Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-12-29
WELL PLEASED
in DES MONIES
Commission Plan Of City Gov.
ernment Satisfactory i
Even to Opponents
What Mayor Mathis and
Leading Editors Say Of
Its Workings

A number more signatures to the
petitions asking the city council to.
submit the question of whether or
not the people desire the commission
plan of government were added to
the list yesterday and it is now GER
tain the matter will go properly be-
fore the council for action The stat
ute is mandatory and the council has
nothing else to do but set a date and
call the special election. Many more
names than are required have been
secured, and vet a great number who
have not had time to hunt up the pc
titions have signified their hearty ap-
proval of the plan. ssl
On all sides an impression seems to
prevail that this is the best and most
business like method of managing
municipal affairs that has been de-.
vised, and 1t is upon the business as
pect that the people urge the trial of
the plan. t a.,
Some Des Moines Views.
Letters and printed documents
from Des Moines, Iowa, were received
yesterday and with one accord they
praise the system, even those who
opposed it in the beginning, adding
their Endorsement now that they have
seen how it works out
; : ** I: !: 4: I: : = 4: :
-. sDes Moines is not in the least :.
= discouraged with its new gov
!. ernment,'' says Lafayette Young, :.
:: editor of the Capital, one of ,tbe :,
: papers which opposed the pres :.
= ent administration. On the
!: contrary, resubmission of the !.
: question would result in much !.
: greater majority for it, now that :.
= the people have had practical :.
experience of its possibilities, I.
: than was given at the election. :,
" The commissioners elected by Z:
: the people were not supported :.
= by the Capital, but they are :.
: making good" !.
**:"***********%%:
Harvey Ingram, editor of the Reg
lister and Leader, another of the pa
pers which opposed the plan, says:
1T is the best municipal government
in the world We know now where to
place responsibility for poor govern
ment. Therefore we will have less
Of it. Everybody in Des Moines is.
delighted with the plan. A resubmis-
sion of the proposition would fail to
record az many as 500 votes in the
entire city against it,
1t is an excellent system of gov
ernment," says George F.. Rinehart,
editor of the Des Moines Tribune.
'Des Moines could not be induced to
return to the old system h
Mayor A. j.. Mathis of Des Moines,
praises highly the efficiency with
which all the departments are being
worked under the new system and
says all the commissioners are on
their mettle to make a record for
themselves. He points out the fol-
lowing salient features OF the plan:
.: . = . = .
y he individual responsibility !:
: Of the commissioners.
The removal Of appointments I.
= from the realm Of ward politi- >
= clans and the election Of the ap. !.
!: pointive officers upon the basis j.
: Of efficiency and adaptibiIity. I.
he referendum Of franchise Z.
!. grants to the people. We no !.
z longer fear the franchise grab i.
q Der. 4.
ne opportunity Of the peo- {,
!" pie to get speedy hearing d. !.
= rectly with the man responsi- !.
!: bile for the conduct Of the af- 4.
. fairs Of the department they de- 1.
= sire tc appeal to.1 =
:. q 8 = = y
AT Mandan.
AS to the working out Of the plan:
at Mandan, w fl, stutsman, who was
over yesterday, said that the propo-.
sition would carry again in that city
with greater majority than was Civ
en- the plan before; that while this;
year the taxes were unusually high,
they were going to wipe out current
indebtsdness and for improvements