The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-07-12
WHICH SHALL 1T M.

s-c--s-------------------
WHICH SHALL TT BE.
The Houston Post, which takes a.
friendly interest in Richmond, strong
~ urges upon The Times-D Dispatch end
the men Of Richmond 4, hold their
meeting and send committee to
Houston to study the system that is
bringing Houston out of the kinks
After recitings the fact that Rich
mond is experiencing the trouble com.
mon to American cities-a system OF
red tape, inefIiciency and waste--it
says that if Richmond will follow the
lead of Houston abolish ward lines
select Mayor and four or i've Alder
men, and concentrate responsibility.
or rather unite power ana RESPONSE
bility, within ten years the results will
be amazing. eF.
The Post assures us that Houston
has Separated from extravaganza and
ward politics" in the administration
lof her affairs; that public improve
ments on a larger scale than ever be-
fore are being made out of current
lrevenue, bills are promptly paid when
due, every dollar expended gets dol
lars worth Of labor. or material. and
the tax rate has within two years been
reduced from per cent. to $50 per
cent, and there will be another re-
duction next year.
| The results of the new system in
Houston" our contemporary concludes.
are substantial enough to command
the attention of Richmond and other
cities that desire to exterminats the
blight of corrupt politics., waste red
tape, debt, high taxes and political
jobbery Let Richmond send its COM
mittee down to Houston and learn The
| simplicity of an economical and ctii-
Gent municipal administration. and it
will not be long before public senti-
Iment will be awakened in that city
that will terminate the present un-
1 satisfactory system of municipal gov
j eminent"
The municipal government OF Rich
i mond is peculiarly and comlnendably
, free from political corruption, and that
has been our salvation. The opror-
tunities for jobbery are enormous and
; extravaganza and waste under our
cumbersome system Would have
. swamped the treasury if the Council
had not been composed of honest ana
: dilgent men. But IN spite OF all ef-
forts, politics will creep in. and tho
: municipal machine is so cumbersome
: and its wheels are so badly cloggcd
with red tape that it cannot be run
either economically or eXpeditiously.
: The Times-Dlspatch proposes as a
change a scheme OF government that
1 will reduce, the system to the simplest
form Of economy and business. and at
! the same time preserve the Sovereign
2 ty' of the city,
Elsewhere will be found an article
e from the Norfolk Virginian- Pilot, II
G ny in adopting the complex plan of {
: City Council to perform Legislative
e functions and commissions to perform
! executive functions. Norfolk has tried
this plan, and the Virginian-Pllot I.
I frank to say that it has not produced
a the results which our contemporar,
: had anticipated.
G Here are two plans which have bcel
S put to the test, and the one has proven
s TO be successful, while the other ha
! not. Which will the city of Rhhmon
q take--the Houston plan or the Nor
: folk plan? 7fY,
True. We cannot adopt the Houston
\ plan precisely as 1t is operated in tina
city; but by reducing the number o
= wards and the number of Councilne
: to lowest legal terms, it Is quite pos
J. siblc for MS to get all the benefits o
v It, and at the same time preserve III
It Sovereignty" of the city. Let u
II thoroughly investigate both Housto
y and Norfolk before we come to hna
- conclusions.