Organized Wealth’s Hostility toward Local Self-Government.....

Here is a very brief excerpt from a 1930 book titled The Growth and Decadence of Constitutional Government, by J. Allen Smith

“The attitude of the well-to-do classes toward local self-government was profoundly influenced by the extension of the suffrage…the removal of property qualifications tended to divest the old ruling class of its control in local affairs. Thereafter, property owners regarded with distrust local government, in which they were outnumbered by the newly enfranchised voters. The fact that they may have believed in a large measure of local self-government when there were suitable restrictions on the right to vote and to hold public office, did not prevent them from advocating an increase in state control after the adoption of manhood suffrage.” 

Thanks to Ben Price for bringing this to my attention. Please contact me (Paul) if you want me to email you a much longer excerpt from this fascinating text.