco Charter Revision
Committee for 1944-45 Named
Mayor Lapham of San Francisco has
appointed a charter revision commit-
tee, which is expected to cooperate
with the judiciary committee of the San
Francisco Board of Supervisors in the
preparation of whatever charter changes
^ee also "Citizen Probe Halts One of
Two P. R. Repeal Moves," p. 488, this
issue.
Cooperative Efforts Counteract
Port Chicago Disaster
An outstanding example of quick, ef-
fective, unselfish cooperation of public
and semi-public agencies was provided
in California when two ammunition
ships blew up at a pier in San Fran-
cisco Bay, a mile from the unincorpo-
rated wartime community of Port Chi-
cago, at 10:16 P. M., July 17. The ex-
plosion killed 320 sailors and civilian
workers; it also caused injury to most
of the 1500 inhabitants of Port Chica-
go, wrecked almost all the 350 homes
and 27 business establishments, some
beyond repair, and put water, electric,
gas and telephone services out of com-
mission.
Almost instantly emergency agencies
began functioning. The county civilian
defense coordinator, the sheriff, the Red
Cross disaster director and the area
representative of the Federal Commit-
tee for Congested Production Areas
sped to the scene, and men, women
and equipment of the combined mu-
tual aid resources of the nine counties
surrounding the bay began to arrive.
The Army and Navy, the State War
Council, a dozen state departments,
the Federal Works Agency, the U. S.
Public Health Service, the American
Legion and the Salvation Army parti-
cipated in the activities. Within an hour
all roads into Port Chicago were
guarded by the State Highway Patrol
and auxiliaries, and by 11.30 some 259
law enforcement officers from neighbor-
ing cities and counties responded to
the sheriff's appeal, including 75 civil-
ian defense auxiliaries from Martinez,
ten miles away.
Doctors and nurses came from all
1944]
NEWS IN REVIEW
479
over the bay area. Fire-fighting equip-
ment of nearby communities and of
the State Forestry Division stood by
for several days, but by .great good
fortune was not needed. The Red
Cross mobilized volunteer workers from
fourteen chapters to give first aid, shel-
ter and emergency feeding; other chap-
ters stood ready to help if needed. A
circus which happened to be in town
supplied floodlights. Workers for the
private utility companies installed
emergency telephones, inspected all
premises to guard against fire hazards
and pollution of water, and began to
restore services.
The experience at Port Chicago demon-
strated the value of training and prep-
aration for civilian defense and disas-
ters, the need of continuing plans for
such emergencies, and the possibilities
of individual and public initiative and
enterprise in meeting public problems
and serving basic human needs.
Rochester, N. Y., Cooperates
with Neighbors for Fire Safety
A mutual aid plan for fire defense
has been established by Rochester and
Monroe County, New York, and other
municipalities and districts in the coun-
ty. The various townships, villages and
fire districts have agreed to cooperate
and provide for the mobilization of all
fire-fighting personnel and equipment
to be used in emergencies whenever
the local fire force is inadequate. As
described in the September bulletin ot
the New York State Conference of
Mayors, there is a governing advisory
board consisting of two county super-
visors, two village mayors, five fire dis-
trict commissioners, two county fire
chiefs, two members of the Monroe
County Volunteer Firemen's Associa-
tion, one Rochester city councilman,
the commissioners of public safety and
two representatives of the city's Bureau
of Fire.
Cleveland Police to Study
Juvenile Delinquency Causes
The State Police Chiefs Association
of Ohio, the Cleveland Police Academy
and Cleveland College, the downtown
center of Western Reserve University,
are jointly sponsoring a new and
unique course in crime prevention
among adolescent youth.
More than 35 policemen specially se-
lected for the course will be taught
at the college how to make more effec-
tive use of the social agencies of the
city in the problem of- crime preven-
tion. They will study the behavior of
adolescents and their mental and social
problems, legal procedures in dealing
with delinquent children and their
parents, and use of referral agencies.
The course was initiated at the sug-
gestion of the State Police Chiefs As-
sociation. Edward G. Krauss, executive
secretary, states: "There have been
many police science courses, but this
is the first time an organized group of
policemen has sponsored a program
that is intended to deal entirely with
the cause of crime instead of effects."
