Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-07-31
THE COMMISSION SYSTEM OF Mu-
NlciPAL GOVERNMENT.

Z
Interest throughout the country is
increasing in the commission sys-
tenn of governing cities and it is not
unlikely that some North Dakota
& city, will, before another meeting of
legislative assembly, adopt the sys-
tenn as a panacea for some of the
ills OF the present system of NUM-
cipal government. ~
since the passage of the act by
the North Dakota legislature last
winter, modelled on the Galveston
plan, several cities in states passing
similar measures have adopted the
system, most notable of all being
Des Moines, where an arrousaI of
\ civic pride succeeded in overturning
"a most corrupt and vicious city gov
sernment. There are some features
of the 'sDes Moines PLAN as it will
zoe known hereafter, that seem to be
.an improvement over the North Da-
ikota law, but in the main the two
systems are very similar. The Des
Moines system provides for greater
publicity through the reports of the
commission and the right of recall
4 from office of dishonest or incom-
Retent mayor by vote of the peo-
DIE Following petitions of twenty
a1ye per cent of the voters. The Gin
atiat1ve" and the referendum are
features commendatory of the Des
% Dimes system. No ordinance passed
by the commission can go into effect
until until ten days AFTER passage; within
& that period the filing Of a twenty
I've per cent petition protesting
sst4zsainst it serves to suspend the
\ ss-l1secflyeness of the ordinance pend
Z ing an election by the people which
1.-The commission must call, to deter
1 mine whether the ordinance shall
DR approved or rejected, rejection
Dy TpUpular vote multiplying the or
.sdinanGe. This is the referendum"
secaIled. Thus the plan includes
the Initiative and referendum, :.
protest and referendum and the
recall "a trio OF safeguards which
ats friends believe give the plan the
most secure guarantee of producing
real popular government that have
yet been devised by any other
American city.
Under this system five commission
4 ers are elected at large, and each is
charged with a particular division
of municipal affairs Acting for the
city at large, the doing away with
ward strife, the Capitalization of
duties and responsibilities, the fix.
4 ing of salaries to warrant that at
tention to public duties that would
apply to private affairs, the elimin.
4 satirn of the ward heller, the greater
safeguards against graft and corrup
ton, that the initiative and ssrefer.
endum" feaures would bring about
B all these appeal strongly to tax-rid
den misgoyerned communities, where
lack of civic pride is noted on every
hand. IL
TT will be found In North Dakota
fcities, as elsewhere, the. change t.
this system viii be opposed by tn,
vicious. lawaess and grating e1e
ErenE and, like all reforms, meet witt
fbut passive approval by large ele
zIr1snt OF Well-meaning, but procras
tinaTing and doubling Thonnases.
The Des Moines plan, which take
RIA effect January list next, will be close
ag watched all over the west and a
ready it is attracting the attention
of eastern organizations for civi
purity, where corruption and graf
ing and corporation control are TEL
fold more potent than in the wes
sern cities. In North Dakota, Vale
City, Mandan and other cities ar
agitating the proposition and In BIZ
naarch, the capital city, there Is
strong. but possibly not eontroIlfh
sentiment, In favor OF the system
~