The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-11-16
Palladium Representative In
vestigates and Finds These
Office Holders Belong to
The Universal Type.
GOOD. CANDIDATE FOR
MAYOR WAS DEFEATED
Giving New System Severe
Test, Which Proves the
Plan Is Most Successful for
American Cities.
(By Carl Bernhardt.)
ARTICLE g.

(ey Carl Bernhardt.)
ARTICLE 9.
What sort of men are the Des
Moines officials?" is the question
which must be uppermost in many
peoples minds. For if the officials
are above the average l should agree
with the 'reformers" that all that can
save modern conditions is to elect
good business men to office.
But at the same time it is only too
we'll known that the dream of elect
ing business administration" by
popular vote is one of those impossi-
BILE things which are conspicuous by
their rarity. Indeed it might have
been thought that Des Moines people
having the perspicuity to do away
with the old form of government
would by the same token elect their
business men to hold the positions of
councilmen and head of departments
of the city and regard them as merely
directors of the corporation of Des
MOines.
| Whether the strain Of throwing ov-
er the old form of government caus-
ed a reaction: whether the liberal
element" took flight or not; and
whether the city of Des Moines will
elect business men to office next
time and not politicians; it is certain
that on the occasion of their first
election they elected men who had
been in politics for years in Des
Moines. The business mems ticket
supported by the same men who had
advanced the cause Of the Des Moines
Plan was signally defeated.
| What these originators and promot-
ers of the Des Moines Plan felt when
the election was over was that the
been put into office
Testing the Des Moines Plan.
To my mind nothing has been more
conducive to the actual testing of the
Des Moines Plan. That it succeeded
SO we'll, that the many beneficial
changes in the conduct of Des Moines
city affairs have been so marked,
with the men who were elected, I
consider the triumph of the Des
Moines Plan in operation.
| The men who were defeated were
/ headed by Eugene Waterbury who
is secretary and treasurer of the Wat
erbury Chemical company, one Of the
largest manufacturing drug firms in
the West. He was extremely popular
and had been active in politics be-
| fore, to the great disgust Of the side
walk contractors who were exposed
by him. In all his characteristics
might be we'll summed up as having
been a Rough Rider in Theodore
Roosevelt's regiment of that name
serving for three years. He was de-
feated for mayor.
The Man Who is Mayor.
His opponent was Judge A. J. Math-
is the present mayor. Mathis is a
democrat who has been long in poll
tics. He gained his popularity from
the fact that the liberal element look
ed at him with the affection born Of
having been let off easily when they
were 'pinched." He is shrewd-a
citizen of the plain people. But it is
well to remember that he subsequent
=
to the city which he had retained from
| the city funds. These were the wit
ness fees of men who appeared in
police court and who did not claim
them. However that had been the pre-
cedent under the old plan" and
Mayor Mathis was bred as a politician
under the old plan.
| He was elected mayor
T. L. Hamery who was elected to
the council and who fills the depart
ment of Public Safety was an alder
man under the old regime. He may
be said to be an extremely efficient
man. Yet he is no business mamie
| is a politician pure and simple. He
owed his election primarily to the
| fact that he said and very nearly
| proved that the officials of the street
car company Of Des Moines tried to
| bribe him when he was an alderman.
Yet he has made good in spite of the
! fact that he did not receive the sup
port of the Des Moines business men
Macviear Politician.
John MacVicar who is in charge OF
the department Of streets and public
improvements is by far the most re-
markable man on the Des Moiues
council. He is hated and feared By
many and adored passionately by 9TH
ers. He is secretary of the American
League of Municipalities yet is
the most accomplished and self-con-
fessed politician in Des Moines. He
is regarded even by those who hate
him and his personality as being the
most we'll informed man in the actual