Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-07-30
NEWS OF THE NEIGHBORS

ington. w. Va, 10000; Galveston,
! about 10000, although the latter
from it's business and location, is in
many respects confronted by prob
lens usual for cities of far greater
! size.
Success of Plan.
OF the greatly improved conditions
in Galveston, Houston, Dallas, Des
Moines, Cedar Rapids, Huntington,
| w. Va, and elsewhere, compared
with the old days under the usual
council system, there can be no ques-
| ton. Committee after committee
visiting these cities and prepared to
bring back to mayor or council a
hostile report, has been thoroughly
/ convinced that here is an improved
| form of city government and has ad-
vocated its adoption for their own
| town. So far as tried, there is al
most an unanimous verdict, whether
1t will prove to be permanently sue
cessfu1, or whether, like a new broom
it may sweep clean at first, but later
become as Intellectual as the old plan,
depends upon the principles involv-
ed in the commission idea. What
these principles are and whether such
as to command confidence in the fu-
ture of this sort of municipal govern
ment, are questions worthy of a mo-
ment's attention.
l. The Commission" is really a
small. council; the usual number is
five, in some states, three. Calling
it a commission instead of a coun-
Gil makes no difference; the advan-
a
large one is that, before election, the
public attention can be more readily
concentrated on a few than on many
candidates, thus insuring the nom
ination and election of the best men;
while after election the small board
is in actual operation more capable
of prompt and intelligent action than
with large council with many COM
mittees.
2. Nor is the smaller body less
representative than the larger. Under
the commission plan the entire city
elects the five or the three and these
represent not individual wards, but
the city as a whole. Election by
wards is abolished. Under the ward
system each councilman is RESPONSE
BILE only to small fraction of the
city, and the general interests of the
people suffer wherever they conflict
with the interests of each ward.
Ward aldermen are always trading"
ut was impossible to get one more
electric light in my ward" said a
former councilman, until 1 agreed
to vote for one more electric light
in each Of the other seven wards
of the city; the city had to pay for
eight new arcs when only one was
needed" You vote to pave that
street in my ward and III vote to ex-
tend the sewer in yours.
The ward system has thus resulted
in representation Of the parts, but
not of the interests of the city as
a whole, and no matter how much
need of improvement, if the council
man from the ward is not in with the
bunch" it may never be ordered.
3. Under the commission plan,
the small council has sufficient power
to act effectively and promptly,
adequately by responsibility
TO the people. The danger today is
not too much governmental power in
a few hands, but that the govern
mental power, too much divided, will
prove ineffeCtive and weak and COM
pei some force outside of the gov
eminent Getty boss or clique) to sup
ply the unifying force needed; for /
power enough for effective action
must be exercised by some one. /
Shall the authority be one RESPONSE /
BILE to the voters, or an irresponsible /
machine or a boss?
T. Instead Of a committee of the |
council on streets, on lighting, on /
licenses, etc, each member of the /
constitutes a committee (
Of one and has charge of a particu- !
lar department. AS the head of that /
he is known to all. /
Both by public opinion and by the /
other commissioners he is held re- I
sponsible for the conduct of that de-
partment and. the commission as a
whole is also responsible to the pub
lie.
3. Checks and balances" are pro-
vided in the recall features and in
the referendum. If a commissioner
proves to be thoroughly bad, get up
your petition, hold your election, and |
put someone else in his place. Even
II only occasionally used, It's potential
power is great. If the men elected |
are good, but they pass a bad ordi-
nance, refer the ordinance to the vot-
srs Con a q per cent petition) and
veto it This substitutes the voters
for the mayors veto. The absence
Of these safeguards makes the Wis
,onsin law imperfect and of doubtful
value. If we DO away with the check
IF one governmental power" against
against council, etc.
we should substitute the check of
1irect control by the voters-a def
mite, easy and satisfactory method
If insuring real representation.
6. The commissioners are paid a
air salary, and in most cities under
his plan give all their time to the