The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-05-08
THE COMMISSION PLAN.

has already called attention-in the
following editorial:
The merry war in the Des Moines
commission might easily be made th~
text of q tissertation Of ;ne folly Of
being too trustful in public matters
1t might be made the basis of TRADE
against commissions and commission
plans. The Journal is not disposed to
do this, but it is disposed to call at
tention to the fact that neither the
commission plan nor any other plan is
a complete panacea for the ills that af-
fiCt cities.
Nothing could be more fallacious
than the idea that a plan of govern
ment can be devised under which men
of mediocre talent or mediocre honesty
will become star administrators. The
weakness of the commission system is
that it places reliance upon that very
idea. 1t leans upon publicity and the
recall to eliminate base motives from
the acts of base men. This cannot be
done. Good government cannot be at
tained that way. The personal ele-
ment is still the controlling one. Bad
men will find ways to make a govern
ment bad under the best system. Good
men will find means to administer
their trust well under the worst sys-
TEN.
The Minnesota cities that are con-
templating the adoption of the COM
mission plan, would do we'll to go slow,
to observe and to investigate. If they
go into the commission scheme, they
must take into consideration that an
extra burden of responsibility is
thrown upon the voters in the selec-
tion of councilmen to be clothed with
executive and legislative powers. This
is a burden which the city voter has
never accepted in full. He is prone 20
vote for the good fellow" for the
neighbor or the friend, or even for the
man who is going to do something"
for some one in whom he is interested.
When a man is elected in such a way,
it is bad enough, though he is chosen
TO legislate only or to execute only.
But when he is chosen to do both, the
situation is infinitely worse.
The commission plan got it's great
start in the experience of Galveston.
But there the circumstances were ex-
ceptional. The city had been destroy
ed. The regular government was par
alyzed in the face of the difficulties
before it, ) committee of picked cit
izens stepped in and took its place.
They brought order out of chaos, and
the people, seeing the good work they
had wrought, sensibly decided to make
them the regular government. If every
city could get as good a commission -
Galveston got, it would get good gov
ernment But, II it got a commission
of as cheap and odorous politicians as
Des Moines appears to have exhumed
for these high places, it could not ex-
pect anything good to come of the ex-
pertinent
When the voters of the American
cities decide seriously and finally to
take more thought and better care of
the quality of city officials, there will
be less talk and less need for talk
about plans"
fTTomorrow is the day to go to
church.
hgNorth Dakota is approaching the
mosquito period.
SS Florida will vote on statewide
prohibition next year.
ESCastro is persistent. He's plan
ming again to return to Venezuela
tEThere is a more general demand
for an equitable taxation than ever
before.
GBThere is general tendency to
'Rah, 'Rah, 'Rah for the little Dutch
princess.
ETThere is reported to be great en-
thusiasm in Cuba over the .evivdl of
racing and cock fighting.
tsBOld Abdul must regret he didn't
kill his younger brother--instead of
sending him to prison.
stESome people are still undecided
as to wether spring or winter weather
lis the most to be condemned
lfgsan Francisco claims to have
cleaned out the bubonic plague but 1t
still has the boodling plague.
G1In all the agitation for railroad
rates-it might be remembered that
North Dakotans can still ride 200
miles for a FIVE spot.
fTNow that TYlman is pacified he
may be expected to use his pitchfork
for other purposes. Perhaps he may
pitch hay to the White House cow
k8-The fact that Mark Twain claims
to believe that Bacon really did write
the works attributed to Shakespeare