The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-10
CITY AS BUSINESS
The Commission Plan Proposed
for Topeka.
Provisions of the New Des
MOines Charter.
TAKE OUT OF POLITICS
Plan Puts Municipality on New
Basis.
Proposition lis Being FavOrably
Received Here.
TAKE OUT OF POLITICS

There is little doubt that Topeka
will adopt the commission plan of
government. The petitions calling an
election already have nearly the re-
quired number of signatures. How
ever an effort will be made to secure
5000 signatures before the petitions
are presented.
Here is an outline of the Des
Moines plan recently adopted by an
overwhelming majority:
Instead of the council commission
of five men in charge of these sepa-
rate departments:
Public affairs.
Accounts and finances.
Streets and public improvements.
Public safety.
Parks and public property.
Nominations to be made at a nom
partisan primary.
Commissioners to be subject to re-
call by popular vote.
Franchises to be submitted to pop
ular vote.
Initiative and referendum.
The commission plan of government
! that has been adopted by Des MOineS
presents several features of interest to
| cities that are thinking of changing
and improving their municipal char
! ters. The chief thing about the Des
Moines plan is it's simplicity and di-
with which a radical change in the
form of government is to be effected
/ without disturbing the general laws
governing the municipality.
From a government by a mayor and
ward aldermen the municipality will
pass to the control of a board of five
commissioners, elected at large, one
! of whom will be mayor. The change
will take effect March 2. And it will
be made without any inconvenience
| to the taxpayers and the property in
| terests of the city.
A section of the enabling act passed
| by the state legislature provides that
all state laws not in conflict or incon-
remain in full force. All contracts and
| liza bilities remain the same as under
the present form of government.
! The Des MOines plan is based on the
idea that the municipality is a sepa-
rate and distinct entity from the state
and federal government; that it is
more an administrative than legis-
lative body. The people retain large
| measure of legislative control.
The plan adopts the analogy of the
| large business institution. While 1t
centralizes power it concentrates re-
| sponsibility in the five commissioners
| over whom the people retain direct
control. 1t is an evolution of the old
| New England town meeting and gov
eminent by the selectmen. In city
of nearly 100000 population an as
|
1t would be mob. So the people are
clothed with the power to choose and
| direct their representatives by their
votes at an orderly election.
| No Political Machine,
| The possibility of the commission
ers building a political machine seems
to have been in the minds of the men
who framed the charter. They aimed
| to prevent it in this wise:
The mayor and four aldermen hold
office two years. The plan aims to
eliminate politics in the choice of a
commission by providing a nonpar-
| tisan primary. Any person desiring to
become a candidate for mayor or
| councilman must file a statement of
mis- candidacy with the city clerk ten
days before the primary. He shall
| file at the same time a petition signed
| by at least twenty-five qualified voters.
| After the expiration of the time for
filing, the clerk publishes the names
of the candidates for three successive
| days in all of the daily newspapers, as
| they will appear on the ballot. The
| names of the candidates for mayor,
arranged alphabetically, are first to be
| placed with a square at the left OF
| each name and the words Vote for
one" Immediately below. Following
| these, also in alpha order, and
| in the same form. the names of the
candidates for councilmen must APP
pear with the words vote for four,
| below. Here is the form of the pri-
mary ballot, substantially: