Rapid growth of American cities
Some consequences of this rapid growth
Wastefulness resulting from want of foresight
Growth in complexity of government in cities
Illustrated by list of municipal officers in Boston.
How city government comes to be a mystery to the citizens, in some respects harder to understand than state and national government
Dread of the "one-man power" has in many cases led to scattering and weakening of responsibility
Committees inefficient for executive purposes; the "Circumlocution
Office"
Alarming increase of city debts, and various attempts to remedy the evil
Experience of New York with state interference in municipal affairs; unsatisfactory results