The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1909-04-22
COMMISSION PLAN
BEST FOR CITIES
At Least Parsons College Students
Convince Judges.
PENN PUTS UP A GOOD FIGHT
But Her Representatives Are Unable
to Produce as Effective Argu-
ment as Did the Visitors
From Fairfield.

Oskaloosa that she and all other
cities in the United States should
adopt the Commission form OF gov
eminent and in spite of the opposi-
ton offered by representatives of
Penn College, the judges confirmed
their advocation. The debate was
given in the Penn chapel Friday even
ing before large crowd of enthusiast
tic students and friends, Parsons af-
firming and Penn denying that
Every City in ,he United States
Should Adopt the Commission Plan
of Municipal Government" The ar
guments offered on both sides of the
question vert strong and convincing
but three judges voted two to one
in favor of the visitors. Nils
The debators for Parsons College
in the order in which thy spoke
were, Ivan Lester Pollock, George
Oliver Writ and Homer Elmer How
ard. The Penn speakers appeared
in the follwing order: e. A. Zeliadt,
Othelio Davis and Ralph Else; Lloyd
Mendenhall was the alternate. The
judges were, Prof Frank F. Amy, OF
Iowa College, Grinnell; H. M. Eicher,
an attorney of Washington, Ia, and
Roger s. Caller an attorney of Mt.
Pleasant.
James G. McMurtry, Phi. D., profess
sor of Greek at Parsons College and
chairman of the Parsons debating
board, accompanied the Fairfield
delegation. A large delegation OF
Parsons students also arrived late
in the evening and made their pres
ence known.
Mayor L. M. Bacon and members
of the city council were invited mem
bers of the audience and City Soil
citor H. w. Gleason served as chair.
man of the evening. Fifteen minute
speeches were allowed, with ten min
utes for rebutIal.
The line of argument followed by
the affirmative debaters was that oul
present mayor and council form o.
government iss but an adaptation o.
our national and state governments
with the executive and legislative de
partments distinct and separate
The manner of electing the aldermen
has been similar to that of state and
national representatives, one from
each section of the municipality
This plan they held to be too slow
too complex and inefficient for city
government. That it resulted in q
division of power and shifting Of
responsibilities, which they claimed
has permitted and been responsible
for graft and corrupt municipal ma
chimes. The defects shown in the
present form of government they con
tended would be remedied and new
desirable features provided by the
aoption of the substitute-the Com
mission plan. The separation of the
executive and legislative branches
and the representative method OF
electing assemblies they admitted
had been a success in states and the
cipal government they commended
were different from those Of state
and similar to those of the manage
meht of private corporation. The
plan they advocated would rest the
authority of legislation and admins
tration in five or more commission
ers elected at large in the city whose
duties would be fusion of our pres.
ent officers and council and whose
responsibilities would be unquestion
ed and their failure to efficiently con.
duct the municipal affairs would
make them subject to recall at any
time the people wished it. 1t would
allow of promptness instead of de.
lays caused by the waiting for meet
ings of the council under our present
system.
In a nation where the various sec
lions have varied interests 1t is i'm.
perative that they should have a rep
resentative government, but there is
no need for representative body at
the head of a municipal corporation
where the interests are common. A
new bridge, additional paving, clean
streets and alleys and better lights
in one corner of the city is an ad,
vantage to every citizen. The legis-
1ative and administrative functions
in a city are closely allied and could
better be combined, fixing the re.
sponsibilities where they cannot be
shifted.
.
The negative debators contended
that the fusion of legislative and ex-
ecutive branches of the government
was violation of the fundamental
principles of American government,
and that concentration of the two
would invest in one body the authori.
ty to make the corporations collect
the revenues and spend the moneys
of the municipality. And with even
such an undesirable condition the
officials could not be required to give
bond, for 1t is contrary to established
law to have public servant with
legislative authority give bonds. vhe
larger cities, New York for instance,
being as large as several states. de-
tnands a representative government
where the interests OF the different
sctions may be cared for. In Cedar