The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-12-10
What has the Des Moines plan?

What has the l)es MONIES plan:
You people of Tacoma are not alone
in asking the question.
There have been received in the Of
fees of the city government of Des
Moines more than s, 900 thousand letters
from almost as many cities and towns of
the country asking what this new ex-
pertinent in municipal administration
is and how it is working. At the Off
ces of the Commercial club and other
organizations, at the public Libraries at
the newspaper offices and at private
offices, thousand more of similar letters
have been received in the past two
years. In response thereto, Des Mones
has already distributed 1000 copies Of
q pamphlet setting forth the "plan,'
and new lot of 10000 just received
from the press is rapidly disappearing.
Judging from this experience, Presi-
dent-elect Taft was not far wrong when
in a speech delivered at the state uni
versity at Iowa Is months ago he said:
1.-THE one conspicuous failure in Amer
lea is our municipal government
When our pioneer law makers laid the
foundation for the government of our
city and towns, they did mol even dream
that they were legislating for such
complex aggregations of population as
have grown up miraculously almost in
night, and it is not strange that they
made no provision for solving problems
OF which they had no thought or vision.
In Iowa, in WashingtOn-everywhe
the laws governing municipalities were
outgrown long ago. They no longer
fit the modern city. All men admit
that much.
But what is to be done about this
new problem?
SYSTEM NOT PERFECT.
Des MOines answered the question by
adopting what has become known as
1.-THE Des Mones Plan" Since then
1t has been as city set upon hill and
the eyes OF the country are upon it,
anxious to see whether we have sue
seeded or failed in solving the problem.
have been asked by the editor Of
the News to tell what the Des Moines
plan is and more especially how it
works. | shall do this as clearly as
possible, and as fairly. 1t is difficult
Ior man who has seen the working Of
Doth the old and new systems in Des
Molnes to curb his enthusiasm for the
new and restrain a very natural bias
10 us favor, but the writer will aim to
Tell the exact truth ard all Of it
where defects have shown themselves,
'ney will be pointed out along with the
merits. The system is not perfect. 1t
Is merely a human product after all
us friends understand this and they
sre arranging to ask the coming legis-
lature to pass needed amendments to
correct these imperfectons.
These articles will follow this nat
ural order:
'lrstCThey will describe briefly the
conditions that brought about revo-
'utlon In Des Moines municipal affairs
ana the adoption Of the "Plan."
SEVEN QUESTIONS.
10 this third division most attention
Will De given, for after all not theory
ouI practice must determine the merit
VI municipal government as well as
o.aer things. Under this head there
VIII oe az investigation of these ques.
tons:
s-Has politics been eliminated?
DIS the city's business done in a
uore ef1cient and busnesslike way?
c-Are public Improvements more
economically, honestly and efficiently
secured?
o-Are the city police problems more
successfully dealt with?