Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1911-09-22
COMMISSION DEBATE ATTRACTS CROWD

government, stating that the system
end not the officials were at fault. He
! spoke of the present form as non
progressive and stated that much bet
ter results would be secured if there
was some man at the head of each
departm ent of the city's affairs with
absolute power to go ahead. The
commission form was referred to as
concrete and definite, and the fact
that power would be vested in three
men instead of seven was regarded
ly the speaker as one of the greatest
virtues of the plan, his point being,
The more councilmen, the more
friction"
William Goodyear was the second
speaker on the negative and stated
that to make the commission form as
successful as the present form the
people would either have to find
three men who would save $4,000
each year in expense or three men
whose services would be worth $1,000
year more to the city. The speaker
compared conditions in Pullm an with
those in cities where the commission
plan is reported to be successful and
stated that it would be unwise to adj
vocate a change until there was
reasonable certainty that the change
would prove beneficial. He argued
that the city did not want $3.50 per
year men to conduct the munici pal
affairs, and that efficient men would
give their services for nothing more
readily than for $3.50 a year In COM
menting on the statement of DR.. Else,
that the election of the commissioners
at large instead of by wards, as at pres
ent, would be beneficial to the city'S
interests, he stated that under those
conditions the more populous por-
tons of the city would be placed in
position to impose on the portions
less densely populated, to the end
that all three officials might be from
one section of town and that the in
terests of the other parts of the city
might suffer in consequence.
Mr. Goodyear read several neWspa-
per clippings accounting the failure
Of the commission plan in other cit
les. He stated that the initiative,
referendum and recall laws would be
passed by the state legislature soon,
and that it would be folly for the
city to change the form of govern
ruent to secure those features when
they were so close at hand without
any change. In closing the speaker
said Let the people get together
before the next city election and
make platform. Put it up to the
candidates and let them know what
will be expected of them If elected,
then see that they do it, and have a
bigger and better Pullman"
Arthur Price. third speaker on the
affirmative, showed thorough
knowledge of his subject and made
the best talk of the evening He ar
gued that the commission plan was
not new one, but had been operated
successfully in principle in every sec
ton of the globe. He assailed the
present system as not being business
like. stating that licenses are not col
lected as they should be; that the
water system is not conducted on
businesslike basis; that the system
OF auditing is not complete, and that
various evil conditions exist (due to
the SYSTEM that would not exist un-
der the commission plan. Mr. Price
read a letter from Mayor Hindley of
Spokane, in which that gentleman
stated that the commission plan is
big success in Spokane, and expressed
an opinion that it would prove just as
successful in Pullman.
The debater argued that the salary
expense incident to the commission
form would be saved to the city many
times over in the greater care given
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