The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-10-15
SURE AN IDEAL PLAN
COMMISSION FORM OF GOVERN.
MENT IS PRAISED.
John 2. White of Chicago Says the
New System Gives An Efficient
Administration; Under Its Pro-
visions Officials May Be Called to
Account; the Movement Has TAX
en- Deep Root in Canada.

Chicago. lecturer and student of polit-
zeal science, gave talk at luncheon
to day at the Commercial club in which
he discussed the COMMISSION plan of
municipal government. Mr.. White is
on his way TO the Pacific coast on a
lecture tour including northwestern
cities in the United States and Canada.
At his hotel, he talked entertaining
~ of the commission plan.
In the commission plan" said Mr..
White, as combined the efficiency of
the monarchy and the safety of the
republic. The monarchy is an efficient
government because there is concen
trated in the monarch all the power
and the authority of the government.
When the car wants thing done he
orders it done. Immediately it is ac-
eomplished. But monarchy is deficient
because it does not give the people
any means of defending their rights.
ION the other hand, the republic,
with its diffused authority, and re-
sponsibility, gives the people reason
able means of defending their rights,
but is cumbersome and inefficient as
an instrument of government The
thing TO be desired is governmental
system which is as efficient as a mon
archy and which safeguards popular
rights at least as well as a republic
This we have in the commission plan.
Administration Must Be Efficient
There YOU have the mayor, who is
the chief executive officer, and the
commissioners, who are heads of de-
partments. Together they have the
executive and the legislative power
Being small body of men, who as
executive officers know with eXactness
the needs of the city. they can easily
reach conclusion as to what ought
to be done. Having full authority, they
can act quickly. They are free entire
ly from the checks and balances which
make the Montesquieu system so cum
bersome-the checks which somebody
said recently in our municipal gov
eminent, in checkmating the people.
''On the other hand, the commission
II ~ SllldH llitO We, tHO. Vail
watch every man. If there is any
thing wrong in any department, the
leople can ask that department head
responsibility or put it on the commits
A0n as whole. There can be no
shifting
May Call Officers to Account.
''When the people have fixed the re-
sponsibility, they have a direct way of
calling their officers to account. If the
officers have not done what they We're
desired to do by the public, the public
has the initiative to compel its officers
to act. If something has been at
tempted against the interest of the
public, the people have the referendum
to stop it. If an officer pdoves inef-
ficient, the people can remove him
through the recall.
when the plan was first started
in Galveston it was to meet an emer-
gency situation. The efficiency part
of the plan only was looked after In
such an emergency, the best men were
called to the front. 1t would not
public confidence at that time There
fore the plan worked well. But it
left out the important consideration
of furnishing a means for defense of
popular rights.
''Des Moines furnished that means
the recall. Berkely, CAL, in my judg
ment, improved upon that plan. It
found better election method.
Praise for Grand Junction Charter
Grand Junction, Col, recently adopt
ed a commission charter which in my
Judgment, is the best of all. 1t pro-
vides for preferential voting, enabling
the duty to settle everything in one
election at minimum of expense.
That, however, is but a detail. The inn
portant thing is to concentrate au
thority so as to get efficencc, and to
furnish by initiative, referendum and
recall means of popular defense
against the abuse of that authority.
"The success of the commission plan
is shown by the fact that it has i'm
pio'Su NoiiNitioi9 NfSi w hVlC. IL 10
tried, and you could not get it away
from the city that has it. In Des
Moines, there is but a negligible num-
Der of persons dissatisfied with the
plan.
The full publicity it gives all trans
actions of the government is another
point in it's favor. They have uniform
accounting to that everybody can I'M
derstand the public accounts, and full
publication, so that everybody is in
formed. If anything is wrong it is
very simple to set the defensive ma
chinery in motion.
Movement Spreads Over Many States.
Recently in Illinois body of lao
mayors asked that the governor in
clude the commission plan in his call
for a special session of the legisla-
ture. As soon as the plans simplicity
and efficiency is realized, it is favored
everywhere.
I'm Oregon, there is movement to
adopt a commission plan of state gov
eminent. The simplicity, the eff
cheney and the security of the plan, as
it has worked in municipalities, APP