The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-09-29
TELLS HOW Plan
HELPED HOUSTON
Postmaster Strong Explains
Commission Government
Advantages.
OLD SYSTEM WORTHLESS
Affairs Of Municipality Conduct
ed Now on Sound Bust
ness Principles.

ness Principles.
City government by commission--its
advantages over the bicameral form OF
municipal administration as demon
strated at Houston, Texas,-was the
subject OF ar address delivered last
night In the Joseph Bryan Memorial
Annex OF the Central Young Mems
Christian Association by Postmaster
Seth b. Strong, of Houston. who Is in
Richmond in attendance upon the thir-
teenth annual convention of the POST
masters of the First Class. Houston
was the second city In the United
States to adopt the more modern form
of municipal government, Galveston, It's
sister city, having been the first.
The address was delivered under the
auspices of the Commission League.
and Major Hunsdon Cary. of that or
ganizaton, presided In opening Major
Cary said that there has come to be
a general dissatisfaction at condltiphs.
This was meeting OF citizens iooKlhs
for light towards improvement, ne an
nounced.
Mr.. strong.s chief charm as a
speaker is in the clearness with which
he presents facts. without going into
tiresome details he presents his SUD
feet In way which can hardly help
h,,t be understood. He spoke for more
than an hour.
How 1t Originnted:
In opening. the speaker tola now ta9
commission form q a,, geveln' ,en years
ago to meet conditions which han re
suited from the disaster Whlch .t haa
visited that city. UP until maj .s, Nv,
the city had had the 3id f citations ii be-
gan to right themselves IN inc cry
. which had all but been completely . ne
stroyed, It became evident thas tn
state which had taken possession Oh
tbe c,tv. would soon have to withdraw.
and the question was what 70 90. Ine
city was absolutely without govern
ment OF any kind. After consideTap,,es
was deemed best for the state TO re.
tain a measure OF control, and WIN
this idea the Governor appointed
commission OF ave to take chasRe
the city government until con como ions
had been restored to something IKE
normal The speaker here explained
that the success OF the new form OF
largely due TO the fact that men OF
high character and ability were founo
who were willing to sacrifice theis
own personal interests to those OF tne
administering the affairs of the city
that the remaining members OIL the oio
administration announced their VIII.
ingness 70 step aside, and let the new
suggestion readily found favor WITH
the people The new government hao
proved SO infinitely superior 70 me Vtu
that the people voted 10 retaih IL ~
n tremendous majority Thus the COM
mission form of city government came
into existence.
Old Form Abominable.
In dwelling upon the conditions which
led Houston Two years later 70 aoops
the commission. the speaker pointeo
OF government. The affairs OF Hous.
ton were administered BY Mayor ana
bicameral body elected BY popular
vote-the usual form OF government as
1t now obtains in most American ct tLer,
The councilmen were elected from
wards by the electorate of these wares.
What were at first geographical divis-
ions soon became political diyisioHs'
and the result was political admiais-
ration When 1t came to improve
nents of any public nature. 1t was al
WAYS a scramble. declared the speaker.
This or that alderman scrambled for ms
particular ward, for he was held ac,
couptable to the people VINO eiecteo
rather than to the people as a whole.
With the divergent wards each strus :
Cling for what it could get the result
was an unequal distribution OF I'M
provements. Districts which reaAy
because improvements elsewhere would
get more votes Added to this a tax
war was constantly going on. pup!c
funds were constantly being wasted.
and with 1t all the citizen was ~sthou.
redress, for there was no way " -"
sponsibility.
Political machines developed in each
ward. The whole city government was
influenced altogether by politics. When
IL happened that the aldermen Woulo
take broad views and would have ne
elected his own ward for the better
ment Of a community as a whole, he was
held by the ward which had elected:
and which would have the power Oh
the old regime, as described Mr.. Strong.
presented a composite picture OF nine
out OF every ten American municipal
ties. One, OF the greatest evils he de-
scribed was the delay with which mat
tiers DEMANDING prompt attention We're
handled under the old form OF govern
ment. Things went from bad to worse
in Houston, he declared, until at last
the commission form. and the question
was decided by popular vote.
HOW System Works. ri
Continuing, he explained the work.
ings of the new form Of government;
The present administration consists of
q Mayor and four commissioners elect
ed by the people. Ward lines have
been obliterated as far as the admins
tration is concerned. and politics mas
been kept out altogether. One special
advantage is that the candidate for
councilmanic office heretofore did not
have to come before the community as
a whole. Now any man who offers
himself as commissioner must have
such a reputation that he can secure a
majority from the entire electorate of
the city.
Absolute power is vested in the COM
mission Of five. The office of each
individual commissioner is Just as i'm
portant as that Of the Mayor, and each
to his qualifications for Office Each
commissioner is appointed by the May
WEI COME Wnpnc Tn Wn