Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-10-22

In 1906, at the earnest request OF
the writer, McClure's Magazine sent
George Kibbe Turner to Galveston
with Instructions to make a COM
plete study OF the commission plan
OF city government, adopted in 1901.
Mr.. Turner's article, a striking story,
was published In the October. 1906,
number Of that magazine. When he
was about to leave the city, the
writer asked Mr.. Turner what his
conclusions were. His answer in sub
stance was as follows; "The Calves
ton plan is splendid one; the plan
is superior to the men in office.
While your mayor-president and com
missioners are excellent men, are
capable and attend strictly TO busi-
ness, there is really but one excep-
tionally strong man in the board In
brief, think that the plan itself is
largely responsible for the splendid
showing made by your city govern
ment.
There is another point | wish TO
mention,'' said Mr.. Turner, 'and
that Is that my Investigation into
the character OF the population OF
your city disclosses the fact that you
have very large number OF labor
ers residing here. one-fourth OF
these are negroes. and large num-
ber OF the remainder are foreign
born. You have large number of
saloons, and saloons usually particl-
pate in politics. / also find that
there are a large number OF mer-
chants and bankers In Galveston, but
the middle class, the backbone of
every community, is the smallest In
proportion TO your population, OF any
city that have yet visited.
Now. II under this condition
Galveston can produce and maintain
an ideal System of city government.
then any other city In America, by
adopting the Galveston plan. can do
likewise"
A Glance backward.
The history OF city government in
Galveston prior TO the adoption of
the commission plan would be but a
repetition Of the history OF city gov
ernment in other cities--good. bad
and indifferent. Originally Galveston
was governed by mayor elected by
the votes OF the entire city. and
twelve aldermen elected by the
respective voters OF each OF the
twelve city wards. This was a very
unsatisfactory plan, and II was
changed by an act of the state legis-
lature. calling for sixteen aldermen
four elected at large and twelve by
wards. Four years OF this system
demonstrated that as an improve
ment II was rank failure. The
number was reduced back to twelve
and like the mayor they were elected
at large by the entire vote OF the
people. This was an improvement,
but still unsatisfactory. The annual
budgets during the last few years
under the aldermen system regular
ly exceeded the income and produced
an annual deficit Of 100000, Every
two years the legislature was asked
for authority TO issue 100000 In
floating indebtedness bonds, to meet
this over expenditure AS city taxes
we're not due until October, the city
borrowed regularly from $4,000 20
500. 600 TO tide over the summer
months The city treasurer received
salary of but sl0O per annum, but
he had the handling OF all the city's
funds, aggrogatlng quite large sum,
and the city received no interest
thereon. SO far as the writer knows,
from tho date of its Incorporation,
March. 1889, seventy years, Calves
ton has mover had a dishonest man
as its mayor. The clty's greatest
trouble has been with It's boards and
aldermen. their political iugglery,
their caueuses and their speech-mak-
ing,
on Sept. s. 1904. the great storm
struck Galveston Az that time the
city was practically bankrupt. II had |,
defaulted in the payment OF interest
on It's bonded Indebtedness. Script