Police officers will go to school for
two hours each Monday and Wednes-
day afternoon for fifteen weeks, begin-
ning October 9, for a total of 60 class
hours. Selection of students is on the
basis of the responsibilities they hold
in connection with crime prevention
among adolescents. It is expected that
those trained in this course will in turn
plan educational programs for their
staff members along similar lines.
Welfare Problems of New York
and Other States Discussed
In conformity with a resolution of
the New York State legislature, a spe-
cial committee on social welfare and
relief of the Joint Legislative Commit-
tee on Interstate Cooperation is holding
a series of eleven conferences in various
480
NATIONAL MUNICIPAL REVIEW
[October
cities in New York State, extending
from September 6 to December 14.
Their purpose is to study the welfare
services of the state and their relation-
ship to each other and to those of the
other states and the federal government,
and to bring about recommendations
to the legislature for laws to coordinate
the efforts of the various agencies of
social security and welfare, to make
them more effective in their accom-
plishments and to provide simplified
administrative machinery for their effi-
cient operation.
Supervisory Employees of Flint
Given Training Course
One hundred and eighty city employ-
ees of Flint, Michigan, engaged in
supervisory work have been given job
relations training courses sponsored by
the training-within-industry service of
the War Manpower Commission. De-
velopment of good relations with em-
ployees was stressed, and supervisory
problems were discussed by the director
of personnel and members of each
group.
New York City Officials
Foster Health Insurance Plan
A comprehensive plan of medical and
surgical care for residents or workers
in New York City, put forward by
Mayor La Guardia, was presented for
incorporation on August 31 as the
Health Insurance Plan of Greater New
York. If papers filed with the State
Board of Social Welfare and the Su-
perintendent of Insurance are approved
by those agencies and by a state judge,
the enterprise will be established as
a non-profit membership corporation.
The incorporators include the mayor,
controller, president of the city coun-
cil, and three of the five borough presi-
dents, and an imposing list of repre-
sentatives of medicine, industry, com-
merce, finance, labor, social welfare
and the general public.
It is hoped by the mayor that the
plan will be in operation by January 1,
1945, with most of the city's 190,000
employees and many workers in pri-
vate industry. A selected list of physi-
cians, surgeons and specialists is ex-
pected to be available to members at
a cost approximating 4 per cent of
their annual incomes, with employers
paying at least half the expense. It is
limited to persons of not more than
$5,000 annual income a limit consid-
ered too high by spokesmen for the
five county medical societies of the
city who propose a $2,500 ceiling.
The New York Times on September
11 said editorially, "It may well be
that the city will set a pattern of med-
ical care at low cost that Congress
cannot afford to ignore."
Payroll Deductions for
Union Dues in Baltimore
The city of Baltimore, Maryland, is
collecting union dues of per diem em-
ployees of the Public Works Depart-
ment by means of salary deductions
when requested by the employee, turn-
ing the money directly over to the
labor union, under a new union agree-
ment. The union pays the city for ex-
penses of collecting the dues.
A somewhat similar contract between
the city and the union was abrogated
by court ruling. The new agreement
recognizes the union as the bargaining
agency for the employees as a group
but does not deny the right of indi-
viduals to bargain with the municipal-
ity. An interim court opinion held this
contract "not invalid on its face." How-
ever, a taxpayers' suit challenges the
authority of the city to deduct dues
for the union.
The closed shop and the right to
strike are specifically outlawed in the
contract. Machinery for arbitration of
1944]
NEWS IN REVIEW
481
disputes is set up, but the authority
of the department head to settle griev-
ances and to hire and fire employees
is recognized.
The first payment made to the union
was for dues of 829 workers at the
rate of two dollars per month.
Researcher's Digest
AM A Conference This Month
The annual conference of the Ameri-
can Municipal Association will be held
at the Blackstone Hotel, Chicago, Oc-
tober 25-27; there will be preconfer-
ence discussions on October 23 and 24.
It will be a gathering of municipal offi-
cials and state municipal league officers
about problems of cities related to the
war and the postwar period.