The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-11-14
TRY TEXAS PLAN.
Topeka Will See If It Is Adapt
able to This City.
Committee will Visit Galveston
aud Houston.
BUSINESS MEN HEARD.
Would Put Topeka on a Nom
political Basis.
JOab Mulvane Deals Blow at
Councilman System.

To govern Topeka with a commits
sion instead of by mayor and coun-
Gil.
To divorce the city of Topeka from
Shawnee county.
These are the two things which the
business men of Topeka have charged
a special committee, appointed last eY-
ening, to investigate Twenty-Five men,
standing for some of the most import
ant business Institutions in Topeka
were present at a specially called meet
ing last evening to take under consid-
Grafton for the first time the estaD-
ushment of q commission form or gov
eminent
The success which has attended this
i. Ierm OF government in the Two Texas
y cities of Houston and Galveston has
excited interest locally and the upshot
Of 1t all is the appointment of the com
mittee, consisting of ex-Mayor w. p
Bergundthal, F. G. Dreaming, city at
torney. and E. L. Copeland, treasurer
of the Santa Fe. The meeting was
held in the council chamber at the
city hall Though Mayor w. H. Davis
presided and had drawn up pro-
gTamme of talks which covered the
salient features the whole subject was
handled Informally
"A commission of three is what met
approval Of the majority. Three was
considered large enough for the size of
Topeka for 20 years to come. One OF
the three to act as the chairman OF
the commission and to receive a higher
salary than the remaining two mem
bers. The subject of salary was
brought up briefly by JOab Mulvane,
who said that the city could not ex-
pect good commissioners unless the
city would stand prepared to pay them
according to their talents At least
$1,000 a year and from that up.
The special committee viii leave
within the next two or three weeks for
the two Texas cities and will delve
into the situation as completely as pos
sible- The committee is well balanced
E1x-Mayor Bergundthal has had
through his experience as both mayor
and councilman considerable acquaint-
ance with civic affairs as conducted in
Topeka, the weak and strong points OF
the present system F. G. Dreaming,
city attorney, as a city attorney is ex-
perienced in the legal side while e.
l. Copeland, as head of the account
ing department of one Of the biggest
railroad systems in the country recOg-
nizes features which would probably
escape the balance of the committee.
In order to line up the State Munich
pal league behind the movement the
ing of the league in Salina on Decem-
Der II.
If the results of these committees are
favorable Topeka can expect to see its
councilmanic system sent to the gar
ret.
The bookkeeping and accounting as
conducted by the city at the present
time were criticised by w S Bergund-
thai who was given the subject of
The Evils of the Present System of
Municipal Government and Their
Remedies"
Certainly one of the things which
should be done is to put in a modern
up to date system of bookkeeping"
said the former mayor. 1T is impos-
sible now to so to the city's books and
ascertain how any one of the depart
ments is being run The present sys-
tenn may have done once but we need
modern form of accounting. If