The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-11-10
(6y Carl Bernhardt.)
ARTICLE 4.

James G. Berryhill, OF Des Moines
Iowa. is known as the Father of the
Des Moines Plan" This does not
mean that other men were not intense
1y interested in the movement-that Ii
not the Des MOines way. Every
thing there, is done by cooperation Ito
such an extent that by consistent and
harmonious boosting the town grew
from 10000 to over 10000 in \ little
over ten years. But 1t is none the less
true that to Mr.. Berryhill belongs most
Of the credit for the Des Moines Plan
as It stands today.
Mr.. Berryhill is of type Of Ameri-
can citizen, which, while becoming
more numerous, was not common
many years ago. While he is a veal
thy man. he is recognized all over the
state Of Iowa as . man who is intense
" interested In problems years before
they come actually into tho public
mind. He il recognized by the aver
age man as belonging to that desirable
class of wealthy men who take an in
terest in their fellows without patron
izing them; he is interested in better
ing conditions-yet he is not reform
err or that ineffective but too often
offensive. good citizen" who only
muddles things. He Is not unpopular
on account of his financial standing,
and this in addition to his personal
1ikeable qualities, because he has not
made his money at the expense of 9TH
ers, but through sheer force Of analytic
shrewdness and power to solve per-
picking questions by resolving them
anto their elements.
eerryhIlI and the Plan.
These forces Berryhill brought to
the solving of the municipal problems
Of America, not for Des Moines, alone,
but for all, because Des Moines, as l
have explained, was simply town ex-
hibiting all the features of the old
plan.
II is interesting to note that Berry
hill. himself, framed the bill which
gave Des Moines its old form Of gov
Yernment, when he was in the legisla-
ture in the later sos. That plan was
mayor, council elected from the wards,
board Of public works, police commits
sioners, school boards and-just the
same old plan we have all over the
United States. No one thought Of
anything else then.
But after he had framed the bill and
seen 1t in operation every day in Des
hfoines It is pre-eminently like Berry
hill to start in and work out a solution.
That solution Is the Des Moines Plan.
And Berryhill. who though a rich man,
had been q conspicuous figure in Iowa
politics simply because he attacked
corporate aggrandizement-the rail-
roads, had the peoples confidence.
Support Of the People.
have outlined the condition In Des
Moines as q result of the typical ward
government with a mayor and board OF
works. The people can not be said
to have been anything but indifferent.
.Good citizens movements and "re-
form" spasm. there were in plenty. but
these were as usual. abortive and inef-
fective and inefficient, as they were
elected or defeated.
The people of Des Moines are 3
hard headed progressive lot, and when
their attention was called to the situa-
ton of the city affairs with large
debt staring them. In the face; wishing
10 buy the water works-but kept in
debt by the forces favorable to that
corporation so that the city OF Des
Moines could not buy 1t, thanks to its
statutory limitation of Indebtedness
then they got busy.
It was not reform" say.
Reform would have let the old sys-
tenn stay and have tried to put good
men," meaning men of good morals"
In office But Des Moines was tired Of
The grafters. tired Of reform" tired
81 good citizens leagues."-tired Of
he whole system.
And In this they were right.
The old system is the weak part.
History Of Des Moines Plan.
In getting the history of the Des
Noines Plan l was In touch with Mr..