Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-03-30
|1EBATE IS WON
BY UTAHS TEAM
r,rsnsic Discussion Of Commits
chm Form Of City Government
suslains Present System.
ARGUMENTS WELL PRESENTED
o.,yon sends Splendid Men 60 Rep
,,.cnt IT, University, Though Local
smdcnts Are Given Decision.

-.. University OF Utah debating team
49,. evening won the forensic contest
4, which they were pitted against the
.,,t dcbsters Of the oregon univer-
,rv ,r O. spirited debate in the salt
,.g. ,bcater A large and enthusiastic
,,5,srro was present. and frequent PEE
.i,5. of applause Interrupted the good
.,.9fs made by either side.
.ri.. question. Of which the Utah men
s.5 line negative. was: Resolved, Ihat
municipal government by commission Is
,.'.f.rable 10 the prevailing forms OF
American city government Utah was
rsrr,sented by Richard w Young, Jr,
and n. H. Burgess, while oregon
.bar1uious were Thomas Townsend ana
rar Fitzpatrick. The subject was well
handled throughout, and the points
,,l5e by both sides were plainly and
5istir0fiy brought before the minds Of
tbs Judges and the audience. state
senator W. ~ williams acted as mod
orator and the judges were eN-GoV.
urber A. Wells. George =. Holman and
eruf 3D. H. Christensen. the judges
sad u different parts Of the house and
5IF not consult before submitting their
decisions. consequently the discussion
MAS decided purely upon merit and the
ou. vote for oregon was not a comph-
mcrtary one
Mr. Townsend for the affirmative led
on with the statement, which be pro
duced facts and figures TO back, that
the commission form of government.
which no hkencd unto a corporation
had the advantage over the prevailing
form OF mayor and council government,
in that Il was less cumbersome, more
efficient, and enabled responsibility 20
ha Fixed within definite bounds, while
The old plan. dividing as Il does, tho
work and responsibility between me
mayor and sometimes as many as 40
OF more councilmen. responsibility ctn-
not be- definitely fixed and the govern
tnent consequently suffered. The speak
or referred 20 a number OF cities which
had adopted with success the commits
sion form. especially dwelling upon
Galveston. Texas. and Des Moines. The
experience Of these cities showed that
greater efficiency and a thousandfold
greater economy followed the establish
mont of the commission form OF city
government
DEFENDS PRESENT SYSTEM,
Mr.. E. H. Burgess was the first
SPEAKER for the negative. He made the
point that the prevailing form OF city
government had been successfully prac-
Used for more than 80 years. that
jus. as honest and capable men could
bo had under that system as under the
new. which was yet an experiment, ana
that largely boa the few cases where 10
had been tried the result of enthusiast
tia 0utbursts for improved city govern
menu The speaker maintained that
the commission plan presented such un-
limited opportunity for the contraliz-
ing on power and the Introduction Of
graft that the ultimate result would be
tl establish an enormous political ma
chine which would become so firmly
cHtrenChed In IFS power that IL would
De- disastrous for the cities adopting the
plan.
Earl Fitzpatrick for the affirmative, Is
finished dehatcr and iu his argu-
ments brought forth many convincing
statements of how the commission plan
miaht be and is enforced in the cities
adopting the plan. He said the conn
mission form operated with equal e.
feieucy as a legislative and as AN adj
miustI8tiyc body. the commission AS a
whole forming the Legislative part ~
The government, while the commissions
ors individually attending TO the ad-
ministrativc portion, ITO said the fnhl
power is always in the hands Of tho
people. and should "a commissioner
prove rccreant 20 his trust. there IS the
remedy of tho initiative and referen-
dunn and recall TO take from him his