[Footnote 1:  More detailed accounts of the various systems of Local Government in the United States may be found in the early numbers of the Johns Hopkins University Studies, and also in Professor George E. Howard’s Local Constitutional History, an extra volume in the same series.]

CHAPTER XVI.

City Government.

The proportion of people in the United States who reside in cities is increasing.  In 1790 there were only thirteen cities of 5,000 inhabitants and none with 40,000.  Now there are over 500 that have a population exceeding 5,000 and 28 with a population of 100,000.  In 1790 33 per cent. of the total population lived in cities of over 8,000 inhabitants, while to-day over 25 per cent live in cities of this size or over.

When any small area becomes thickly and permanently settled, and a certain population is reached (which varies in different States), the state legislature is appealed to, and a charter of incorporation as a city is granted.  This enables the incorporated district to act independently of the county or township, to levy municipal taxes and carry out public improvements.  Rapid as has been the growth of cities, the duties required of city governments have increased still faster.

The government of our large cities has become a question of vital importance.  It would be difficult to give a complete list of the duties devolving upon them.  The principal duties are (1) the collection of municipal and state taxes, (2) the establishment and care of public schools, (3) the administration of justice, (4) police supervision, (5) the support of a fire department, (6) the care of the streets, (7) of street gas and electric lighting, (8) of sewerage, (9) of the water supply, (10) of public parks, (11) of sanitation and public health, (12) of prisons, (13) the supervision of the liquor traffic, (14) the regulation of street railways, (15) the enforcement of building regulations, (16) the supervision of charities, hospitals, asylums, etc.

The form of government of all our large cities is much the same.  It is substantially a reproduction, in form, of the state governments.  First, there is a mayor, who is the chief executive, and is elected directly by the people of the city.  His term of office is sometimes only one year, though more often two, three, or four years.  In almost all cases he has a veto on acts of the city legislature, which veto may, however, be overridden by a two-thirds vote.

Other subordinate officials are, the treasurer, collector of taxes, chief of police, health officer, etc.  They are in part elected by the people, in part appointed by the mayor, or appointed by the city legislature.  Practice varies in different cities.

City legislatures are of one or two houses.  The larger cities usually have two houses, and the smaller cities one house.