Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-05-21
FIGHT IS ON FOR
COMMISSION PLAN
WHILE REAL CAMPAIGN IN DIES
MONIES HAS NOT OPENED,
BOTH SIDES ARE ACTIVE
OPPOSED BY LABOR
Report From Galveston that Commits
sion Theirs is "sllk Stocking Gov
ernment''. Has Aroused Opposition
Committee Of 800 Hard at Work
Des Moines Bureau Of
The OttumWa, Courier.

Des Moines Bureau Of
The OttumWa. Courier.
Des MONIES, May 1S.
While the real fight campaign for
the adoption of the commission plan
of government for Des Moines has not
yet opened 1T may not be too early
to point out some Of the grounds on
which that campaign is to be fought.
The Committee of 800 has had printed
neat little pamphlets containing the
bill that was enacted by the legislature |
best argument They are circulating
are putting 1t principally into the hands
OF the working men and the people
who are hardest to get out to the polls.
They also have other plans of the cam
paign, Of course. Their chief arguments
are the plan itself and the argument
that things could not be worse
At the city hall this argument that
things could not be worse" is strik-
Ing terror to the breasts OF those who
fear that they are about to lose their
jobs. The crowd known as the 'city
hall gang" knows better than anybody
else the loose methods by which the
city is run. The clerks that keep the
books are we'll aware OF many irregu.
larities and they know that many Of
these can be shown up to the public.
The committee of 300 proposes to
parade some Of these before the public
mind before the campaign is closed.
They have already referred to the
arch bridge across the Des Moines
river on Sixth !; avenueu which Of
all things IN the city ID probably the
greatest municipal bufigle. The city
library which cost about twice as much
as 1t should have cost and which was
the means of one man retiring to Call
fornia and building a 100000 residence
when but shortly before he had been
Il poor man Is another bungle. There
aTa many other minor ones.
The weakness Of the present "sys.
tenn" Of government to be the chief
argument OF those who want the com
mission form which is to be called the
business method.
But the opposition has not been en-
tirely silent. The union labor element
in Des Moines has not forgotten that
union labor leaders were pretty effec-
:tually, forgotten in the makeup of the
booster committee and the committee
OF 300 that IS looking after the cam.
paign for the adoption of the commits
sion plan 1uf government. They have
not been asleep In this matter. They
recognize the fact that on the aver
age the business men are the smarter
and more broad minded than the lab
oring men, otherwise the places would
be changed and the laboring man
would be in business for himself,
where many of them get as soon as
4 possible. But the laboring man, though
4 1t Is probably unknown to the commit
A tee of 900 sent their own representa-
tive to Galveston to look into the sys.
tenn and he reported to the Trades and
Labor assembly some things that the
business representatives and James G
Berryhill failed to report. They found
that III Galveston the system was
adopted primarily because 1t was rep
resented that it would disfrahcnise the
negro which Is the one sure method OF
getting the solid white vote for any
] thing. After 1t was adopted 1t was
found that 1t cut out the white man
who was laborer as well. There was
a poll tax department attached. Every
man was charged a poll tax Of $275 OF
he couldn't vote. The negro WOULDN'T
, pay 1t because he didn't have the $2.7t
and the laboring white man didn't
either This leaves the government
Of Galveston in the hands Of the sill
stockinged class.
But the system works we'll in Calves
ton because the chief revenue to the
livelihood Of the people comes from the
docks. These docks are owned by for
i eign capital Every time the working
, men of Galveston get dissatisfied tlne
. bankers and merchants and silk stock
inged people 60 out and help them gel
an increase in wages because it is the
silk stockinged people Of New Yorl
and Boston and England who pay the
) increased wages and the increased
wages increases the deposits in the
banks. At Houston the representative
of the Des Moines laboring. men fount
) that the system was not working a.
: well Because there are no docks there
81 This report took the edge off the
! arguments for tne bill in the mind!
of the union ,laboring, element of De!
Moines but they have other things
against it as we'll. One Of these Is tina
the commissioners and mayor Is giveI
no bond They appoint all the clerks
city solicitor. auditor, treasurer ane
everybody else and none Of these give
I bond. Two or three years ago the city
was saved 100000 by the fact that the
auditor and treasurer we're under bond
The auditor would not draw the war
rant though the city council ordered it
.. Another Of their arguments agains
/, 1t is that provision as to elections. Tn,
= law provides that at primary the twt
J, highest for the Office Of mayor shall
! be considered the nominee and tn,
eight persons receiving the highes
! vote for councilmen shall be consider
9 ed the nominee for the four positions
9 as councilman. Now suppose, the.
say. chat Jack Chamberlain, the repub
> lican politician who looks after thing
= for the street. car company and buy
. the right-of-way for the interurbans
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