The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-01-18
REFORM.

When man in business has been doing things
the way for number of years. and some
one, an employe competitor, finds better way
of doing them if he is progressive business man,
he adopts the new method. When private corpora
ton sees its competitors getting better results
following change of methods it is quick to III
vestgate and to adopt the system which makes for
economy Failure follows the getting into a rul
while the other fellow works out new and better
ways to supersede the old. The United States gov
ernment was established as an improvement on any
other government OH earth. 1t was placed in the
hands of the people, and III the people was vested
the sole power. If the government is bad we may
think it is not just what we want but we are re
sponsible for its deficiencies as well as its excel
lencies.
Municipal governments also the property
OF the people. There is pessimistic notion that
politicians control cities by their own power, and
that all politicians are inherentlys bad All the
power the politicians have is conferred upon them
by the people, and if there is misgovernment or N
efficiency in public places it is only because the
people do not take sufficient trouble to prevent
such things. But if city is ideally governed, and
another city discovers a better way of doing things
than it has, like the business man or the private
corporation that city should Investigate that better
way and adopt the new system if it shows more
economical results
The men interested in private enterprise are
not very particular whether the men who direct
the destinies of that enterprise arc Democrats or
Republicans. They want man of capacity at the
head, and few shrewd specialists in their linesto
advise with the chief And when man builds
house he doesn't hire Democrats or Republicans
but carpenters and brick masons. Any other course
would be severe rebuke of his intelligence.
In municipal affairs we sometimes elect man
because of his fitness for the position, sometimes
because he is'a good fellow but generally because
he is a member of our own political party. Then a
good many elected officials haven't any particular
luties to perform, so they don't do much. In Salt
Lake have board of public works and city
council, who put in good deal of time scrapping
With each other and incidentally perpetuating a |
cumbersome system which is not democratic be- |
,ause it is not sufficiently controlled by the peo
BE of the community. We do not know that Salt |
AXE needs change of city officers but if the city
s to progress and keep pace with other cities. it
must eliminate the needless and concentrate the
,ower of administration
First of all must come charter revision or
ew charter for the city from the legislature. This
harter should be adequately broad in scope to pro-
ide for few responsible officials elected at large,
rthout regard to wards; for the elimination of
artisan politics in nominating conventions and
elections; for the broadening of the merit sys-
I'm to supersede political pull in the minor posi-
ons of the city; for the recall; for the submission
ali franchises to the people for rejection or ac-
eptance.
There are many details to be considered in
aking charter for city, these things being but
few of the more conspicuous needs Publicity
accounting. the bonding of city officials and Sc