The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-03-19
DR. ELIOT ON A COMMISSION GOV
EMINENT
VIII Remedy Many EViIs-ImproVe
ments Made at Small Cost

lege, maze an duOleoS OH @'
night. and in speaking of the commits
sion plan, he said:
ct have found it most astonishing
what a small body of men can make !
a good government. l have, for the !
past two years, studied the question
of remedying the evils which exist I'M
most of our antiquated forms of mu-
nicipal government have found
that everywhere, and among thinking
men the question of a change of city
has awakened the great
est and the keenest interest. l Rave
been to Texas, the first state to try
the commission form of government
I want to say right here that Atlanta,
like a great many other American
cities, has a very ancient and anti.
ouated form of government, with its
common council its aldermanic
board and its other boards or commit
tees"
Dr. Eliot said that today a dozen,
cities in Massachusetts are trying the
commission form of government with
great success. In other. cities one
board had taken the place of two, and
all ward elections had been abandon
ed.
The Galveston. Charter
Just three men, he said, "prepar-
ed the Galveston charter for a com
mission form of government. Calves
ton was bankrupt. The commission
has saved the city. Five men on the
commission got the city out of debt,
and are making the finest public i'm
iprovements. with email costs to the
property owners. Houston, Dallas,
Des Moines and other cities are try
! ing the commission form of govern
ment. all with marked success. The
results, from business point of view,
are simply wonderful
He spoke of the cities that have the
commission form Of government, and
compared them to those that still
have the old form, and said in every
instance the difference was marked,
and demonstrated that the change
had done great good.
Il have. found" he said, that in
every city where there is now the
commission government that city at
fairs are conducted in a more bust
Iness-like manner and the savings in
the purchase of supplies have been
prodigious."
He said that one good thing accom-
iplished was the failure of the old pc
lIitical machines to control city legis
lation.
In Boston" he stated, where there
are thirteen aldermen and seventy-five
councilmen, steps are being taken tC
secure a commission government. L
is believed in Boston, as in other cit
les. that ineff1ciency and incOmpeten
CIV, rather than dishonesty, is wha
causes the old form of city govern
ment to fall into disfavor Wher'
1.-THE commission form of government
, has been adopted, good business mel
have been found who are ready an,
= willing to serve their people. Sucl
; is not the case where there are cOun
ellis and boards. In Chelsea, Mass
there is not only a commission form
of government, but the governor o
the state appoints the commissioners
Iowa has a state law which allow
cities to use the referendum, the in
tiative and the recall"
About Police Boards
Once during his remarks, DR.. Elio
said something about boards, an
stated that in Boston there was NOR
trouble with the police board tina
with any other. The laughter tina
followed was not understood by hir
> until someone nearby put him wise
the situation in Atlanta.
DR.. Eliot said that there was
. great deal of printed matter abOU
THE commission form of municip;
- government and that the elite
that were trying that kind Of gOverl
ment were kept busy answering il
>, Quiries. He said it showed that I'll
" American people we're awakened
" the necessity Of serhe sort of chans
- in the management of municipal a
-. fairs.
Alderman Huddleston asked D
Eliot if the cities ne had menriont
allowed the people to vote on Il
Inew charters His reply was tn
some of them did In Newport Il
=. Ipeople voted on all taxation and Il
expenditure of money.
There is one thing | want to add
said Or. Eliot. and that is wherev