The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1909-06-11
WHY THE LOCAL "COMMIS-
SION" PLAN is DOOMED.

1t IS quite evident tnaI the SOcdlleu
local Commission" Plan of govern
ment is doomed to defeat at the polls.
The reasons for this are numerous
and quite sufficient to convince any
thinking man.
The lscal plan is vicious and bad.
1t eliminates nearly all the good points
of the real Commission Plan and In
PRODUCES in their place a number OF
things that are contrived so as to
work great injury to the city govern
ment.
The clause that the commissioners
must be not otherwise engaged"
barring out, as it does, all business
men, is alone sufficient to kill the
measure.
Then it calls for a mayor and two
or four commissioners, at a total sal
airy per year of $4,000 or S7,400. 1t Is
to be presumed that the election, If it
should be successful, would result in
the selection of but two commission
ers besides the mayor. Thus the in1-
tial cost in salaries would be at least
s., 1900, but what is there in the law
to prevent the commissioners from
putting it up to b people to vote
w more commissioners? Absolutely
nothing. Thus the chances are that
before the first year had passed We
would be paying salaries of $7,400-
The total city revenues amount 10
but $4,000 per e With the latter
arrangement in effect, of four COM
m~issioners, almost one-third of this
amount would be required to expend
the other two-thirds. In addition TO
<lo,1 eo1orfnC rorct hn anncidnrn6 rho
salaries of the police and sanitary
forces, the fire department, and then
comes the interest on bonds already
issued and numerous other expenses.
With the present income of h city
these could not all be paid after de
Quoting S7,400 from the s25, 900.
The idea of paying out either $4,000
or $7,4OO to conduct a business of $685.
900 per year is simply absurd. We
have corporations herein Roswell con
Quoting affairs amounting to more
thai a million of dollars per year, the
banks for instance, and it is safe to
say that not one of them pay salaries
to the members of the directory
boards. They pay good salaries to the
managers, but do not throw away
thousands of dollars every ear in use
less salaries TO heir directors.
The city of Roswell is a corporation,
Just like any bank or mercantile busi-
ness. 1t could select a board Of dir
ectors, just as they do, composed Of
efficient business men, with but NOM
inal salaries. We recognize h differ
ence between the conduct of city at
fairs and those of a private corpora
ton. We believe the directors of the
city or the commissioners, whatever
they may be called, should receive a
salary, but the sum named In the To-
cal socalled Commission" Plan is en-
tirely out of sight and unreasonable.
With a capable commission, of two or
three men, a mayor or manager could
be selected at a fair salary and the
business of the city conducted at a
small cost. The commissioners need
meet but quarterly, a capable manager
should be able to manage all the rest.
II he could not, he would not be quail
fled to hold down the position.
The best thing that a be done
under the circumstances is to beat the
absurd plan put before us and at the
next legislature secure the passage of
one that will meet the situation. II
the right kind of a plan cannot De
secured, we are better OFF as we are.
The proper form of commission gov
ernment is successful and the Record
Is sorry Roswell canno vote on such
a plan. 1t has lone wonders wherever
tried. In Dallas, Texas, it has beer
most successful. A recent issue of the
Kansas City Times gives an idea of
the way it has worked there, and we
reproduce 1t for the benefit Of Ut
readers.
The Way Dallas Worked II.
More a been accomplished for