The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-25

well calculated to eradicate conditions
 which have become almost intolerable
 under our present forms of city gov
 ernment.
 6. It also requires the monthly pub
 lica tion of the actual financial condi-
 tion of the city and an annual audit
 by an outside and impartial auditor of all city accounts.
 '. All ordinances appropriating money
 or granting franchises must be open
 for public inspection for at least one
 week before final passage, and cannot
 go into effect for ten days after pas
 sage, and all franchise rights to use the
 streets for any special purpose must be
 approved by vote of the people at
 general or special election called for
 that purpose. All meetings of the coun- cil at which any person not city of ficial is admitted must be open to the
 public.
 B. But above and beyond all these
 splendid features of this Des Moines char
 ter is the transcendent fact that upon
 the petition of 25 per cent of the voters
 of the city, through the initiative. the ref
 erendum and the recall, for the first time
 in the history of American municipal
 government the right, the power and the
 duty of the people to govern themselves
 in all matters pertaining to their local
 welfare is distinctly recognized and af-
 firmed
 With these distinctive features firmly
 esta blished in the organic law of the city,
 there is and can be no reason why tie
 people of any city should not have just
 a good or just as bad, city govern
 ment as they are capable of sustaining,
 and with no one to blame but themselves
 if their local affairs are not properly ad-
 ministered the people may safely be re- lied upon to make q very decided inl- ba pre methods Of city government
 In the practical administration Of the city government under the Des Moines charter the mayor and each of the four members of the city council is assigned
 as superintendent of one of the five de- partments into which the city govern ment is divided namely: ta) Department of public works.
 (b) Department of accounts and finan- ces.
 tc) Department of public safety. (d) Department of streets and public improvements.
 le) Department of parks and public property.
 The school department is left by this charter under the control of board of | education. In this respect my judgment l is that the promoters of the charter made l d serious mistake. as there is no func- l ton of city government in which it is | more important to have it directly under 1 the control. and managed in connection l with the other departments of the city | government, than the public schools. Without this concerted and united action disa greeable friction will inevitably re- | suit
 1 Under this form of government al. | other city officials. employees, and heads
 of departments are employed by the 1 council. may<be removed at any time by ..,,4.- -afa ..f
 where they are placed under the pro- | lection of the civil service commission. l He summarizes the advantages of the l Des Moines charter as follows: 1. It makes the whole city instead of | the ward the political unit. | g. It concentrates and fixes responsible l ity in the hands of few chosen by the whole city.
 3 It recognizes to the fullest extent ] the principles of local self government places the responsibility upon the peo- | pie. and forces the people to govern | themselves.
 f. It educates the people in all gov | ernmental matters.
 1 B. It does away with partisan politics | in purely business and local matters. | G. It makes honesty and efficiency ir | office and fidelity to the public interest | instead of loyalty to pitical "boss l the guarantee of official security and | future preferment. '. It makes the representative careful I of his conduct since 1t must be approved | by the people before it becomes effec- l tive.
 | B. 1t effectively destroys the power oi 1 the political boss by rendering it inn ] possible for him to deliver the goods bar l gained for, since the initiative. the refer 1 endum and the recall may at any moment ! take away from him that for which he | has agreed to pay
 g. It gives us in fact and not merely | in name "a government of the people by l the people and for the people,