Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1908-06-22
COMMISSION GOVERNMENT.

People everywhere are beginning
to ask questions about this new way
of governing city. Is the commits
sion really an improvement over the
old way? The answers are very
much in favor of the commission.
Here is an answer from Leavenworth,
Kansas, where the system is in use,
and it is in keeping with the answers
from other cities where the commits
sion is in use The article reproduced
below is from an interview published
in the Kansas City Star:
There's only one answer when
anybody asks about the commission
form of government-it's the best"
That's the first thing E. w. GRANGER,
mayor-commissioner of Leavenworth,
says when he begins to tell about the
rejuvenation of his town. He was
here on business this morning.
Its. a new town," he said. "a
-ll!l1 town. It's 6asinessIs picking
up, its property is moving. Its ex-
penses are lower and its employees
woodwork, l say. And the people
don't waste any time talking politics
there isn't any to talk about. The
knocker club and the anvil chorus
have disbanded for want of members.
1.-The people of Leavenworth would
not abandon the commission form of
government and go back to the old
ward system for anything-that's
what they tell me-" Mayor GRANGER
said.
1.-THE people there tell me that the
commission government has been
revelation to them. They have been
so used to red tape, delay and play
ing politics that real business govern
ment is a constant surprise. why,
how did you do it SO soon?" they ask
us all the time. We get things done
Besides that under the present sys-
tenn we are saving $4,000 month.
Under the old system the city's rev.
enue was 100000 year or little
more and the expenses were the
same amount We expect to reduce
the expenses in our first year to not
to exceed $4,000 Perhaps in the
second year we can cut expenses still
further-but not at the expense of ef-
ficiency
"All of the five commissioners are
business men. None of us claims any
special genius, but none of us has
made failure. We are applying to
the city's affairs the same principles
that we apply to our private business
We are beholden to no politician and
no party. We do the things that
should be done and do them right. II
an employee is inefficient we dis
charge him and we hire a man who
can do the work. We don't ask his
mendation except as to his capacity
for work.
1--WE keep our streets clean, we
keep our buildings clean, we collect
all the money that's due the city and
we enforce the law. We had some
trouble at first with fellows who
thought the change of government
was in their particular interest. After
we put few of them in Jail and fined
others they found they were dealing
with a business corporation and not
political aggregation. We had the
jail so full of joint keepers at one
time that we had to parole those who
were in first in order to make room
for the late comers'
Mr.. GRANGER gave an illustration of
how things are done.
"One district in the city has been
aiamoring for a sewer for years A
few politicians who would have to
help pay for it didn't desire it and it |
wasn't built After the commission
ers went into office the people renew