The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-07-25
TUESDAY, JULY rs. 1911.
COMMISSION SYSTEM.


The commission system was de-
feated in Fargo. Under the law 1t can
not be brought to a vote for four
years. The defeat Of the measure was
due--not so much because OF the OPP
positions TO the principles Of the plan
LAS to the crudities OF the North Da-
kota law.
OF course there are lot of people
who insisted on representation and
believed the wishes OF the people could
be more directly carried out through
the election Of members Of the council
from each ward. There is some force
to that phase of the argument.
At the end Of the four-year period
the fight for the commission system
will be renewed In the meantime both
the opponents and the advocates Of
the system viii have an opportunity
Tor study and investlgation-and 1t is
probable that in due time an educa-
tional campaign will be carried on.
There is a present tendency to get
away from the Galveston and tine Des
Moines systems. It is demonstrated
they have Objectionable fealures--as
strong, perhaps, as the aldermanic sys-
TEN. Numerous new ideas are being
tried.
The Forum recently called attention
to the Grand RAPIDS idea-the chief
points of which were an elective coun-
cil--directly representative-to enaca
ordinances-to finance the municipal
government--to make appropriations
for the different funds-with an APP
pointive commission under the gen.
erai direction Of the council--to do the
administrative work.
IL has been shown that good coun-
cilmen--men thoroughly honest and
sincere in ever respect-might make
poor administrators To that extent
the Grand Rapids idea is great i'm
provement over the Galveston or the
Des Moines systems.
Lockpo-t, N. Y. advances anoth,=
idea. 1t plans to elect a commission
or fve to do the legisIating for the city
--and this commission is to select
some one man to do the administra-
tive work--he to have heads Of diff
ferent departments under his direc-
ton.
This is a capitalization Of the Grand
Rapids idea--hve members of a COM
mission to legislate instead of an
entire council-and one nun for man
ager instead Of five members of COM
mission.
The Lockport idea is simpler and
less complicated and should appeal in
a broad way to both the opponents
and the advocates of the old commission
system. It will remove many of the
objections advanced to the commits
sion system-and also meet the de-
mands of those who wish to see that
plan adopted.
1t has often been proven that men
who are sufficiently popular to be
elected do not administer affairs as
they should-and that men who have
executive ability sometimes couldn't
be elected.
The Lockport system will overcome
that by permitting the popular men to
be elected--and allowing them to Sc
lect skilled expert for the executive
work
Fargoans should make study OF
the different improvements being
made to the commission plan. bill
should be prepared by the next legis-
lative session which would embody
the good features of the up-to date
systems-and repeal the crude mon
strosity now on the North Dakota
statutes. With the right kind Of q
law much of the opposition would be
overcome and those favoring a change
would have easy sailing.