The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-12-25
The Business Idea Of
Municipal Government
ByJ e Midday, Assistant City Attorney of Houston

ment has been of great benefit to the
City of Houston, we adduce the follow
ing statement of facts:
''In less than one year it enabled the
city to wipe out floating Indebtedness
in the neighborhood of 100000; while,
during the same period, current ex-
penses were paid promptly from month
to month.
eft has enabled the present admin
istration, without bond issue, to erect
three excellent, modern, brick school
buildings at cost of $l25,oOO; to build
nix miles Of street paving; to expend
$4,000 for public parks, and to appro-
pirate $4,000 to be applied in deepen
ing Houston Is ship channel to the sea.
cit has created business confidence
in the city as government and has
given rating to the credit of the city
that it never had before. During the
same time the tax levy has been re-
duced from $500 to $l.S0 on the 800
valuation, it being the policy to con-
tinue said reduction by 10 per cent.
each year until rate of i per cent. is
reached.
eft has cleaned out the gambling
houses, abolished variety theaters, dis
continued the poolrooms, and closed up
all saloons after one 'clock each night,
and all day on Sunday.
'During the twenty-five months of
the commission form of government
there has not been made on the floors
of the council chamber single speech
nor a veto by the mayor, nor dissent
ing vote on any question. The average
length of the public sessions of the
council during said time has been less
than ten minutes.
"Our experience demonstrates to the
world that the commission form of city
government is decidedly n success"
The above statement, sent out in re-
ply to requests for information as to
results of the Houston plan, has elected
from many sources the following ques-
tons:
elbow are such results possible9'
The emphasis in the question is placed
on tho word Chow" and seems to call
for fuller statement of the whole case
The following observations in reply
due to local and peculiar conditions, but
are the natural outgrowth of an idea of
city government practically new in
America, but which is susceptible OF
application with like results in any
other American municipality.
A long suffering public in hundreds
of mismanaged American cities are in
vited to a consideration of the question
whether or not similar results can be
accomplished in their own municipal af
fairs by the application of the same
simple business principles in common
use in any well-managed private corpo
ration. At once the question is raised:
Can business methods be applied to city
government by officers selected under
the usual system of ward politics7 Elk
perience everywhere answers, it is moi
possible.
Can business methods be applied un
der the commission ideal Let Hous
toms experience make answer.
A word as to how she learned hel
lesson may prove interesting. On the
eighth day Of September, A. d. 1900
both Houston and Galveston were fail
types of the average badly-managet
American city, not that either was con
trolled by bad men, for such is not true
hut each was the victim of a vicious
and obsolete system of government. Or
the ninth day of the same month the
city Of Galveston was in ruins. Sin
thousand of her people had been swept
into eternity and property destroyed to
tina extent of $1S,O0O,OOO. Thousands
of her dead lay unburied midst the
ruins. The city government was para
lyzed and temporary relief was found il
the State militia. But the soldiers wer'
soon replaced by civil government il
the hands of commission appointe,
by the Governor of the State. Forum
ately for Galveston, and the world, he
commissioners were business men AM
the very best type of her citizenship
Fortunately, too, they assumed contro
free from those restrictions that para
lyze the average city government. Hav
ing no political debts to pay and N
political enemies to punish, they pro
eeeded to reclaim city in ruins by tn
application Of those same simple busi
ness principles that had brought sue
cess in their own private affairs. TIL
results were soon apparent in every d
Iection. Galveston rose from her water
grave TO walk in newness of life.
Houston studied the merits of this
commission and decided to change HI
form of government. Today, Housto