Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 11.djvu/232

 2l6 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

and perhaps the economy will be less than under government by an external agency. Self-government is by no means neces- sarily the best in point of immediate achievement. It is only in the light of its final results that it is superior. Its end is the interests of all, and all public action, no matter how mistaken, is disciplinary. It learns to do by doing. The action of such a government is not paternalism. What the government as an outside agency does for the people may be so called; but what the people consciously do for themselves through the govern- ment acting as their agent is not paternalism, but democracy. Democracy and paternalism is a contradiction in terms.

The first step, then, toward the solution of the civic problem is to popularize the government; to take it out of the hands of the politicians, and put it into the hands of the people. Obviously, the principle of home rule is a sound one. But home rule alone is not sufficient. Home rule may still be the rule of the boss or the ring. The end is not attained when the government of a city is located within its limits. It must t be brought into right rela- tions to the people. Not home rule, but self-rule, is the object to be attained. Hence, direct legislation, popular initiative, the referendum, and popular veto are measures which should be approved. These reforms will not remove all the evils of munici- pal life; but we shall not be on the direct path to a correct solu- tion of the civic problem until these measures are enacted. There are evils of democracy; but the only cure for them is more democracy. All proposals, therefore, for lessening the activity and the influence of the people of a city in their own govern- ment should be frowned upon. The proposal of a restriction of the suffrage, whether by an educational or by a property qualifi- cation, is, I think, reactionary. Such restriction would deprive those who need it most of the experience and discipline without which they never would become good citizens. The immediate results might be better; but to prefer an immediate advantage to a deferred but greater good is not the mark of intelligence in a man or in a municipality.

Now, the problem of popularizing the government of a city is largely a problem of developing the civic consciousness, which,