It
is found in the official reports of investigating committees;
such as the Lexow, Mazet, and Fassett committees in New York, and
the report on campaign contributions by the Senate Committee on
Privileges and Elections (1913). The muckraker has scattered such
indiscriminate charges that great caution is necessary to
discover the truth. Only testimony taken under oath can be relied
upon. And for local exposes the official court records must be
sought.
The annual proceedings of the National Municipal League contain a
great deal of useful material on municipal politics. The reports
of local organizations, such as the New York Bureau of Municipal
Research and the Pittsburgh Voters' League, are invaluable, as
are the reports of occasional bodies, like the Philadelphia
Committee of Fifty.
Personal touches can be gleaned from the autobiographies of such
public men as Platt, Foraker, Weed, La Follette, and in such
biographies as Croly's "M. A. Hanna."
On Municipal Conditions:
W. B. Munro, "The Government of American Cities" (1913). An
authoritative and concise account of the development of American
city government. Chapter VII deals with municipal politics.
J. J. Hamilton, "Dethronement of the City Boss" (1910). A
description of the operation of commission government.
E. S. Bradford, "Commission Government in American Cities"
(1911). A careful study of the commission plan.
H. Bruere, "New City Government" (1912). An interesting account
of the new municipal regime.
Pages:
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155