The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-04-02
TAKES IN ALL CITIES
MANKATO COMMISSION BILL TO
BE AMENDED, IT'S THE HOPE.
Big Crowd Expected to Hear the AID.
dresses That Will Be Delivered By
Colonel Lafayette Young and
John Macvicar, Who Know ALI
About the Des Moines Plan OF
Municipal Government.

Senator S. d. Works has offered an
amendment to the Mankato commits.
sion bill so that all cities in the state
can take advantage of the law, if they
so desire.
! Both the amendment and the bill
were laid over till after the address
to be given before the legislature next
Thursday night by Colonel Lafayette
Young and John MacVicar of Des
Moines.
Mr.. Works called attention to the
two addresses and said he would not
ask for action until the senator's had
the opportunity of hearing from the
distinguished authorities on the SUBJ
iject.
Commissioner MacVicar and Colonel
Young will arrive in st. Paul Thurs.
day morning.
Des Moines is operating under what
is known as the Des Moines plan,
which is a revision of the Galveston
plan, control of the city by the mayor
and four commissioners elected at
large.
Expect a Large Crowd.
1t is probable that all available space
in the house chamber will be filled at
the meeting at s D. M, when the Des
Moines men deliver their addresses.
Commissioner MacVicar is one of the
best known municipal experts in the
west, and is an apostle of the new
form of city government. Largely
through his efforts the commission
plan has been made successful in
lowa's capital city. He is a warrior
for municipal reform, and a believer
in the idea that the ward system of
electing councilmen is vicious, and that
an upper house and lower house for
handling city's business is cumber-
some.
"Centralize and responsibility" Mr..
MacVicar says, "and you know where
to 90 for reforms"
Standing six feet tall, possessed of a
cold gray eye, shocky mass of iron
gray hair, erect, and the personifcation
of CONCEALED energy, Mr.. MacVicar
looks the part of a fighter who wants
to meet the foe half way, and possi--
| bly, 60 mite further. Within the
year just passed he has waged a bat.
tie against public service corporations
which has been a revelation. Not
many months ago, while looking over
financial paper published in Boston,
Mr.. MacVicar saw an advertisement
from the Des Moines Electric Light
company, in which an issue of bonds
was offered for sale. The advertise
ment said the company was in pros
porous condition, was paying large re-
turns upon the investment, and that
another dividend was about to be de-
clared.
/ didn't know the company was do
ing so well,' Mr.. MacVicar said "Ill
have to see about their rates."
The commissioner made an investiga
ton, compared their rates with the
rates charged i'll other cities, and drew
up an ordinance reducing them SO l-3
per cent
you're getting too fat off Des
Moines,'' he said "You are a public
service corporation. You must cut
your rates"
Company Stormed and Raved.
The light company stormed and
raved. 1t refused to make any reduc-
ton whatever But the city council
passed the ordinance setting forth a
new schedule and the company went
into the courts.
Before the case came to trial, Mr..
MacVicar showed the company the in.
formation he had gathered
"There's not court in the United
States that would give you yer.
dict after this showing" he said "You
are charging Des Moines sos year
for an all-night arc light Kansas City
pays S65. You can do as WELL"
A conference followed. Weeks passed
by and warrants in payment for lights
at the new rate piled up. The COM
pany would not accept them. Finally.
when there was $4,000 due the light
company ran up the white flag. It
saw thousands of dollars accommodating
which it dared not touch because the
warrants We're issued for payment in
full" 1t saw public sentiment being
nodded against it and it saw a long
legal fight ahead. 1t surrendered
accepted the new rate.
Mr.. MacVicar then turned his at
tention to the gas company. The city
was paying $22 for gas lights on the
moonlight schedule. The company had
but a year before served notice that
| it was going to raise its rate, and had
raised it from SIT. Mr.. MacVicar
caused a new ordinance to be drafted,
requiring the company to furnish the
lights at $l7-the old figure.