The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-10-15
GIVES A 10 YEAR
LIMIT 10 CITIES
Col. Young Says IN That Time
Commission Government
Will Have Sway


Special TO Daily Leader
Kansas city, Mo-, oct l5--"With-
in ten wears eyory city Of this coun.
uy with less than 100000 Inhabitants
viii have adopted the commission
iorm Of government. And by that
sime II viii be as good for New York
as il IS for Des Moncs now
The public spirit OF Des Moines
n alive, awake. alert This is the
reason thar the commission plan has
succeeded there bette rthan II has
in other places in Iowa wnere it ~,
Heen tried
Colone Lafayette Young made both
ci these remarks in his speech before
The Kansas City Ad club AZ dinner
in his honor at the Elks' club. Colo
uei Young is editor and owner OF
tie Des Moines Capital, one Of tbs
lowers which put The 'Des Moines
Dlan into oneratlon three years aga.
lo said that every man Who had at-
eino 'nnf prominence In working
Tor the cdmmlsslon plan had piled on
his desk hlty Invitations % 20 and
talk about tie plan in cities where
public spirited men we're eyinclng IN
terest
Colonel YouRg writes paragraphs
on his editorial page when he Is not
writing leaders lie talks in para
graphs ana snaps OIL HIS cpierams ~
from the cracker Of whip His an
G'ence las, night heard the snap
laughed. aud the p rase stuck.
"Ttc fuarlion of The civ officials
Is executive. not legislative he said
American municipalities have bcei
the legislation neodeH by a city o
half million people for any on
year cnnli be made by five men il
! two hours
What cities need Is business men
men who DO things and a way Of ag
ing responsibility Il used 20 he il
nes Moinos. that il anytting wen
wrong II was rs hard 10 locate lh'
man TO blame as 10 find ont wht
broke the plate II you had two serH
ants.
THE mayor. the aintilman firm th
Fife wad' and the city contractors
lcon'i hy responsibility. When Noi
have five men. each If whom Is ~
spor ,ible Tor definite dcnarMeut
son can 20 to the man you want anl
pin him down I'm the commission
fern We have ccnf-alize tie re
sponsibility: we save centralized th1
credit For we gave them dreli'
when their work is well done. and ev
cry public gathering az waich we fins
cat good commissioners hears ID
share Of praise for The man. to hii
face. too. -
Our commissioners are answera5l'
10 the people, and they do their worl
with the recall hanging over them
Once We had commissioner w,
fathered an ordinance TO put slot ma
chimes back A recall petition wat
circulated and 5.G00 names were at
taeheA TO It. The ordinance wa
Withdrawn We cid not even have 4
give the medicine.
You never saw such polite officials
Soon they will be bowing to news
lraper men, That is the highest test
IN talk of the commission plan, /
has beer suggested that the commits
sioner ought 10 retire one or two a
q time. so rs rot to make a sweep q
the council all az once. Bu' tha
lddes not work You cant reform al
la once that way. and it is all al onct
that YOU have to reform. T ey ouga
20 be set on 2 rail in row as tbe'
arc now. so that your voter can c.eal
them all on with one shot Of his bal
Let. Then he can set up another fvi
and begin on tscm.
II Is the little things that mak'
a city as il Is the little ihnps tha
Inako n great business Here i'm Kan
eas CITY are hundreds OF little thing
that one man in charge Of a depart
Iment could do to make tae city bette
land never cost II cent These thing
are not done now because il Is n
orc mans business to do tsem.
Publicity has boon 2 great hcli
in maxine the commission plan sue
sass Publicity Is the greatest pre-
yeniive of craft that ever has heel
| Wown. Some have saia that ~ III,
amc publicity and Watching had beol
/ klfeb inp on lorm nl government
The success would aave been lusi M
samo whirh may hr TRUE. ibiif y0l
couldn't 10 e. II You'd ilFi lkct eg
\ ~ 10 Q three RING circus ard try
ling to watah everything IN the De
A0ines plan yon have everything III
der rnur ewes. and y0n knew the MAJ
eho Is responsible for whatever haf
pens ~. 4 on tse street or Ia The COZ
ner Of The civ treasurer's Office.
Following his talk, Colonel Yonn
answered questions fof half IN houi
Inquiries applying the general prif
cples he had set forth to Kansa
! oift case 10. aud although the speal
lar was mol ns conyersani with Nh
conditions fefe as with The gcnera
tascs Of The Des Moines plan he az
Ini'ted, as general nle. that tn
lactual power OF the commissioners