Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-28
DES MONIES plan
IN CIVIC LEAGUE
Report Of Committee to Board of
Directors Outlines Com
plete Plan.
SEND COMMITTEE EAST.
Members of Society VIII Thoroughly
Investigate the Workings OF the
System in Iowa Capital.

The lines along which Salt Lakes
civic government win be changed pro-
vided the legislature passes the Civic
leagues bill for q new plan OF gov
eminent, We're last night decided upon
at meeting of the league directors.
The meeting was held in the Y. NJ.
G. A, building report from the COM
mittee on municipal laws was read, and
this report was endorsed by all of the
directors present. In its present form
it will be pushed through the legisla-
ture, and made the subject of an active
publicity campaign while it Is before
that body.
Tho Civic league once before sub
nitted a plan for commission govern
ment, which was agreed upon by the
Salt Lake members of the legislature
but was defeated finally in the house,
after passing the senate. This second
rally to the caus of commission gov
ernment fixes itself upon the Des
Moines plan rather than the Galveston
plan, which was at first advocated. This
latter plan, it is declared. represents
the latest word in the effort to get
better understanding of the needs OF
civic administration.
t'To make good citizenship effective"
IS the slogan for the coming campaign,
and associated with it will be q cry
against boss and ring control of poll
tics.
THE PLAN IN BRIEF.
The plan endorsed last night calls for
q commission of three members to do
the executive work OF the city, and to
appoint men technically trained to do
the city's work in it's general depart
ments. AS q check on them, an auditor
is to be elected in addition, and all
other officers are to be appointed
Besides receiving the report OF the
committee on legislation. the Civic
league board last night voted to author
lie President w. Mont. Ferry to send a
committee to Des Moines and to Gal
weston to inquire into the workings OF
the commission plans in those Cities it
being understood that he will accom-
pany this committee.
The directors present last night Were
w. Mont, Ferry, president: 0. H.
Hewlett. vice president; Robert B. Por-
ter, secretary; +. B. Stephens, Carl A.
Badger, Henry w. Lawrence, w. G.
Farrell, William B. Wallace, John ID.
Spencer, Oscar L. Cox, NJ. Fl. Walker.
Mrs Georgia Foote, D. II. Livingston
and Rev. Elmer I. Goshen.
REPORT SUBMITTED.
The report of the committee on lesis-
lation, which was presented by Henry
w Lawrence, was as follows:
'To the Board of Directors of the salt
Lake City Civic Improvement
League:
"Your committee OF legislation re-
spcctfuliy reports that it has given con-
sideration to the matter OF the form
Of, legislation which it would recon-
mend for the purpose Of adopting a
commissioners system of government,
and begs to report as follows:
..Number of Commissoners--Gou
committee has given very careful con-
sideration to this question. Il; Gal
weston there are five commissioners; III
Des Moines, five; in the city of Wash
ington, three: and under the county
commissioner sytem for county govern
ment the usual number is three. In
Des Moines the plan has been adopted
of having each commissioner act as the
head of a city department. Your
committee will watch the development
OF this plan with a great deal Of IN
this committee is that there are very
many objections to it. We believe that
1T would tend to build UP factions IN
the board of commissioners: that they
would not give sufficient consideration
to the business Of the city as u Whole;
and that there would be a. tendency to
log rolling and agreeing to Keep tiair
hands Oft each others departments
Your committee is of the opinion tiia.
fbe city should have the advantage OF
the united Judgment of the board unoa
all important questions: that The boartl
should act as Il unit rather than as
segregated into five committees of one
each We are of the opinion also
that it would be necessary to pay as
high !; salary to each member OF a
board of five as it would to each mein-
her Of a board of three in order to OBJ
tain the right kind of men, and the re-
ccmmendation OF Your committee Is
that the number of commissioners be
limited to three; that they be not re-
nIIjreQ to act as heads of denartmehts,
hut tina t. the board of three be expect
oil 10 Give their united consideration TO
the administration of all departments
HOW ELECTED.
"shall the Commissioners be Ilecteti
from Wards or at Large"--lt Is tne
unanimous recommendation OF your
r committee Itldl liz 'oi''ii''''A''-
should be elected at large from me
whole city thus doing away with the
pernicious ward system.
Length of Tern,.=-9our committee
recommends that the first three com
misioners be elected, two for two years,
and one for four years. and that bien-
nialiy thereafter two coma.tsstoners.one
for two years and one for tenn ot
four years.
what Other Officers Shall be hlestr
ed.-Ynur committee recommends tnaa
an auditor be elected by the VOTERS OF
tho city at large, whose duty it stat
be 10 audit all Of the citv's 'accon,lts
and perform all other duties winch
usually devolvc upon such an .of1tef
ami that the OTHER officers OF the CITY
be appointed by the board.
salary of Commissioners our,
committees recommends tl"t the sa,ar%f
Of the commissioners be $1,000 a year
each.
PRIMARY Election Our commute
recommends that the commissioners anu
auditor be nominated at a primary e.ecz
ton held in accordance with the n ~,
sions Of the Des Mones bill hese
provisions are substantially as fpsloWs:
VOLUNTARY CANDIDATES..
az al,,} iS hold NOM