The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-01-25

ind all the municipal officers shall
attend. and the public may be heard
by petition on any matter they wish
10 bring before the commission.
Section 10 provides that il any mu-
operating under this COM
mission form of government desires
to abandon it and return to the old
form of government, it may do SO
upon majority vote at an election
specially called and held for that pur-
pose.
These are the essential features Of
the law under which cities may run
under the Commission form of Gov
eminent; and the voters of the city
of Harrisburg will, on the 18th day
of next month, be called upon to say
whether or not they prefer that form
of government to the form they are
now living under.
The difference in a nutshell is this !:
The Commission form takes all au-
thority out of the hands of quite a
number of men, and lodges it in the
hands of a few. 1t takes the divided
responsibility away from the many
and rests it upon few. 1t simplifies
the manner of running the city gov
eminent. 1t is a good thing
PROVIDED. the right sort of mer
are elected commissioners.
1t is better to have three well paid
competent men to give their entire
time AMI attention to the city's bust
ness than it is to have a dozen or two
men playing at it; not getting sala
ries enough to interest them, and be
cause of their lack of interest and re
sponsibility hardly earning the small
salaries they get.
The biggest business in this town
is the city government. The city gov
eminent should have at it's head, il
the commission form is adopted, three
of the very best men in Hattiesburg
Men who will not steal or wink al
stealing. Men who will not consider
a public office as public snap, but
as a public trust. Men who are not
afraid to spend money judiciously for
the public good, but who are afraid
for conscience sake to waste a single
dollar of the trust money the people
have paid into their hands. Men OF
integrity. And not only men of integ
rity and honesty, but competent men
1t requires a broader, bigger, better
business man to run the affairs of a
city of this size and to run them sue
cessfully, than it does to run any mill
or bank or business enterprise of any
kind in this city.
The three commissioners of this
town will have big work and heavy re
sponsibilities upon their shoulders
They will occupy big offices; and they
ought to be big enough for the offices
We dwell upon this feature for this
reason: We want to sound the warn
ing early: 1t is not so much the FORM
of government that makes for thu
city's good, as it is the men who con
duct the affairs of office. Our re
marks are not critical or personal o.
fractional. Neither by insinuation O
suggestion do we mean anything a
anybody. But The News, early in thu
game, desires to express the hop
that if the form of government il
changed, or for that matter if it il
not changed, that the people will SCI
to It that the most competent and re
liable men in Hattiesburg are calle'
from the private walks of life to tn
QOQOTdDle WOTk VI COuuuCtlh6 HOhOi
ably the public affairs of Hattiesbure
| The commission form of govern
ment seems to be simple and an cas-
way, without superfluous red tape
and direct way Of fixing responsible
lity. 1t has its advantages. and
change to that form would perhap
not be amiss; certainly not If tn
people want it. But if the form
changed, then let's throw politics t
the dogs, and select for the three hig
offices of commissioners the tire
best business men in Hattiesburg.
Let's not play any little petty spite
full politics in so big thing as tina
It is not a political or personal ma
! l.