d fosters continued state interference. President
Eliot says that the functions of the commissioners will be defined
and enumerated by the state.

Now, Honorable Judges, the basic principle of city government the
world over is division of functions. It is the principle that the
commission form attempts to annihilate. But we have pointed out the
real causes of municipal evils and have shown they are to be
remedied without tampering with the fundamental principles which
time and experience have shown to be correct in every instance of
successful city organization. The Affirmative say: change the
fundamental principle; all changes in form and other remedies are
insufficient. The Negative say: retain the principle of distinct
legislative and administrative bodies, but observe a proper
correlation between them which is done in countless instances as we
have shown. We would remedy bad social and economic conditions,
introduce better business methods, and, most important of all, give
the city greater freedom in powers of local self-government.

Mr. Clyde Robbins, the second speaker of the Affirmative, said:

It should be understood at the outset that the Affirmative desire
all the local self-government for American cities that the Negative
can induce the state legislatures to give them. But just what is
home rule for cities? It is simply granting additional functions to
the city by the state legislature. The only possible way home rule
can affect the question under discussion is a consideration of which
form of government is best suited to perform additional functions
granted by the government. We maintain that the commission form can
do this better because, first, it furnishes superior legislation,
and second, it furnishes superior administration.

The gentleman blandly assumes that the commission form is
fundamentally wrong, because it fails to provide a separate
legislative body as do the governments of the state and nation. An
isolated legislative body is desirable for state and national
governments. Is that a reason for applying it to city government?
Here, social, economic, and political conditions are entirely
different from those of either state or nation. The city is not a
sovereign body. Its powers are exclusively those delegated to it by
the state legislature. They are confin