The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-11-07
Palladium Representative Aft
er Careful Investigation
Finds New Municipal Meth
cd Is Practical One.
CITY CHARTER KNOWN
TO ALL OF VOTERS
Under the System the People
Are Actually the Govern
ment and the Plan Is Not a
Complicated Method.
(By Carl 1ernhardt)
ARTICLE l.

ARTICLE I.
Before the Palladium sent me to Des
Moines to investigate the commission
form of government, in use in that
city. had already become familiar
with the general scheme on which it
is based, from articles on the subject
and from a study of the charter.
had gained some idea of the previous
conditions and what had been accom-
ernment.
To me, as l suppose to every one
who looks at the Des Moines plan
from q distance, it was a more or less
ideal and Utopian development. In
deed, | was by no means certain that
it was not one of those pretty card
impractical dreamers. which are at the
mercy of heavy storms which too fire.
quently occur in city affairs.
Simplicity and Interest.
But what l saw with my own eyes.
and what learned from men who had
daily and actual contact with city
government in Des Moines, was far
from any but the practical side.
soon learned that the very things
which seemed impossibly ideal, were
matters Of course.
Instead Of the plan being complicat-
ed, found that the average citizen
land for that matter men below the av-
erage) knew all about the main points
in the city government and took 1t as
nothing unusual. And then l Won
dered just how many of the citizens in
Indiana towns (outside the legal pro-
fession) could do the same thing with
their own municipal government.
knew that few Of my acquaintances
among the business and professional
men, could explain the Indiana mu-
nicipal code. with its many details
and it is by no means surprising.
But every man whom I talked to in
Des Moines, and I talked to all sorts
of men, in all sorts of business. occu-
patton and conditions, knew the city
charter and its provisions. wonder
cd at this for few minutes and then
| knew the answer.
Government by the People.
The answer Is easy.
Simplicity of government was the
first.
And q close second was the fact that
every man was interested because he,
himself, yes. he. the average, ordina-
nv rpop hoH avorythjpu - da NTH tho
city government whenever occasion
demands.
The people are the government un-
der the Des Moines Plan. And that
being SO. II the plan were complicated
they would know, because for the first
time In late years the people have been
given their own rights. which have
been taken away from them.
1t is the simplicity of the Des Moines
Plan which has given them back their
rights. So 1t Is the interest in their
own affairs-a realization of their own
power which has sent new life into
the people of Des Moines. 1t is no
longer a sullen indifference, bred of
the lost hope that public service cor
porations and political bosses shall
run the government.
That gave me thrill which was
worth travelling the thousand miles
had come. to feel.
Not Reform.
Let no one gain the idea that condi-
tions III Des Moines were better or
worse than they were in the average
American city of today. Nor should
any one get the idea that the men In
office today In Des Moines. as the re-
suit of the first election under the new
plan are reform candidates. or good
citizens" The Des Moines plan,
though far In advance OF the present
complicated municipal government in
force in other places. is not reform
movement"
As Harvey lngham. editor Of the
Ees Moines Register and Leader and
the Evening Tribune. said:
Reform government! Bah, We
have gotten beyond that What we
want Is not good government by
good citizens"--what we want is ef-
ficient government This is growing
town. We want things done. Any
fool knows that competent men can
give competent administration under
any plan Of government that an incom-
petent and imbecile legislature may, in
in its fool!shness. impose on the cities
of its state. Even then the men will
be hampered by complicated form OF
government.
But we have come to know here in
Des Moines that we have elected av.
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