The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-04-09
CAIRO wins AGAIN
GAINED DECISION gN DEBATE
WITH MARION HIGH SCHOOL
TEAM.
Judges Unanimously Decided That
Commission Form Of Government
Is 1cst-Meet Padueah
April 20.

| By a unanimous deci len Of tbs
4 Judges the debate between Mariel
| High School aud Cairo High Schoo
on the question. Resolved. That th'
| Commission, with a one.third Re-ca
J Provision i the Best Form of Git,
Government was given to the Cairo
representatives on the affirmative
sile last night. Both sides presented
sine POINTS but becau of the better
argument Of the local high school
boys the outcome was not questioned
program had been arranged for
the evening. Mr.. Allen, one OF I
G. H. S. faculty, presided as the chair
man and after the song ''Fllinois" BY
the c. n. s. qrartette the debate was
started
Lester Bumpus. the first c. H. 5.
speaker. said that his sides object
was to prove that the Commission
Form was efficient and effective and
that the Old aldermanic svstem was
not He told what the Commission
form meant, what Its uses were and
Its advantages. His main objections
to the old system was that 1t did not
give the people proper represcn a.
ton: that 1t was an easy prey for
grating politicians. swindiers and
nh ,r, hn IA
the city forlorn and neglected. On
the other hand the Commission Form
had corrected all these things and
the government of the municipality
was put in the hands OF men who
were honest and capable. In the old
system civic affairs were rotten and
1T would have to go.
The first Marion debater, Quinn
Sparks, said that the Commission
Form was radical, un-American and
against our traditions. He ventured
that If five commissioners once got
rortrnl of CITY they would keep it
and the recall would do no COOL. In
the old system where the aldermen
were elected from each ward every
one in the city was equally represent
ed In this new form with five men
ruling only few people were rep
resented and the Others had no say
at all. This was, in Mr.. Spark opin-
ion, very bad policy. II this new
system was adopted it would result in
factionalism and then graft and var
ious vices would follow. The tru Is
could more easily influence five men
than they could score or more.
This new system bordered on social
ism and that is what we want to
avoid. In conclusion he stated that
the Commission plan offers much
but assures nothing,
The best talk of the evening was
made by the second C. H s. speaker,
Frank Schoemls. Frank stated at
the outset that he would try to prove
the Commission Form best because
of three things, namely, that it was
modern, efficient and suited to the
needs of the day. Along the first
he said we had outgrown the old al
dermanic form and by ienoting our
progress we should take up the new
form. The government in cities un.
der the new form would bring more
men out to WORK an civic
affairs and this would bring out more
legislators. Business men
would run the city along the lines of
a business enterprise and get re.
suits. The Commission was quick
and decisive and provided prompt
methods of getting good out of bal
government. If any Of the Commiss-
ions work was questioned or If any
thing went wrong the recall was
ready to take these men out and put
Others in. He cited four cities, Cedar
Rapids, Des Moines. Galveston and
Houston which had recently adopted
the Commission Form and gave the
result. All these cities had made
remarkable stride and progress won
'erfully since taking up this new sys-
tenn.
y The econd visiting speaker Ray
mond BROOKS. Said the Commi sion
Form was decidedly against Ameri.
canism and the recall was obnoxious
He said We have Away, cherished
repres entation in the state and fed.
eral legislatures and that we should
also have aldermanic representation
in city government re attempted to
show that the Commits ion hadn't
worked well in several cities where 1t
wa being tried. He worked dill the
ventures of his colleague and
in his opinion the aldermanic
system was the best Mr.. Brook
has quite reputation as an
orator and displayed his talent eff.
fectively
Bunpus. for G. II. S. in rebuttal
redeemed himself by putting up fine
replys to his opponents arguments
My opponent has said that the Com
mission Form knows graft. but say
that 1t only comes by knowing it in
the aldermanic system." In reply to
Marion's point that 140 men could