The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-09-17
THEY LIKE THE PLAN
DES MONIES PEOPLE ARE PLEASED
WITH THEIR NEW SYSTEM.
How That Municipality Has Saved
Money Under the Commission
Form of Government; Publicity
Leading Feature; Contractors Are
Not the Whole Thing; An Unique
Attack Was Repealed.
[From st. Paul Dispatch.]

sion plan of city government and is
satisfied with it." said 1. T. Jones, as
sociate editor of "City Hail." the bull
letin of the League of American Mu-
inequalities, today. Mr.. James arrived
in st. Paul yesterday from Des Moines.
He is beginning year in advance to
arrange for the next annual meeting
of the league in this city.
"The commission plan will never be
tested fully" said Mr.. Jones in answer
TO suggested weakness, until the
commission is composed of five thieves
or grafters. Then we would find out
definitely whether under that plan the
commissioners could form close cor
poration, keep their misdeeds quiet and
remain in office as machine politicians
do now in some of our cities.
Publicity Is a Leading Feature.
st seems to me as though the COM
mission plan is safeguarded in this
respect, but nothing conclusive can be
said while all of the commissioners are
good men, as at present. You see every
thing the commissioners do is public.
They must make record of every
act. 1t is all given to the public.
think it is in sufficient detail to make
lit impossible for band of scheming
commissioners to get together and cover
iup Their misdeeds.
'In Des Moines, the commissioners
all go out of office at once. Every
two years there is an opportunity for
an entire new set of officers"
eyes, the commissioners have the ap-
pointment of the auditor" said Mr..
Jones, in answer to another question.
ut is possible that this office ought
to be elected as check upon the
commission"
Contractors Are Eliminated.
Under the commission plan Des
Moines has made the departure of do
ing it's public work directly rather than
through contractors. The method has
saved the city money and has pro-
duced better results. Material is pur-
chased through bids and supply con-
tracts. The construction is in the
hands of city officers. Labor is di-
rectly employed. Much street improve
ment has been done in this way at
lower cost than ever before, and the
work appears to be of better quality.
Des Moines is showing on a large
scale what has been accomplished in st.
Paul in tile making of some of it's park
roads, notably Lexington boulevard.
just now Des Moines is about to
undertake the erection of a public
building to cost between 100000 and
$4OO,OOO. 1t is to be built in the same
way, probably being unique expert
ment in that respect.
No Desire for Return to Old System.
There is no demand whatever for
change in the Des Moines plan by any
group of citizens. Little criticism of
tl.e plan is heard The most persistent
portray the commissioners as inhar-
!monious in their meetings, Mr.. Jones
says.
"That is sign of official health"
said Mr.. Jones. "While there is diff
ference of opinion and some noise and
contention, one may be pretty certain
that everything is in pretty good
shape. When everything is perfectly
smooth and harmonious, running noise
lessly and without friction, then is the
time to have care"
NJ. Jones said that at the recent
convention in Montreal the commission
form of government was under fire
| by some of the old line officers and
politicians He told story illustra-
/ ting the line of attack. After San
Diego's mayor had finished his paper
on "City Charters a Detroit council
man arose and quizzed the mayor
something as follows:
Unique Attack on Plan Repealed.
"You say that the Southern Pacific
is in control of California citizens?"
eyes"
"And they subsidize every city gov
eminent except that of San Diego?"
EYES,"
"And some of the cities have, as San
Diego once had, twenty seven, or sew
enteen or fifteen or nine aldermenf"
EYES,"
NOW Will YOU tcii AuC WucUhCi yoo
consider it easier to subsidize twenty
seven, or seventeen, or fifteen, or nine
councilmen, than to subsidize five, the
number you now have in San Diego?"
"The mayor hesitated Bit" said
Mr.. Jones. ct was a clever assault
and took him by surprise. He soon
pointed out, however, that the recall
gave the people such control over these
| five that it would be useless to sub
sidize them.
Two Great Gains Achieved.
"Two things must be realized in eff
ficient city government" said Mr.. Jones.
"The unity of the city first, wiping
out the ward lines. Then the definite
fixing of responsibility. These are the
lines along which an efficient charter
making is being conducted. Whatever
device secures these ends is step in
advance"
| Mr.. Jones said he was inclined to
think that in larger city the number
of commissioners ought to be increased
so that department work may be more
infinitely specialized, and so that every
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