The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-06-02
IT'S A new
LEAvENW0RTH
COMMISSION GOVERNMENT is
THERE TO STAY.
The Town Prospering, savirg Money
and II Has Clean streets-Lsws
Are Enforced and Nobody
Has a Pull.

Kansas City, Mo, June i.-"TheIe's
only one answer when anybody asks i
about the commission form o. gIv-
ernment-it's the best" Tha's ;he =
first thing f.. W. GRANGER, mayor .
commissioner OF Lcayenworth says
when he begins to tell ab, ~ the re. .
juvenation of his town h was here
on business this morning.
ITS new town." he said. "a
clean town. Its business is picking
up. its property values are Increasing
and property is moving. It. expenses
are lower and its employees work
work, | say. And the people don't
waste any time talking po'ltca-there
isn't any to talk about The knocker
club and the anvil chorus have dis
banded for want of members.
The people OF Leavenwor would
not abandon the commission form OF
government and go back to the old
ward system for anything-thats
what they tell me-" Mayor GRANGER
said.
The people there tell me that the
commission government has been
revelation to them. They have been
so used TO red tape delay and playing
politics that real business govern
mert is a constant surprise why.
how did you do 1t so soon?' they ask
MS all the time. We get things done.
Besides that under the present
system we are saving $1,000 a month.
under the old system citys revenue
! was 100000 year or little more
and the expenses were the same
amount. We expect to reduce the
expenses in our first year to not to
exceed $4,000. Perhaps in the sec
ond year we can cut expenses still
further-but not at the expense of
| efficiency.
"All of the five commissioners are
business men. None of us claims any
special genius, but none of us has
made failure. We are applying to
the city's affairs the same princi pies
that we apply to our private business.
We are beholden TO no politician and
no party. We do the things that
should be done and do them right. II
an emplOye is inefficient we discharge
him and we hire a man who can do
the work. We don't ask his politics
or for any letters OF recommendation
except as to his capacity for work.
I'VE keep our streets clean, we keep
our buildings clean, we collect all the
money that's due the city and we en-.
force the law. We had some trouble
at first with fellows who thought the
change of government was in their
particular interest. After we put a
few of them in jail and fined others
they found they were dealing with a
business corporation and not a polit-
ical aggregation. We had the Jail so
full of jointkeepers at one time that
we had to parole those who were in
first in order to make room for the
late comers."
Mr. GRANGER gave an illustration of
how things are done
"One district in the city has been
clamoring for a sewer for years. A
few politicians who would have TO
help pay for It didn't desire It and II
wasn't built After the commissioners
went into Office the people renewed
| their demand. | sent for the city en-.
g'neer a holdoyer officer, and told
MN to make the survey. lie gave
me to understand that so and SO
would object | told him to go ahead
anyway. Then So and So and the
othe. politicians came around to see
us on the quiet. We told them we
didn't do business that way, to appear
at our office. We heard demands and
protests in public and ordered the
sewer built. We do more business in
a day than the old mayor and council
| did in a month.
That's why the people tell me
they wouldn't go back TO the old sys-
TEN under any consideration"
Mr.. GRANGER Is head of large
wholesale hardware house in Leaven-
worth. BY virtue OF his Office as
mayor he is head of the police de-
ENTHUSIASTICALLY <hief of police.
He deyotes four to FIVE hours a day
to the citys business. One commits.
sioner has charge OF the str
partment, another the finance depart.
ment, another of light and water and
the other of miscellaneous matters.