Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-05-19
DEs MONIES SYSTEM Of MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT

bers, under civil service regulations.
absolutely controlled the personnel
of the two departments. This police
and fire commission was practically
unknown to the public and uninfiu-
enced by public opinion. Their COM
pensation was insignificant and they
had little to inspire them in the adj
ministration of their trust.
80. The council, which possessed
Legislative functions, was too large a
body. In the city of Des Moines it
was composed of seven aldermen
elected from wards and two at large,
and short time prior to the events
herein referred to two additional
wards were created, which would
have involved an increase of the
| number of councilmen to eleven
Most of the work of the council was
transacted by committees who did
not deliberate publicly. They We're
hard to reach. When the council met
| in open session the members were
| prone to discuss everything from a
! political standpoint. The party con-
trolling the majority of the council
| became absolutely dominant in city
affairs. All appointments were con-
trolled by the majority and the mi
| nority denied n voice in the selection
of the personnel of the various city
departments.
| Sacrificed City Interests for Wards.
The members of the council be-
! ing elected from wards, recognized
the paramount Importance and infiu-
| ence of their respective wards, and
| failed to consider the interests Of
other sections of the city. Comb
nations were effected whereby a ma
| jority of the council, naturally po-
| litical section, should control the
| appropriations of public money
| for public Improvement, and
these funds were expended in
| their respective wards and the mi
nority, who were so unfortunate as
not to be taken into the combination,
were denied recognition. Discrim-
| ination became the rule and the in
tereSt of the entire city was totally
| lost sight of. Mediocre men who
could not be elected from the city as
a whole by reason of their lack of ac-
quaintance and Indifferent capacity,
readily secured entrance to the coun-
ell from wards, and by reason OF
their lack of responsibility to the en-
tire people became neglectful of their
trusts.
"3. Public improvements, which
involved the expenditure of large
sums of money came under the pur-
view of the board of public works
composed of two appointees of the
mayor, confirmed by the council. The
members of the board were not Sc
| lected, as rule, by reason of their
qualifications to perform the duties
| incident to office. Being appointed
instead of elected, they were indie
who felt that their interests were los;
i sight of applied to the board for
recognition. They were Informed that
the matters in question came now
particularly within the purview OF
the council. The council referred
the indignant citizens TO the council
committees, which in turn referred
them to some other department Of
the city. The system, therefor, III
volved great weakness in administra
|, ton, slownesS in action, lack of re
Sponsibility and freedom from ac
cOuntability. The partisan method o
nominating and electing made polit
ical considerations paramount to al
others and put premium upon in
side combinations to the great detri
ment of the public interest.
e ITO meet these evils the De
Moines plan of government was de
: vised. The trainers of the measur,
recognized the fact that our govern
ment, national, state and municipal
p was based upon democratic princi
pies, and, unlike the Texas plan, tn
new system was, made optiona
with our cities and before its adoption
must be approved by majority of tn
voters declaring therefore at a specia
t election called for that purpose.
a "The method of electing the counc
/ is practically a new one. 1t involve
: the selection of double the number @
: candidates for the places to be file
= at formal primary to be conducte
= under the Australian ballot system
+ The ticket thus nominated must ru
y the gauntlet of regular election, an
= the successful candidate must of n,
: cessity receive majority of the vote
: cast at the election. All party term
e which enable the voter to distinguis
n the party relations of candidates al
6