Clinton Rogers Woodruff

“ It embodies the short ballot, responsiveness to public opinion, concentration of executive power and responsibility, expert administration of city affairs, and elimination of legislative control over the administrative, all essential principles of sound governmental practice. The success of the plan has been abundantly proved, although here and there expectations, because unreasonable, have not been met. Like other governmental agencies it is open to change and improvement, but it stands as the big contribution to political science of the past quarter of a century. ”

“ Out of the League's efforts grew a “municipal programme” the fundamental features of which were that every community should have the right of self-government in local affairs without the interference of outside governmental or party machinery; that the city's public property in land, and especially its franchise rights, should be preserved unimpaired; that all barriers should be removed which prevented the popular will from expressing itself freely and effectively ”

“ Improvements in the personnel of city officials have not kept pace with improvements in other directions, although substantial changes for the better are everywhere to be noted. There can be no lasting improvement in this connexion until the short ballot becomes an established fact. This change will come less quickly than the others because of the “vested interests” of the great political organizations, which will yield with the greatest reluctance, for the short ballot means the substitution of citizen management for party organization. ”