Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-05-18

all the things in the city III probably
the greatest municipal buligle. The
city library which cost about twice as
much as it should have cost and which
was the means Of one man retiring to
california and building a $4,000 res.
idence when but shortly before he had
been a poor map is another bungle.
There are many other minor ones
The weakness OF the present "sys-
tenn" Of government is 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 eff
fectually forgotten in the makeup OF
the booster committee and the commit
tee Of 800 that IS looking after the
campaign for the adoption of the COM
mission plansof government. They have
not been asleep in this matter They
recognize the fact that on the average
the business men are smarter and more
broad minded than the laboring man
would be in business for himself, where
many Of them get as soon as possible.
But the laboring men, tho 1t is prob
ably unknown4o the committee Of 300,
sent their own representative to Cal
weston to look into the system and he
reported to the Trades and Labor As
.sembly some things that the business
representatives and James G. Berry,
hill failed to report. They found that
In Galveston the system was adopted
primarily because lit was represented
that 1T would disfranchise the negro,
which Is the one sure method of get
ting the solid white vote for any thing.
After It was adopted 1t was found that
1T cut out the white man who was a
laborer, as well. There was poll tax
department attached. The negro
wouldn't pay 1t because he didn't have
the $2.75 and the laboring white. man
didn't either. This leaves the govern
ment of Galveston in the hands of the
silk stockinged class.
But the system works well in Gall
weston because the CHIEF revenue to
the livelihood Of the people comes from
the docks. These docks are owned
by foreign capital. Every time the
working men OF Galveston get adissat-
iisfied the bankers and merchants and
silk stockinged people go out and help
them get an Increase In wages because
1T is the silk stoekinged people Of New
York and Boston and England who pay
wages increases the deposits in the
banks. AT Houston the representative
of the Des Moines laboring men found
that the system was not working SO
well because there are no docks there.
This report took the edge off the
arguments for the bill in the minds
of the union, laboring element of Des
Moines, but they have other things
against 1t as well. One Of these is that
the commissioners and mayor give no
bond They appoint all the clerks,
city solicitor. auditor, treasurer and
everybody else and none Of these give
any bond. Two or three years ago
the cityswa saved $4,000 by the fact
that sthe auditor and treasurer both
we're under bond. The auditor would
not draw the warrant and the treas
urer said he would not have paid it II
1t had been drawn tho the city council
ordered it.
Another of their arguments against
is that provision as to elections. The
law provides that at a primary the two
highest for the office Of mayor shall
be considered the nominees and the
eight persons receiving the highest
vote for councilmen shall be considered
the nominees for the four positions a s
councilman. Now, suppose, they say,
that Jack Chamberlain, the republican
politician who looks after things for
the street car company and buys the
for the interurbans.
should be one of the candidates for
mayor and some other person in whom
the people have great confidence and
who Is not connected with any of the
corporations should be the other can
didate. The candidate not connected
with the corporations might die after
his nomination and before election.
The law provides no possible way In
which another person could be named
on the ticket and Chamberlain, the
direct representative OF the street car
interests, would be elected even If. he
got but one vote, according to the in,