The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-13

missioners a man who had for years
been a member of the municipal park
board. In cities of $4,000 or SO popu-
lation, in the neighborhood Of 100000
is expended annually by the park
board the political patronage there
from being great
After the new council of five had
taken its seat in Office under the COM
mission form an investigation into past
records of the treasury revealed that
the department which this park mem
Der had been the head of had been
paying bills for work never done for
the city. Later investigation showed
he had been paying with the city's.
funds workme en- whom he kept at work
on buildings he was constructing. The
commission form put stop to this
Mr.. Wiley, telling what he learned of
the commission form in Wichita and
Topeka, Kan, said:
Wichita, Kan, has population or
$4,000, practically the same as Spring
field, Ill. Ten years ago the popula-
ton was 10000. 1t is one of the most
progressive and rapidly growing cities
in Kansas. In April, 1909. the city
adopted a commission form of govern
ment. Their form of government is
quite similar to the plan to be voted
| upon in this city. 1t has now had the
commission form for almost two years
and it's experience with the same is of
some value to cities considering the
dQOpLlOn Oh d LOIIu VI SONCIi1
ment.
cat the first election two Republic
cans and three Democrats were elected
as mayor and commissioners, although
the town is strongly Republican. Party
politics were cast aside in the election
and the men elected strictly on their
own merits. The mayor was former
| banker. One of the commissioners the
proprietor of a steam laundry, and an
other a retired capitalist. One was a
ind
commissioner was formerly superin-
tendent of the park system. With the
! exception of the last named commits
sioner, none of the officials elected had
ever been prominent in city politics be-
| fore.
Indebtedness Paid.
/ almost the first thing the new coun-
| ell did upon going into office was to
raise the tax rate four mills on the
| dollar. This was done. not to meet an
! increase in expenditure in operating
| the city government, but to clear Oft
| a large Indebtedness left by the old
| city government. 1t seems that under
| the former administration the city had
| not been keeping within it's income and
| as a consequence had become heavily
| in debt for current expenses. The new
commissioners, by means Of the in
| creased tax, were able to pay off the
| old debt the first year.
"At the end of the second year the
rate was reduced three mills on the
| dollar, making it now one mill higher
/ than under the old system. However,
the citizens do not complain about that
as the city is given so much more for
| the money actually expended, and the
citizens in most instances express a
willingness to have the tax made even
higher than it now is. They fully re-
| alize the city is at present providing
for the public improvements which
| We're very much needed and which in
the past they did not have.
| 'Inasmuch as the city is growing
exceedingly fast they realize that it is
necessary to provide for the future as
well as the present and there is no
disposition on the part of the COM
but rather the citizens fully commend
the course taken by the council.
All Glasses Questioned.
my course of investigation led me
to talk with all classes of people, mer-
chants, lawyers. travelling men, labor
ers and others And did not find a
single individual in Wichita who did
not recommend the present system, ex-
cept some few officials connected with
the city.
Under the old regime these officials
had been quite prominent in the city
affairs. One of these individuals is at
present in the department of revenue
and finance and in reply to my QueS-
lions to the comparative cost of the
two systems he replied:
=" Tt doesn't cost any more to run
a city under the commission govern
ment than it does under the ward sys-
tenn, but under commission govern
ment there is too much fuss and
feathers too much looking after every
little detail, too much red tape" The
old system was good enough, and il