The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-30
CITY HALL NEWS.
Danger of Topeka People Ex-
pecting Too Much
Says Mayor Green in Reference
to Commission Form.
TAXES DROP SLOWLY
Conditions Make 1t Impossible
for Immediate Decrease.
Other Items of Interest From
the City Building.
TAXES DROP SLOWLY

the commission plan of government,
/ said Mayor Green this morning. They
have an idea that the taxes are going
] to drop all at once and a big change
will come over the city,
| Mayor Green has brought out a point
that should be carefully guarded by
the people of Topeka. The commission
| form of government is a great and
| marvellous improvement over the old
| council form but for the first few years
1t is not going to create such a notice
able cut in city taxes. This is almost
an impossibility until the system gets
in smooth running order. However
the taxes will not be higher than at the
} present time and will undoubtedly drop
! slowly in short time.
| Mayor Green brought out a good
| point this morning when he compared
the tax system in Topeka with that of
| Kansas City. So many people have
| complained of the taxes in this city be-
| ing as high as they are in Kansas City
and in some cases higher. 1t is an easy
matter to explain. In Kansas City the
| people are not taxed for the grading
and the intersections in paving. The
people who pay directly to the city for
| paving are the ones who paw for the
grading and the intersections. In To-
| peka the city at large pays for all of
this work and 1t is 40 per cent of the
cost. Last year the levy was $4,000 or
| almost one mill. This year the paving
will cost the city at large over 200.
This is a very important item,' said
the mayor very truthfully this MORN
! ing.
In the second place Kansas City
charges an occupation tax. This taxes
every place of business in the city and
! amounts to thousands of dollars every
year Topeka has no such tax and thus
no such revenue. Thus it can be seen
! that the people of Kansas City do no.
| have the taxes of Topeka as a whole
but individually they are much heavier
taxed than in this city. AS Mayor
Green stated 1.-THE levy seems larger
| but the tax is really less In Topeka
| less on active business"
1t is generally conceded that the
main obstruction against the commits
sion form of government in Topeka Is
the present mayor and council and the
| administration of the city at this time.
This is broad statement but it is
| true This does not mean that the
mayor and council are fighting the
| proposition with adverse ideas on the
| subject but in plain words it means
| that they are doing the city so much
good 1t is impossible to make the peo-
pie believe that there is anything
better.
| In all of the cities where the commits
sion form of government has been
| adopted the councils have been mixed
| up in scandal after scandal and they
| have disgraced their city. AS Lafayette
! Young saba child of a city alder
man was afraid to go to public school
| because of the jeers and the disgrace
| heaped upon him by his playmates." In
! Topeka the administration-the- mayor
| and the city council-have given To-
peka the greatest city government IN
| her shistory-and on. account of this the
| people are not anxious to adopt the
| commission form. IS
| 10, Il xxy11e on
there is a chance to have better the
| people should jump at the chance.
| Il know that there has not been a
councilman in the last six years of my
| work in the city hall who has been
| guilty of graft or who has been open
to the work of grafters," said Mayor
Green this morning. of course this
| is a marvellous record for city dur
ing this time when the municipal gov
| ernments are the disgrace of the
| United States. But I am in favor of
the commission form of government
in spite of the honesty and the capa-
| bility of the Topeka aldermen. When
| it is possible for the people to have
better 1 think that they should have
| it." sre. a.
| This from the mayor of the city
| and a man who is in place to see all
| the defects of the present system of
| city government. And Mayor Green
| is not the only man who realizes all
|
| councilmen are in favor of the new
| plan and as Mr.. c. E. Jordan from the
| First ward said-''We know as well
| as the critics that this council system
| Is low and weak. There should be a
| change"
The present administration of this
| city is running the affairs of the city
on as economical basis as possible.
There are no misrepresentation OF
| funds in this city and the city council
| cooperateS with the administration
along economical lines. But with the
| commission system the economy could
be carried further and the city would
be under lighter burden than ever.
1t is very true that the first COM
| missioners in Topeka will have a hard
time to carry out their party promises
i by party" the supporters of the
commission plan are meant. But il
will be easy to prove to the people OF
the city that the commission form is
by far the best-a proof that has
been made all over the country and is
being made today The mayor and
city council of this city is good bui
the commission plan is better.
| City License Collector Mattingly
has turned in his monthly report
which has broken number of rec
ords at the city hall. In all $1,276.9G
has been collected for the month OF
June. Mr.. Mattingly will not cele-
brate the Fourth but instead he will
stay in the office and enforce the
laws. All hucksters, automobile driv-
ers, ETC., are due to meet the city Of
| cial at once-or the law will take its
| course in the courts.
| The council chamber is still favor
lite resort in the city for auto owners
A constant stream of drivers besiege
the board of examiners every houl
and they are registering as fast az
possible. They are having very little
trouble considering all of the threats
and the reports which preceded the
registration The age limit of eigh-
teen years is still causing discussion
but it is being enforced to the letter
L 4, IT. l. l.