Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-09-08
GOVERNING GOOD
BY COMMISSION
IDEA SPREADING FAST IN CITIES
OF ThE MIDDLE
WEST.
MoRE IOWA TOWNS FOLLOWING
EXAMPLE OF les
MONIES.


forces which are at worI in the mid
die west for a more eficient govern
ment than has been found possible
under the old system OF ward repre-
senta- on are gaining ground rapidly
In no section of the country is the
science of municipal government re-
Eceiying such close popular attention.
The middle west is taking to the com
mission form of government More
| than dozen cities are now operat-
ing under it, and the success that
has attended its operations has in
spired an agitation for its adoption i'll
many others.
Briefly, the commission form on
| government is designed to eliminate
craftsmanship in municipal affairs, and
ito operate municipal government as
& business proposition 1t substi-
tutes for an unwieldy legislative
body ana numerous elective officials
with a divided responsibility, a board
usually of five men, in whom is cen
tered the appointive. power of all sub
ordinates, and the responsibility for
| the proper conduct of the municipal
| itys affairs. The recall" is feat
/ ure of all charters Politics is eIimi-
mated by providing for candidacy by
| petition for the primaries in which
the two highest candidates for each
office, regardless of party, become the
/ opponents at the final election. Thus,
/ 1t might be that all of the candidates
/ would be members of one political
/ party. The result so far has been,
without exception in any city, a gov.
ernment Oh business lii in which
efiicielcy counts, and where every
dollar spent brings a return of 100
cents in service.
There isn't anything in that kind
Of government for the politicians, and,
natm ally, the professional politicians
are lie chief opponents of the com.
! missi n form. In one or two III
stanc where commission govern
ment has been proposed, the politl.
clans ave defeated it Theirs has
been only temporary advantage.
however, for ultimately the protago
nists of the commission form have
won.
Change in Kansas City, Kan.
A notable and recent instance OF
this was in Kansas City, Kan. city
of 10000 people, and now the lare
est city which has adopted the new
form. Following the passage of the
law by the Kansas Legislature pro-
| vding for commission government
in cities, Kansas City, Kan, voted on
the question The politicians, who
had misruled the city for years and
saddled upon it staggering debt,
fought the commission form from
every angle. They labelled it silk
stocking" ogvernement, and declared
II un-American, misrepresentation.
and extrayagant, and asserted that il
would permit the successful candi.
dates to build up a self-perpetuating
machine the people never could get
rid of. The people had not had suffi-
c ent time to become familiar with
the new form of government and
called in another for payment this
fall. And so well is the city gov
erned that it has attracted attention.
For years the city stood stills Now
it shows gain in population of 81
600 in two years, several new manu-.
featuring plants have been started,
and so much public and private inn
provement is under way that the city
has been fored to advertise abroad
for laborers. In the second election
under commission government, the
politicians put up a ticket, but didn't
get enough votes to count.
In Iowa the new idea is spreading
/ = 80. Des Moines, of course, was the
| first city to adopt the new form. Its
first annual report, issued a few
weeks ago, showed highly efficient
I administered on, which. in one year,
made a saving over the old govern
ment of s225.000. and at the same
time gave better service. Keokuk
and Cedar Rapids have since adopted
the Des Moines plan, and several
other cities in the state probably will
within the next year.
In Other Statea.
dorado Springs has just held its
first election under a new charter,
which provides for commission gov
ernment. The plan there is, in many
of its features, a distinct advance
over the older form of commission
government in Houston, Galveston,
Dallas, and Fort Worth, Tex. st.
Joseph. Mo-, city of $4,000 people,
sill vote in September on new char
ter which, while it does not exactly
provide It, gets as near to commission
government as the laws of Missouri
viii permit The new charter will
abolish the present council, made up
of ward representatives, and win sub
st,n.e for il body of five council
men elected at large The number OF
elect We offers is rdueei and author
ity is centered in the mayor.
Oklahoma has provided for commits
sion government in its cities, and in
seye, al OF them an agitation is nov
rider way for the adoption of the
rlan
Commenting edtorially on a recent
article, which gave the record OF the
/ first year in Des Moines under the