The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-04-17

Il sioners are selected by the people,
and they select the judge. The recall
applies only to those VINO are elected.
Mr.. Hepburn You elect judges i'll
your municipality?
4 MIR. Young: No sir; not in the city.
Every official, every judge, attorney,
auditor, treasurer are appointed by
the commission.
Mr.. Hepburn: And they can be re-
called?
MI. Young: No sir.
Mr.. Hepburn: You could recall the
power that created them, but you
could not recall the creature created?
Mr.. Young: Certainly, we could re-
call the commission. At the conclusion
iof my remarks l shall insert the Des
Moines charter, under which our mu
Inicipality operates.
Mr. President, | am mechanic. In
years gone by the upper part of ev-
cry building used Tor manufacturing
was filled with shafting and betting
These were for the distribution OF
power. The engineer and fireman
worked longer hours than anybody
| else to take care of this betting and
shafting. 1t took 40 per cent of all the
fuel to run the idle shafting and belt
ing without turning single machine.
All the shafting had to run or none OF
! it. Now every modern factory runs its
machines with separately connected
power, and when one machine only
/ is running expenses are cut down ac-
cordingly. Why should not the i'm
/ provements in the political world be
kept apace with the improvements in
the mechanical world2 The useless
offices represent the pulleys and shaft
! ing of the political machines. Forty
per cent of the public money is spent
in maintaining this useless expense.
Why not reduce it? This is the pur
pose of the Des Moines plan,
There is not great railway enter
prise in America that could operate
4 for one year if it were conducted
with as little system and with as man.
I Independent heads as characterize the
the average city government of the
old plan, with ward aldermen and all
/ the old machinery.
/ 1t is pleasant to know that AmerI-
can people are giving some attention
/ to reforms in municipal governments.
1t is satisfying to know that nearly
/ 100 American cities have adopted the
commission form of government This
/ form of government puts the control
closely into the hands of the people.
/ Some men who have considered this
| subject have suggested that the com
missioners ought not to be elected or
retired at the same time, But, upon
second thought, this will be found to
be virtue. When the people OF
given city are all awakened at one
| time, they can make a revolution at
one election. Revolutions in municipal
affairs in many cities have never
been attempted because of their
seeming impdDsibility. Hunters in the
west years ago delighted to have
prairie chickens sit in a row on the
top of rail fence SO that the hunter
could kill a number of them with
one shot. This commission form Of
government, with two-year terms, fig
uratively speaking, puts the five
commissioners on the top rail of the
municipal fence TO be swept off at
one ballot by the voter. When peo-
pie find that it is possible to produce
change in the entire city govern
ment at one election, they will take
hope and attempt to act
Great men are not required TO man
age the affairs OF a city. They need
not be familiar with Greek and Ro
man history, They may not be able
to name many of the consultations
! But they ought to be able TO take
care of small details. They ought to
keep a city clean. They ought to see
that sidewalks and pavements are III
repair. These things we have accom-
plished in Des Moines. We have not
attempted to reduce taxation because
| that is hard to do in a growing city.
/ But we do say we have the best gov
eminent we have had in 80 years. Des
Moines has been under the commits
sion system about three years, and
there has not been voice raised in
favor OF going back to the old system.
There is no complaint that the city
government has been taken out OF the
hands of the people. ] think the old
form of city government is as far be-
hind the times as the OK cart is be-
hind the automobile.