The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-05-15


eminent, which is now extending acros:
the United States from the Southwest
first reached out Of Texas, where il
originated, into the city Of Des Moines
Iowa. III 1906 and 1907
\ committee of Des Noines citizen.
at that time proposed a remarkable
experiment-never before tried in the
history of the world-tbe government
Of a city by the direct and cont nuous
force OF public opinion.
First, they took, as a basis, the Com
mission form Of government framed by
Galveston. Texas-bv which a city
divides all It's business into five de,
partments, elects five men to manage
these departments, and watches those
men.
To this the Des Noines committee
added three provisions: the Recall,
adopted from Los Angeles, by which
twenty-five per cent Of the voters can
demand a special election to Gust any
Of these five men At any time; the
Initiative, by which ten per cent can
demand q popular vote on measures
they refuse to pass; and the Referen-
dunn. by which ten per cent Of the
voters can call for veto by popular
vote of any action they take,
In addition, all franchises are taken
from the power of this council Of five,
and can be given away only by direct
vote Of the people. AT any time, any
day in the year. the people of Des
MONIES can discharge their representa-
tives, or they can take any question Of
consequence out of their hands and
decide it themselves.
At first sight it might seen that the
last protest to he heard against this
new government proposed for De.
Moines would be that it was undemo-
cratic. On the contrary, both there and
in every place where II has been pro-
posed, this has been the first objection.
Scarcely had it been proposed in Des
NOines. when the official contractors
saloonkeepers. gamblers, public service
corporation representatives and ward
politicans-most or all of whom are
united in the BODY that controls all
badly governed American cities-raised
the long cry for human liberty. Con-
centration of power, Five men to rule
a free American city, The commercial
classes Selling the reins of government
The Business Men Take Up the Plan.
It had happened -as has hoppened in
a great ma iOritv Of the many places
where this so called commission govern
menr has been introduced-that the
business men of the city had been at
tracted by the clean-cut and business
like method of doing work under the
new plan. In 1906. out of the thirty
years sleep Of farmer ; market place
came a sudden insurrection of the
Younger business generation in Des
Nome which resulted in the typical
''boosters - campaign Of far.
Western city Des Moines was at that
time cut up into all kinds of schisms:
il was made up Of West Side and East
Side, half a dozen separate localities.
seven wards. fractions of various old
school dstricts-all full of petty
iealousies and bitter feelings. The
commercial club proposed a unified
citv. a Greater Des Moines. It was a
business proposition-to make the place
grow and its residents prosper.
As one of the chief means TO this
end. the new form of government was
taken up and pushed through by the
commercial interests Of the place. \
bill for this had been presented i'll the
legislature Of 1906 and had died IN
committee In 1907 the business men .
walked over TO Capitol. and forced II .
down the throats Of the politicians
there. in spite Of the local public
service n0rnora+ions' LAWYERS and lob ;
by. In spite Of the professional labor
leaders. in spite Of the political gang
from the Des Noines city hall.
The Politicians Alarmed for Liberty.