The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-11-17
COMMISSION PLAN OF
CITY GOVERNMENT
Editor Harvey Ingham Makes Lucid Convincing Argument
Favor Of New Method Of Managing Municipal Affairs

Burlington Hawk-Eye: Despite the
unfayorable weather there was a very
good audience at tae Grand opera
house last evening to welcome Mi
Harvey Ingham TO Burlington ana to
hear his opinion of and his experience
with the commission plan of munich
pal government Some two dozen
prominent citizens of all political
faiths occupied the platform, and the
body Of the house was wellfielled.
Mr.. Harvey Ingham.
The gifted editor of the Des Moines
Register and Leader, Mr.. Harvey Ing
ham, who is as much at home on the
platform as ne is in the sanctum, was
given a hearty welcome After a very
brief introduction be plunged immedi-
ately into his subject. He. said in
part:
The great development of interest
in municipal reform, which is noted
the country over. is one of the best
signs of the time. We Americans have
been marvelously successful in the
building up and management of all
sorts of private business enterprises.
but on the otler hand our city govern
ment has not unjustly been character
lied as perhaps the worst possible
The awakening interest in municipal
reform is not confined to any one sec
ton of the country, but it is as wide
as the nation The speaker had at
tended a banquet at Des Moines
Thursday evening, where Senator
Aldrfch was the speaker, and that
distinguished guest pointed out that
the country is on the eve of period
of development, prosperity and expan-
sion, such as has heretofore been I'M
known here. 1t is fortunate that
Iowa cities are interested in the new
plan. 1t will enable them to share
more fully and completely in this mag
nificent development. 1t has been
conceded that with all our advantages
the state has not been moving ahead
as rapidly as it should; our cities have
been bit slow, the rural population
has decreased yet, Iowa should
stand in the front rank, and should be
making tremendous gains. | did not
come to make speech. In Des Moines
we found that more was gained By
simply taking the audience into youl
confidence and answering questions
| The speaker gave brief history Of
municipal government, tracing it bach
to the old New England town meeting
and indicated that commission plar
was return to that old, ideal form
4 of government by the people. Th'
new movement began in Memphis
which had been brought into bal
straits by corrupt officials. a cour
4 declared that city bankrupt, and ap
pointed three trustees, who sooI
/ brought order out of the chaos, ant
i gradually put the city on her feet ant
restored her finances. When Calves
ton was destroyed by the flood, ther,
was much uncertainty as to rebuild
ing, and the men who were the rea
builders fatty refused to consider an.
proposition unless the whole manage
ment of city affairs be taken out 0
the hands of the politicians. Five bust
ness men were finally chosen, and un
der their management things wer
accomplished that would have beel
impossible under the old system, an,
otf raht1tlf tnn
note of what was going on in Calves
ton and adopted similar plan 70
managing her affairs, and then Dalla
fell into line. Mr. Berryhill, promin
ent citizen of Des Mpines, who ha,
, interests in Houston, became interest
ed in the plan and introduced De
Moines to it, and finally the capita
, city adopted it. l am unable to Civ,
you complete list of the cities tina
have adopted the plan, but they ar
: Quite recently Topeka, Kan, an
: Buffalo, n. Y have declared them
! selves for the commission plan. TIL
. city of Boston naS adopted 1t in
I modified form, and will hereafter b
5 ruled by a council of nine members
e all of whom will be elected at large
f If the plan is successful in Boston, an
r there is every reason to believe tina
Y such will be the case, inside of teI
e years there will not be city in tn
1 United States that will not be govern
: ed by commission. The speake
= quoted Joln A. Kasson Judge Dillor
Bryce and other authorities to tn
effect that city cannot be governe
! as state, but must be governed a
corporation THE business of
! city is essentially business, and nc
politics.
Mr.. Ingham quoted the editor Of tn
: Chicago Inter-Ocean, who had invest
gated tle plan in Des Moines, an
!, who asserted the success or failure c
\ the experiment depended entirely upo
: the honesty and capability of the off
! Gals The speaker declared this t
;. be a great fallacy. From the very BIZ
q ginning, all American cities have bee