ties.
The most flagrant instance of this principle is in the domination of
local government by national political parties, whose policies have
nothing whatever to do with local administration, but who maintain their
"machines" so that an efficient organization is available for mobilizing
the vote in state and national elections. The resulting reaction has
given rise to citizen's tickets, commission government and city
managers, and in the more progressive smaller communities a growing
tendency to vote for the best man irrespective of party. Wherever a
community votes independently of national party lines on local affairs,
there will be found healthy local government. For the same general
reasons we have observed the growth of the community church movement (p.
127) as a protest against sectarian rivalries, the new emphasis of the
master of the national grange (p. 172) on the community responsibilities
of the grange as more important than its legislative activities, and the
effort to prevent an over-centralization of school administration
through the creation of community school districts under local control.
A striking example of the reaction of local communities in self-defense
against the demands for support from many organizations was the rapid
spread of the "War Chest" movement among our cities during the war as a
means of raising funds for various national organizations carrying on
war work. Subsequently the same idea has given rise to the organization
of "Community Chests" or "Community Funds" for financing various
community and national welfare agencies, so as to ensure adequate
support for those which are necessary, but to discourage a multiplicity
of competing organizations, and to furnish a mechanism whereby the
community may exercise some definite policy with regard to its social
work.

Such are some of the fundamental causes which have given rise to various
experiments in community organization. They commenced about a decade
ago, but increased slowly prior to the war. The war brought about a new
realization of the community, as it was necessary to organize war
activities, "war drives," etc., on a community basis. Under the National
Council of Defense were organized State and County Councils of Defense
and finally President Wilson issued a letter encouraging the
organization of local Community Councils,[85] to bring together all
organizations and interests of the community not only for war purposes
but with a