The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-29
STRENUOUS FOR COMMISSION.

We notice that the efforts of the
Civic League of this city towards i'm
provement in municipal government are
thoroughly committed to the plan for
governing commission of three
elected from the city at large, to the
exclusion of every other proposition for
municipal reform. We had supposed
that the Civic League would take up
different forms of proposed changes in
city government rather than confine it.
self strictly and solely to the commits
sion proposition.
There are other forms of improve
ment in municipal government that have
commended themselves to the larger
cities OF the country and that are show.
ing good results. These reforms are
easily comprehended, and it is not in
the least difficult to work upon them
from bases already laid down in our
Constitution and our statutes These
reforms contemplate vesting in the
mayor far greater power than he now
possesses, the confining of the Council
action to the legislative function only,
the levying of taxes and making of ap-.
preparations. The mayor, as the head of
the executive department, appoints and
removes at will all of the appointive
officers, and is Thus made the resrousi-
bic executive in the city government.
No matter what may be at wrong in any
department, the mayor is the proper
person to apply for the remedy of the
complaint or fault; and he is given
power to act. If any official in the
executive department refuses or fails
to carry out the mayors orders, the
mayor can displace that officer arbi.
trarily, and Immediately, and get the re-
suits be desires by a new appointment.
This strengthe hening of the hands of the
executive, this limiting Of the law-mak-
ing power of the municipality strictly
to its legitimate functions, has zound
great favor in New York and other pro-
gressive cities. 1t is singular that the
Civic League of Salt Lake City should
have SO completely ignored the advances
and improvements along this liue. n line
which proposes the least change and of
fers the least difficulties by way of
haImonizing court decisions of the ppst
with court decisions Of the future, and
with the Constitution and laws as they
exist
Nor is il easy TO see, in view Of our
experience with commissions and com
missiopers, that any especially good re-
slllls are to be obtained by commits
sion government or by ohe rule of COM
missioners, We have in this county
government by commission, with three
commissioners IN charge u 1t, But be
would be a man Of extraordinary temer-
| ity who would claim thai we have an
! ideal county government through the
action OF these commissioners. In fact,
we have had about as corrupt, ineffi-
cient, and personally selfish, as well
as wretchedly partisan a government as
could possibly be imagined, under our
form Of county government by
three commissioners. The Civic League
appears to have paid 10 attention
to the investigation of the prac-
! tical workings OF government by three
commissioners as we have Il right here
| at our doors in county uffai1s- II it
had attended to that, we should IN
doubtedly have had halt in the head
long tendency towards adherslce to this
one particular method Of reforming the
municipal government. 1t is absolutely
impossible to conceive Of a commission
for this city, such as we have for this
county making any improvement upon
our present system of city government;
rather. we should exnect even worse