that body $250,000 to pass a street railway franchise.  Neither did it work in Philadelphia, which has been plundered of an amount equal to 10 per cent of her real estate valuation; nor in San Francisco under the disgraceful regime of Mayor Schmitz.  So overwhelming is the evidence on this point that it is needless to dwell further upon it.

In the second place, this domination of one branch over the other has resulted in a lack of responsibility and of co-ordination in city affairs.  These two elements are indispensable where the work to be performed is of a local and business nature.  We find that under the present system, no matter which branch of government dominates, there is always a notorious lack of responsibility.  If the council makes a blunder in legislation, it immediately lays the blame upon the administrative officials, maintaining that it passed the measure upon recommendation of the administrative branch, or that branch failed to carry out its policy.  If the administrative officials are neglectful, they shift the blame onto the council, and insist that the difficulty lies in insufficient legislation.  Under such conditions, the average citizen has no way of telling where the blame really lies.

At present, there is no attempt at co-ordination between the legislative, executive, and judicial departments.  On the other hand, there is often open rupture between them.  For years before the commission form of government was adopted in Galveston, there was open warfare between the legislative and executive departments, which saddled upon the city a bonded debt of many thousands of dollars.  In our state, there is a municipality in which the two departments of government are defying each other.  Both are exercising legislative and administrative authority until the citizens of that place are at a loss to know which is right.  This is admittedly a deplorable state of affairs, yet it is the logical result of forcing upon the city a form of government entirely unsuited for its needs.  Moreover, this lack of co-ordination and responsibility has resulted in the confusion of powers and the creation of needless boards and committees.  A recent investigation in Philadelphia showed that it had four boards with power to tear up the streets at will, but none to see that they were properly relaid.  Chicago finds herself possessed of eight different tax levying bodies, while in New York City there are eighty different boards or individuals who have power to create debt.  Is it any wonder that inefficiency and graft infest such a maze of boards, councils and committees?  We see, then, that the present system of separation of powers produces inefficiency through a confusion of functions; it does away completely with the system of checks and balances and results in utter lack of responsibility and co-ordination of departments.

Honorable Judges, if we are ever to arrive at a solution of our municipal problem,