The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1911-06-03
Commission Form
Of Government in
It's Supreme Test


w Ham pefed By Debt
When the commission began its
iabors there was 4 total debt Of three
million dollars, 500, 900 Of q floating
debt. Within two years the, latter was
wiped out. Since the food 81, ~, 900
OF bonds were issued, and $1,01S, goo
was spent in permanent impro yements
out Of current revenues, with 500, 900
additional for other expenses growing
directly out Of the food Today the
outstanding bonds Of Galveston
amount to $4,4s0,000. It follows that
Galveston has been able to pay out q.
total Of nearly three million dollars
in nine years; over and above the ordt
nary current expenses. Add to the
public Improvements the expenditures
Of the individual citizens, with the
amounts contributed by the county Of
Galveston and the total is approx
mately $1,000 per capita. With all It's
splendid showing Galveston has been
able to make 1t ON a tax rate Of $1.69
on the 500 valuation.
The Galveston system has none Of
the Innovations that have been added
by cities which have more recently
adopted the commission plan. 1t has
neither the initiative, the referendum,
the recall, the civil service, nor the
rlon.partisan cleo Ion plan. It simply
wipes out the old ward lines, makes
the city the unit Of representation and
put its affairs in the hands of five com.
missioners, who are elected by the
people at large. One OF these is chair
man of the board. The other four are
placed at the heads Of the four re-
naming departments, the mayor-presl-
dent heading the fifth. It Is generally
understood beforehand which depart
ment each commissioner will head.
The board possesses all the authority
of the usual city council.
Do Not Give Whole Time.
Galveston, unlike many other COM
mission.goyerned cities, does not re
quire Its commissioners to give their
whole time to the work OF the city.
They are required to have fixed hours
at the city hall, but otherwise are free
to engage in private business. This,
say the people Of Galveston, enables
them to command, for their city gov.
eminent the abilities Of the best and
most successful business men. Their
commissioner of finance and revenue,
for instance, is president OF four large
business concerns, including one OF
the leading banks OF the city. 1t
would take thousands of dollars to
command the eclusiye service of such
a man, yet Galveston gets them for
$1,000. III,
The city has shogn "a remarkable
fidelity toward the men who have lab
ored SO successfully in its, rehabilita-
ton. Most OF the commissioners have
been reelected with each recurring
elections tits true that Mayor Landes
was defeated lat the last election, and
it is claimed that his opponent had all
the wfde;opens element behind him.
But the new mayor was Q Judge OF the
bench. one Of the most widely known
secret order men In, that country and
a mier oEbtbe most engaging type.
But that Galveston still ia jApt9ytng the
same wise, and bepefieiept municipal
rule that has characterized the past
decade is attested by every one who
knows conditions there. gstea y
others Take, It Up.
1t was onlp a year or two after
Galveston began Its commission eS.
pertinent that the whole world was
considering the phenomenal success
that had characterized the efforts to
rehabilitate its finances, rebuild its de-
stroyed districts, and restore conf
dence In its future. This led other
progressive cities to study the Calves
ton situation, and today the millions
OF urban residents who have been In
troduced to good city government by
reason Of the expansion OF the Gal
weston idea feel that the storm was
perhaps a blessing in disguise.
Galveston attributes most OF Its
splendid rise from threatened obliter'
alton to the wisdom Of the men who
have constituted its governing body
But outsiders assert that some OF It,
at least, is to be attributed to the pub
lie spirit thta was engendered by the
flood, The city is well content with
| its present situation, and cares moth
ing for the features that other cities
have engrafted onto the commission
plan. Under its simple system the
city has recovered itself thoroughly
and stands today with Its face to the
future, with the prospects OF growth
that will, in the future, make II one OF
the most important commercial cen
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