The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-04
GALVESTON BILLS
IN HOUSE TODAY
Four Members of Special Com
mittee to Report Fa-
VOrabIy.
M'MILLAN ALONE OPPOSES
HOW PLAN WORKS IN TEXAS
CITY.
M'MILLAN ALONE OPPOSES

The fate of the Galveston bills will be
| known in the house today when the re-
port Of the committee which has been
considering them will be submitted There
VIII be two reports. The majority of the
committee headed by Chairman John O.
CritchiOw. will recommend their passage,
while Representative Mcmillan OF Salt
Lake county will present d minority re-
port advocating that the measure be
killed There does not seem TO be much
DOUBT but that the majority report will
be adopted, thus transferring the fight
10 the time when the bills come up for
third reading and final passage.
The Civic Improvement league and 9th
er organizations interested in the good
government of the city have been making
a strong campaign of late among the
house members and claim to have con-
Verted several of them who haveN previ-
ously expressed themselves as being op-
posed TO the proposed change in the To-
cal government.
In view of che Importance of the meas
ure to the people of Salt Lake and the
nope that through ii an economical and
busineSs-like administration of municipal
affairs can be secured. The Herald has
been requested to review the essen
tial features Of the plan and cite some
OF the arguments in support of it.
The Plan in Brief.
The plan of municipal government pro-
posed in the Benner Y Smith bills places
the entire control of the city government
in the hands of three commissioners to
be elected for four-year terms from the
city at large. The terms of two of the
commissioners will expire every two
years Each commissioner is to receive
salary OF 5000 year and is to devote
his whole time to the duties Of the office.
The commissioners are to hold five week
~ meetings. which shall be public. The
only other elective officer is an auditor.
who is to be elected for a term of two
arg and fC tn hn oh on. he
missioners. All other city officials will
be appointed by the commissioners for
terms of two years each The scheme
does away entirely with the city council.
mayor and board of public works.
How the System Works.
Probably the most comprehensive and
logical discussion of the practical work.
ings of this system of conducting munich
pal affairs appears in McClure's Maya
zine. in which George Kibbe Turner.
welI-known writer On economic subjects.
! tells of Galveston, a Business Corpora
ton"
He starts out by saying that the sys-
! TEN IN vogue in Galveston is the most
direct and simple government in the
world" After describing the vicious rule
Of the ward aldermen and how the city
was looted by the council and the mayor
in years gone by, he tells In a direct
forceful way of the benffits of the pres
ent system.
Since it was established in Galveston
in 1901 the personnel Of the commission
has not changed, although its members
are elected every two years. This proves
conelusiveiy that the people are satisfied
with the service they are securing
To combat the idea that no better men
will be secured to seek these positions IL
is shown that in Galveston the commits
sioners are among the leading business
and professional men of the city and are
hOnored and respected by all.
Concerning this phase Of the question
the article says:
interested in the City.
eft is a widespread belief-and one OF
the most hopeless beliefs in the current
/ peSsimism concerning city government
that strong and representative men can
never again be had for the service of cit
| les Galveston has cOntradlczed THIS sKep-
| ticism successfully. Her commissioners
came into servics. it is true, under the
/ pressure of a great calamity; but they
still remain and from the present appear
l ances they will continue some years
longer Their work interests them; IT has
become their hobby. The change IN the
/ form of government has made this pcs
sible In Galveston where the Office or
| alderman was a street joke, the office
of commissioner IS high hcnor ana an
absorbing personal interest for its mold
er." ,,
\ b,- the commissioners still remains intact
| because throughout the departments the
| hest available men were selected with as
/ care d
/ Instead of changing managers every two
wears Galveston has been governed BY
/ trained and experienced men. This gov
/ eminent has ceased to be an expert
menf saws MIR. Turner. 1T has had
ample time to prove itself
Brilliant Record Made.
But the brilliant success of the com
n,ission form of government in Galveston
| - l,ssf shown by its financial record The
| commission found the city bankrupt and
/ il raised its credit above par II has
| saved Galveston fully one-thiTd OF ner
| s-7-oss running expenses. The annual cost
| IF CITY government Of Galveston has aV-
| era eed $3.50 O0e. In the five years OF COM
| mission government a saving OF over
| q oso dssl-over $4,000 a year-has been
! made in comparison with the years OF the
/ General aldermen following 1850.
THE government for the four and hail
| xears preceding the commission incurred
] SST0 oO0 of debt for running expenses.
| while the new government has incurred
! absolutely no debt for this purpose II
| must he considered in this connection
| that the expenses after the storm Whlch
! SeStroved the city were much heavier
lthan at any other period in its career.
| Rllt Notwithstanding this fact the amount
! Collected in taxes was S5OJvO less tnah
! for a similar period with the old admin
/ istration in charge
Continued on Page 2.