Fergus County Democrat., 1910-12-13
It Is Given Hearty Endorsement at
Meeting of Lewistown Business
and Professional Men.
IS in line
Subject Presented by Judge Cheadle
Committee Is Appointed to
Memorialize Legislature.

Lewistown has the distinction of
being the first city in Montana to
take definite steps towards securing
the commission form of government
and is the first city in the state to
declare in favor of this form Of mu-
! nicipal administration.
At the largely attended meeting
held at the rooms Of the Judith Club,
Thursday evening, under the auspices
| of the Commercial Club, the subject
was discussed at considerable length,
and finally, upon the motion Of John
P. Schmidt, it was decided to appoint
a committee to memorialize the legis-
lative assembly when it convenes and
be presented, permitting Montana
cities to adopt this form of govern
ment. The motion passed without
dissenting vote, and in pursuance of
this action, President David Hilger,
who presided, yesterday named the
following committee to take charge
Of the matter and carry out the in
structions given: John P. Schmidt,
Tom Stout and E. X. Cheadle.
Judge Cheadle's Address.
Judge E. K. Cheadle was intro
duced by Mr.. Hilger as the first
speaker, and The devoted his remarks
entirely to an explanation of the
commission form of government,
likening it to the county government
in vogue here as applied to the city.
Three men, said the judge, were able
to conduct the large affairs of the
county in business-like way, to
exercise authority over an area larger
| than some eastern states, to control
the revenues, amounting to about
| S3OO)0O a year, and to do it all salts
factorily. This was chiefly because
the commissioners were directly re-
sponsible to the people, the board
holding the other officers to strict re-
sponsibility to it. In the city this
responsibility was divided and sub
divided until the real responsibility
was lost sight of. Always the county
was able to get value received for its
money, and this the city was not able
to do. 1t was chiefly on the ground
Of its extreme simplicity that Judge
Cheadle recommended the commits
sion government as compared with
the cubersome, complicated and OBJ
solete form of city government now
in force. 1t was not an experiment,
having been thoroughly tested by
Des Moines, Galveston and numerous
other cities, and it had given salts
faction wherever tried out. The non
partisan business administration was
move in the right direction and had
given excellent results, but it was not
permanent. The cry of partisanship
would be raised sooner or later and
did the local elevators make the
partisan fight once more.
Talk About Wheat.
While the speakers all had more or
less to say about the commission
form of government and all endorsed
Judge Cheadle's view, that was not
the only subject presented at the
meeting. F.. c. Russell brought up
the matter of the Standardization OF
Turkey Red wheat. He found, last
season, that Our wheat had no STAN
dard, owing to the grain products of
the Judith Basin being new in the
world markets, hence it was impos-
sible to determine from the market
prices at the grain centers just what
the Turkey Red of the Judith Basin
"o.id u ing. w I'LL IiC piCoCill ldISC
production here and the certainty of
an enormous increase, variation of
few cents would amount to a very
large sum in the aggregate, and he
believed the matter was of sufficient
Importance to be taken up bv the
Commercial Club. which could carry
on the inquiry and work begun by
him.
President Hilger stated that the
elevators are not making money
through the low price of wheat, nor
did th elocal elevators make the
prices now being paid. Wheat. in
common with other products, had
fallen, due to variety of causes,
However, no harm could be done by
following up this effort to have Tur-
key Red standardized, and a motion
for the appointment of committee
having passed, he named Mr.. Russell,
Frank J. Robinson and Mr.. Hyde as
members of such committee.
Improvement Districts.
w. A. Hedges referred to the i'm
provement districts now completed
and said that the boulevarding had
not only enhanced the property in |
those districts, but had enhanced the
value of all city property The city
administration was working for bet |
ter Lewistown and he hoped all cit
izens would back up the council in |
its efforts.
Secretary G. E. Mathews. of the