Collection of articles written in 1902 and 1903 and originally published in "McClure's Magazine," exposing the corruption of American municipal government in the cities of St. Louis, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York.

Argues that the new American economy must be driven by exports and powered by cleaner energy and indicate that metropolitan areas should lead the way in this new economic landscape.

"The United States is known as a country that has been highly antagonistic to socialism of any form. Socialists have tended to be outsiders to the political system, mounting criticisms of the government without serving in elected office themselves. Despite this well-deserved reputation, there was a period of time in the United States in which Socialist politicians were prominent and active at the municipal level, holding office as government insiders....

Stephen L. Elkin deftly combines the empirical and normative strands of political science to make a powerfully original statement about what cities are, can, and should be. Rejecting the idea that two goals of city politics-equality and efficiency-are opposed to one another, Elkin argues that a commercial republic could achieve both. He then takes the unusual step of addressing how the political institutions of the city can help to form the kind of...