Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1908-11-25
DIES MONIES PLAN
PROVES ITS MERIT
STRONGLY ENDORSED BY cITI-
zENs AFTER MONTHS OF
RIGID TEST.
DAYS OF WARD HELLER GONE
FOREVER IN IOWA
CAPITAL CITY.

Des Moines, Nov. 21.-No ward lines
nor ward heelers, improved streets,
sidewalks and lights, reduced water
water and electric light rates, all city
funds drawing interest, the city on a
business basis-this in nuthell is
Des Moines after more than half
year of government by commission.
Ask any man you meet on the
streets if the commission form of gov
eminent in Des Moines has been a
success. Nine out of every ten will ans
wer Eyes" most emphatically. Ask
the tenth why he objects to the new
system and pin him down. You'll
find he was an officeholder or a friend
of an Office holder under the old mayor
aldermanic system.
The fight to shelve the old style of
city administration and substitute for
it the Des Moines plan, abolishing
ward lines and political parties and
putting the entire government in the
hands of five men chosen at large, is
too recent to be repeated here. The
change was fought bitterly by every
politician and ward heller in the city.
But the people arose in their might,
tired and sick of mismanagement and
graft and the "Des Moines plan" was
adopted by an overwhelming majority.
If it were to be put up to the people
today, after seven months of expert
ence, the majority by which it carried
last March would be quadrupled This
general satisfaction is the best indica-
ton that the Des Moines plan is
success.
Five Men Rule.
Since April 1, last, the Des Moines
city government had been admins
tered by five men. They are Mayor A.
]. Mathis, who has general supervis-
ion; John MacVicar, superintendent of
public improvements; Wesley Ash,
superintendent of parks and public
grounds; Charles Schramm, who has
charge of finances and accounting, and
John /. Hamery, in charge of the de-
partment of public safety.
Of these five men Mayor Mathis is
a democrat His co-laborers are repub-
licans. But the Des Moines plan abol-
isnes parties completely and the politi-
cal complexion of the candidates did
not enter into their election. The five
ten being selected at primary held
two weeks before the election.
Dire things were predicted by the
outgoing office grabbers when the city
should pass from the old form into the
new But the transaction was effected
without difficulty of any kind. And
when at the very first meeting of the
newly elected councilmen, two dozen
useless inspectors and superintend-
ents were Topped off the city pay
roll, residents of the city began to see
that affairs were getting on business
basis.
From that time on, improvements
have been made all along the line.
While for the most part the changes
wrought by the new commission have
not been spectacular, they have been
along the detailed lines where most
needed. Little savings here and
there have been accomplished, while
the increase of municipal improve
ments, such as paved streets, extern
sion of lights and water mains, replac-
ing of old sidewalks and other matters
which come directly home to the tax
payer, has been phenomenal.
Responsibility Fixed.
Best of all the Des Moines plan per-
mits one to locate responsibility. If
the resident wants to make a COM
plant or a request, he knows just
where to go to do it. Under the alder
manic system, he went first to the al
derman from his ward; then he was
sent elsewhere to a member of the
board of public works or the city en-
gineer and from him to another and
thus it went-no responsibility. no sat
isfaction
Nowadays he walks into the city hall
and without difficulty finds the man
he wants. He has easy access to the
superintendent and lays his troubles
before him. If the superintendent fails
to do as he promises, the citizen
knows exactly where to lay the blame.
The abolition of ward lines has al
SO proven a great municipal benefit.
The old-fashioned ward jobbing has
gone into history. Where formerly one
alderman would trade off his influence
TO another one in exchange for favors
now the superintendent of each depart
ment knows what he is entitled to
and does it, considering the entire
city. There is no place for combina-
tions and conspiracies and conse.
quentiy no complaints that any set of
men control the city council. such as
is too often apparent under the old
ward system.
So much for the general benefits
which the city has received under the
new Des Moines plan. To specify more