LOCAL CONTROL AND IMPROVEMENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICE



There are two subcommittees in Congress making continuing
investigations in this field. In addition, such well-staffed organizations
as the Council of State Governments, the U.S. Conference of Mayors,
the National Municipal League, the National League of Cities, and
the National Association of Counties have developed comprehensive
analyses of federal-state-local problems, and are cooperating with
state and local governments in modernizing their administrations.

Senator Muskie has said:

Now is the time to bring together the knowledge and recommenda-
tions of these experts to define a positive program for encouraging
state and local institutions to become active and effective partners in
a creative federalism. Now is the time to update our intergovern-
mental relations.

The Constitution of 1787 has been a remarkable success, surviving
national and international crises for over 175 years. It has enabled
us to assemble on this continent the greatest potential force for good
in the affairs of man in all history.

And yet, its future potential is challenged. Why? Because there
is the question whether we are organized to apply to its use our maxi-
mum wisdom with maximum or even adequate effectiveness.

When our Constitution was drawn up, only 5 percent of our popu-
lation was urban. By 1900, the urban population had jumped to 40
percent. Today, over 70 percent of our nation is urban, and we have
a total population of 195 million.

Projected to the year 2000—and this is the date we should be
thinking about—we will reach 300 million people. Eighty-five to 90
percent of them will be crowded into urban and metropolitan areas,
comprising a land area of less than 15 percent of our country.

This fact adds a new dimension to the problems of federalism.
It makes improvement of the system more critical.

We have witnessed the displacement of millions of people from
farms and rural communities; the crowding of these millions into
cities that could not afford them a decent minimum of shelter and
public services, much less the economic opportunity they were seek-
ing; the flight of the more fortunate from the cities into the suburbs;
the mounting tension of the urban poor and the final outbreaks of
violence.

We have taken measures designed to check this tragic course of
events, but they have been pitifully inadequate. Now we face the

125



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