Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1911-09-22
Large Audience of Both Male and
Female Voters Attracted to NJ. T..
Church to Hear Commission
Form of Government
Discussed.

large and enthusiastic audience
! gathered at the Methodist church
last Tuesday evening to hear the de
/ tate on the commission form of gov.
eminent in regard to its adaptability
10 he city of Pullman. At least a
| third of the big audi fence was women
voters, their attendance and close at
/ tcntion to the discussion proving that
!'n lady voters Of the city are keenly
interested in municipal affairs and
willing to lend their support to any
worthy public enterprise.
The debate was delayed because
of the fact that the O.-W. r. &. n
train from Colfax did not arrive until
nearly $3.50. thereby making it i'm
possible for NJ. S. lamar, one of the
SPEAKERS on the affirmative, who had
heen in Colfax on legal business, to
arrive on the scene at the time set
for the opening of the argument.
DR.. Else opened the debate, speak
ing on the affirmative He told OF
the state law regarding the commits
sion form Of government, stating
that one of the greatest virtues of the
law was the fact that it made com
pulsory the election of the commits
sioners at large. rather than by
wards, as under the present system
thereby eliminating to a great extent
the possibility of the interests of one
particular section of the city beins
paramount to the interests of the city
at large in the mind of the com mis-
sioner. Other points touched by DR.
Else were the reduction of the city s
expenses by the combination of the
| offices of the clerk and treasurer, en-
ployment of the citys officers by the
/ commissioners and their power to re-
move an officer at any time, and the
submission of public utility fran
chises to the people. In speaking on
| the latter, DR.. Else called attention
TO the pending telephone franchise
which, he stated, would be submit
! ted to the people at large under the
commission form of government. The
speaker dewitt at some length on the
recall and initiative features of the
commission plan and stated that the
publishing of monthly statements OF
receipts, expenditures, etc, would
eliminate any possibility of under
| handed methods.
|" In sum marizing the virtues of the
commission plan. DIR. Else spoke Of
the more definite government under
that plan, with some one responsible
for each department of the municipal
affairs, the initiative of the people, the
fact that the mayor is deprived of the
veto power, and the fact that all ordi-
nances. except those pertaining to the
public health or public safety, must
be open to inspection by the public
at least two weeks before being
passed by the commission.
e. N. Hinchliff opened the argu-
ment for the negative by stating that
to gain their point the affirmative
must show that evil exists under the
present form of government and
then must prove that the commission
plan would remedy these evils. He
argued that the comm ission govern
ment was legalized by the Legislature
to meet conditions in large cities and
conditions that do not exist in Pull
? man. He stated that under the com
mission plan the city must organize
for a term of six years, and as Pull
man would be without precedent IN
towns her size, it would be a sis
years experiment, and an expensive
one. arguing that the people would
not be justified in taking upon them
: selves the additional burdens.
In upholding the affirmative NJ. s