Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-09-19


efficient board with means for examin-
alton and appraisemert of the proper
ty, is sound and is the result of the
highest craftsmanship our country af-
fords.
Basis of Assessment.
"The division of assessed valuation
for the various taxing districts should
be made upon the miles of trackage
within such district rather than upon
the mileage of main track. In the
country townships that have the small
levies for school and township pur-
poses, the taxes will be slightly larger
upon the other property. But the
county levy will often be materially
decreased by reason for the increased
assessment values in the cities, upon
which general county and state taxes
are levied. Thus city which has
terminal railroad property aggregat-
ing s3,000,000 and is assessed upon
total taxable value of only 100000
would not only have its city taxes in
creased from about $4,000 to 100000
by the proposed change but the coun.
ty would also receive five times as
much taxes as before on such assess
ment within the city and in the case
the county revenues would be in
creased over $4,000. A terminal tax
law should provide therefore, for the
! local taxation Of such railroad prop
erty as the executive council cannot
readily appraise and the value of
which they must determine wholly
from reports made by the company"
In speaking of law relating to
the condemning of public utilities
whose franchises have expired his re-
port was In part: Municipalities
should have the power where the peo
pie have once refused franchise or
where after franchise has expired the
citizens demand municipal ownership
to condemn the plant in use. Such a
law should be framed so as to give
the municipality power to acquire such
plant at such prices as a fair and i'm
partial tribunal may fix and the ques
ton of whether the city shall con-
denim the plant, should be determined
by submitting to the people the ques-
ton of whether the city shall own
and operate such utility. Since the city
must either allow the corporation 70
furnish services during the construc
ton of new plant by sufferance or
must compel such company to furnish
such service, it Is only fair that the
city should take the old plant at such
prices as the tribunal may fix. This
would prove no hardship upon the
municipality even if new plant were
highly desirable, as the value if prop
erly ascertained and adjudicated would
be in proportion to the use the city
could make of such a plant"
Huston on Commission Government.
After the report had been put on
record, Chairman Ingalls, announced
that John MacVicar Of Des Moines,
who was to present a report on sug-
gested changes in the state laws was
unable to arrive in Ottumwa until this
morning, and Charles D. Huston Of
Cedar Rapids was assigned MacVicar's
place on the program. Mr.. Huston is
very much in favor Of commission
government After briefly reviewing
the situation as it was in Cedar Rap
ids before the commission system was
put into use he summed up the pres
ent condition of improved affairs in
the following eight principles:
principle L. Concentration of exec
utive authority. = Under the commits
sion plan there is no delay. If GER
tain improvement is needed, 1t is rec.
commended by the head Of the depart
ment under which it properly belongs
it is made regardless of what section
Of the city it is in. 1t becomes mat
ter wholly Of merit and no commits
sioner will take the responsibility OF
recommending an expenditure on even
one piece of work that the wisdom of
may be questioned, and thus subject
himself to discipline by being shifted
to some other department and another
being placed in charge to conserve
the best interests of the public. AS g
commissioner in charge Of particular
department he must and does take the
responsibility Of that department.
principle 2. Elimination of parti
san politics. The plan is certainly
most successful in this respect. While
it is true that both the principal par
ties are very equally represented on
the present commission, it Is merely
an incident, the campaign being wag
ed along the lines of fitness only
principle 8. Direct nominations. -
The nominations were clearly made
by the people at the polls and in the
open. Those who have taken part II
the manipulation of caucuses or OBJ
served the manner in which caucuses
have been handled for selfish ends
the good intentions of many citizens
often being thwarted by a cleverly
designed motion which took out o
the hands Of the people the selecting
of delegates and placing it in the
hands of those who named delegates
to be voted for candidates inimica
to their best interests, will not BIZ
slow to recognize the privilege secur
ed to them of expressing their pref
erences personally at the primary.
!, principle 4. An open field. Man!
men, capable Of rendering good ser
: vice to a municipality under the eau
Gus system, would never be able t.
get their names before the people
owing to the manipulation of so-callet
ward bosses, who have delegated t
themselves from year to year the priv
J ilege of making a slate and seeing
, that it was carried out. Under thu
commission plan any one can secure
a petition and have his name appea
| on the ballot and be voted at the pri