Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-01-01
some VIEWS ON COMMITS
SION PLAN AS EXPRESSED III.
BY THE PEOPLE OF MANDAN

III HILL
In Mandan the commission plan o.
municipal government will have fin
ished it's first year next Monday
when the commissioners will submit
to the people a full statement Of
their stewardship, the reading OF
which will prove interesting to Bis
marck citizens who desire further
light on the subject.
In speaking Of the plan President
Proudfoot stated to the Tribune that
he did not care at this time to make
any statement, inasmuch as the re-
port of the commission would soon be
made public. Questioned as to, some
of the features of the system, he
said that the sole aim Of the com.
mission had been to conduct the
city's affairs ON strictly business prin-
ciples and he believed they had sue
ceeded. There had been many rough
places to get over and considerable
complaint on this and that matter,
but on the whole they had got along
much better than they had expected
In view of the newness of the plan
and inexperience with the system. He
said that he had advocated that all
complaints be made to the board by
letter or postal, that this had been
done in most cases and as q result
each days mail was taken up by the
individual heads Of departments as a
business man would handle his mail
and where possible every complaint
was looked into the day it was made
and in most cases the remedy was as
quickly applied. o>1-.'-s
The Tribune interviewed probably
fifty residents Of Mandan as to their
opinion Of the plan and but seven of
the number said they preferred the
old system, and later it was found
that most of these opposed on purely
personal grounds, the general good
being lost sight OF in their own griev-
ance. ?.
One prominent business man said
the taxes we're unusually high. but he
had paid his without a murmur for
he believed the money was being we'll
spent. He instanced the fact that bids
had been called for for some excava'
ton work and the lowest was $1.40
per yard. The commissioner in charge
Of the streets thought this was too
high, and had the work doneaby the
city at an expense of ninety cents. He
said he could mention many exam
pies of savings Of this kind. and, al
though he had opposed the plan, and
even now believed the old plan-vsith
as good oficials-was the best, he
was willing to give the new one
thorough trial.
1.-THE commission plan is all right,
said a railroad man. 1.-TWO years ago
I made complaint to the chairman Of
the street committee about the con-
dition of the steet in front of my
house. He referred me to the alder
man from my ward, through whom.
he said, the complaint should come.
l saw my alderman: he said he would
attend to it; weeks gent by and no
thing was done; l saw him again and
we then saw the chairman together.
but that street was never fixed Last
summer called the attention of the
commissioner in charge of the street
department, under our present sysr
tenn, to the condition of things and
the next day the street was repaired.
L could cite you q number of In
stances where under the new system
complaints to the heads of depart
ments got speedy action, a thing IN
known when we had the afdermanic
eystem-there were too many men on
the Job under the old way and little
was ever done, but under this plan
anything that is possible to be done
is done at once"
The Tribune found many instances
of this kind among the men inter
viewed and it was found that the ap-
peals OF the poor man got as ready
response a. those Of the rich one.
Both workingman and merchant
heartily Endorsed the commission sys-
tenn and the sentiment was general
that II voted on again it would carry
with a greater majority than before.
A year, ago Mandan was In bad
way financially. with many thousands
of dollars in :. outstanding indebted
ness. Not only was this the case.
but no provision had been made 70
care for Indebtedness incurred years
ago There was no money to do any
thing with and the needs Of the city
y u . = 49, "a