The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-09-24
GIVES PLAN A BOOST
C. HERBERT MOORE PRAISES THE
NEW SYSTEM FOR CITIES.
Declares 1t to Be Real Thing; People
Want Good Government and Eff
cient Management of Public At
fairs; Have No Sympathy With
Ring Politicians Who Strive to
Control Affairs; Voters in Saddle.

C. Herbert Moore, who is represent
ing the Spokane Chamber of Com
merce during the tour of the honorary
commercial commissioners of Japan, is
an enthusiast in the cause of good
government, says The st. Paul Dis
patch. He was formerly mayor OF
Spokane, his term having expired last
May, and during recent years he has
been waging an active fight for bet
ter things in his city. He believes in
the commission plan, in business meth
DDS applied to municipal government,
and has been assisting in a campaign
for such a commission for Spokane.
The commission plan is the real
thing for a city" said Mr.. Moore to-
day. 1T is the commonsense method
of handling the business of a munich
pality. and it is bound to win. All
that is required is a campaign OF ed
ucation to get the people to under
stand its advantages and the disad-
vantages of the present method of
administering the affairs of our mu-
inequalities.
People Don't Want Machine Politics.
The people want good government
and efficient management of public
affairs. They do not %sympathize with
the ring politicians who strive to con-
troll affairs in most cities. The politi-
clans, of course, do not like the no.
tion of business methods in the pub
lies business, and they are opposed
to a change. But the politicians con-
troll only a very small proportion of
the voters. Give me the means of Sc
curing publicity for any good meas
ure, and | should not be afraid of
the political rings. The people do
their own thinking, and they want to
do what is right. All that is needed in
the campaign for the commission plan
of government is to have the people
understand it.
Il believe that the system of alder
men and city councilmen chosen to
represent the various wards of a town
is the curse of our American cities.
II ISSulto III poNiohoSS INV NV"
vagance. 1t leads to divided response
bility and to red tape. Better far to
have a commission of five make the
laws of a city, and be held response
bic.
Voters Would Hold Control.
"The great argument the politicians
make against the commission plan is
that it centralize power and tends
to create a clique of municipal czars.
That is all foOlishness. The control is
retained in the hands of the voters
through the recall. The commissioners
are directly responsible to the public,
and they may be depended upon to
be very careful as to what they do.
They will not propose legislation not
in the best interests of the city. If
they should do. so, the people could
veto it through the referendum.
1T is h~oary-headed fiction in this
country that we should have men
chosen from the various wards to rep
resent the people of a city in the
management of municipal affairs. That
idea is fostered by the politicians. As
a matter of fact, what difference does
it make to a voter and taxpayer
whether the affairs of a city are
handled by five men chosen from five
parts of the city or by five men liv-
ing in a row? The taxpayer does not
care about the part of the city in
which the commissioners reside, so
long as they are efficient. The idea
of representatives for the various city
districts, or wards, is a relic of times
past, and is bound to 60. The commits
sion plan is the application of business
methods to a business proposition, and
it is destined to win as soon as the
people realize what it means"