Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-06-18
ON MUNICIPAL QUESTIONS
Federation Of Improvement Clubs Listen
TO Addresses on Important Topics,
ANDREW ROstwATER TALKS or MS OFFICE
importance OF City's Investuent In
Public improvements Being Prop
sFIy Looked After Pre.ested
Most ForctbIy,

Members or the Federation OF Improves
ment clubs listened to discussion OF muni-
oipal problems last night in the council
chamber at the city hall. The meeting
was presided over by Mayor Dahlman- and
City Engineer Rosewater. John o. Yeissr
and Laurie J. Quinby were the speakers.
Municipal Improvements and the Initiative
and referendum law were the subjects con-.
sidered
Mr. Rosewater I'm the course Of his ad-
dress on Municipal Public Improvements"
endorsed municipal ownership OF public
utilities
1T has been found" he said. that Is
per cent OF municipal corruption lie due TO
the influence OF public service corporations,
IL is these corporations that force poor
oficisls upon cities. and these ofiicials give
bad government The smaller cities where
there are no large corporations, have good
government. II Is the larger cities that
have poor and ineficent government
Persons who are in favor of municipal
ownership must irst be in favor OF good
government and the foundation Of good
government is a good civil service system
We must use the system in vogue among
private corporations. They do not let men
go when they have become EFFICIENT, but
raise their salaries and keep them. A NUM-
clpal government is usually ready 20 let a
man 20 after he has been in the service
long enough to become eficient. This Is
due largely to the influence OF public serv-
ice corporations who want to cripple the
government OF the city"
Omaha vitality Interested.
Mr.. Rosewater pointed out that the city
of Omaha has SSS,O0o.OOO invested In public
~.
! property should be looked after by eficient
men. Partisanship. he said, ought not to
enter into the matter at ali.
He then took up a discussion OF the cost
! Of running the various departments OF the
! government and went into considerable de-
tail into the history Of the sewer system
| and the various kinds OF paving laid in the
city. He defended his course in the de-
velopment OF these systems and recOunted
| his fight with the asphalt trust, which
earned him tho enmity OF that corporation,
although Il resulted in securing cheaper
pavements for the city. lie declared in
| favor OF the use OF machines I'm cleaning
the streets and spoke particularly of the
compressed air flushing carts in use in
many cities. The machines are not in favor
here, he said, because they don't have a
vote"
|
favor OF buying the Omaha water system
provided IL was appraised at a reasonable
figure. He did not favor paying t5.oOo,oN
| or 4.00o0o0 for a plant that cost only half
that sum to construct
Initiative and Referendum.
"The Initiative and Referendum" was
the subject discussed by MT. Yeiser. he
spoke with special reference to the law az
It exists In this state. which provides that
cities may adopt the initiative and refer
endum by popular vote Oh submission at
an election by the council.
What would you think of a business
man." he asked, who would employ 30Oe
clerks for three years on promises they
made before he employed them and then
went home and let them run the business
for the three years without exercising
his right to discharge them before their
term was up and with the single pro.
vision that they would not be re-employed
at the end OF the term II their acts did not
suit him. Yet II that business man should
carry this principle into his business he
would be acting on the principle OF repre-.
sentative government The referendum IL
nothing but a plan whereby the people can
have control Of affairs at all times"
The Law, he said. gave a certain per.
centage Of the voters the right to propose
an ordinance and II the council did not
pess II they could take II before the PEG.
| pie at the next election and II a majority
OF the people voted for II Il became a law.
The plan. he declared, is entirely non
, partisan and Is In use in several states
and cities.
Laurie ]. ounby also spoke for some
time on the Initiative and referendum and
urged the present council to submit II to
the people at the next election. s1-
Mayor Dahlman caused a ripple OF laash-
ter 10 pass through the crowd by asking
II the law could be made to apply to the
confirmation Of appointments made bY the
mayor.
This led TO a discussion Of an informal
nature, in which the council came in for
, a scoring for refusing to endorse the sp-
pointments, during the progress Of which
the mayor declared the meeting adjourned